Where School Is Cool

Abstract

Electrical Engineering and Power Engineering are alive and well in Latin America. While IEEE and IEEE Power and Energy Society look for ways to entice high school students in the United States to go into engineering, the demand for engineering slots in Latin American universities grows every year, with the best students in those countries aiming for the profession. The challenge faced by the United States is that in a country of 309 million people, only 800 to 1,000 undergraduates interested in power engineering jobs graduate each year. Brazil, with a population of 192 million, graduates approximately 1,000 power engineers each year. Furthermore, U.S. enrollment in master's and doctoral programs in power engineering is around 550 per year for each, but roughly 60% of those graduates come from abroad and return to their countries after graduation. In contrast, Brazil trains 120 postgraduates in power engineering each year, and most stay in the country.