how to write journal paper engineering

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Writing a Research Paper

Asme journals digital submission tool guidelines and information, writing a research paper or technical brief.

Only original contributions to the engineering literature are accepted for publication; work should incorporate substantial information not previously published.

Permissions

If a submission contains excerpts from other copyrighted material (including without limitation any diagrams, photographs, figures or text), it is the responsibility of the authors to acquire in writing all necessary rights from third parties to include those materials in a submission. In addition, appropriate credit for that third-party material must be included in footnotes, figure/table captions, Acknowledgements, References or Bibliography. This is part of the Terms and Conditions of the Copyright Transfer Agreement required form each author prior to publication of an accepted submission.

Resources The Office of Research Integrity has the following guide that may be a useful reference: Avoiding Plagiarism, Self-Plagiarism, and Other Questionable Writing Practices: A Guide to Ethical Writing.

Accuracy It is of the greatest importance that all technical, scientific, and mathematical information contained in the paper be checked with the utmost care.

It is ASME policy that SI units of measurement be included in all papers. When U.S. customary units are given preference, the SI equivalent should be provided in parentheses or in a supplementary table. When preference is given to SI units, the U.S. customary units should be provided in parentheses or in a supplementary table.

A research paper should not exceed 12,000 words. Beyond this amount, a mandatory excess-page charge can be assessed. These charges are described here: Publication Charges .

To estimate figures and tables:

• 1 journal page = 1000 words
• Half-journal page or a single column = 500 words
• Half-column = 250 words
• Quarter column = 125 words.

The Editor reserves the right to send papers that exceed the length limitation back to the author(s) for shortening before initiating the review process.

Elements of a Paper

The basic elements of a paper or brief are listed below in the order in which they should appear:

• author names and affiliations
• body of paper
• acknowledgments
• nomenclature
• figures and tables

Text: 9 or 10 pt. Times Roman medium (or equivalent typeface), justified, with single line spacing

The title of the paper should be concise and definitive.

Author Names and Affiliations

It is ASME policy that all those who have participated significantly in the technical aspects of a paper be recognized as co-authors or cited in the acknowledgments. Author name should consist of first name (or initial), middle initial, and last name. The author affiliation should consist of the following, as applicable, in the order noted:

• university or company (with department name or company division)
• mailing address
• city, state, zip code
• country name (other than the U.S.)
• e-mail (university or company email addresses should be used whenever possible)

An abstract (250 words maximum) should open the paper or brief. The purpose of the abstract is to give a clear indication of the objective, scope, and results so that readers may determine whether the full text will be of particular interest to them.

The text should be organized into logical parts or sections. The purpose of the paper should be stated at the beginning, followed by a description of the problem, the means of solution, and any other information necessary to properly qualify the results presented and the conclusions. The results should be presented in an orderly form, followed by the author'/s conclusions.

Headings and subheadings should appear throughout the work to divide the subject matter into logical parts and to emphasize the major elements and considerations. Parts or sections may be numbered, if desired, but paragraphs should not be numbered.

Equations should be numbered consecutively beginning with (1) to the end of the paper, including any appendices. The number should be enclosed in parentheses and set flush right in the column on the same line as the equation. It is this number that should be used when referring to equations within the text. Equations should be referenced within the text as "Eq. (x)." When the reference to an equation begins a sentence, it should be spelled out, e.g., "Equation (x)."

Formulas and equations should be created to clearly distinguish capital letters from lowercase letters. Care should be taken to avoid confusion between the lowercase "l"(el) and the numeral one, or between zero and the lowercase "o." All subscripts, superscripts, Greek letters, and other symbols should be clearly indicated.

In all mathematical expressions and analyses, any symbols (and the units in which they are measured) not previously defined in nomenclature should be explained. If the paper is highly mathematical in nature, it may be advisable to develop equations and formulas in appendices rather than in the body of the paper.

All figures (graphs, line drawings, photographs, etc.) should be numbered consecutively and have a caption consisting of the figure number and a brief title or description of the figure. This number should be used when referring to the figure in text. Figure references should be included within the text in numerical order according to their order of appearance. Figures should be referenced within the text as "Fig. 1." When the reference to a figure begins a sentence, the abbreviation "Fig." should be spelled out, e.g., "Figure 1." A separate list of figure numbers and their respective captions should be included at the end of the paper (for production purposes only). ASME accepts .tiff (.tif) or .eps file formats for figures.

• TIFF (Tag Image File Format) is for bitmap images (spatially mapped array of bits).
• EPS (Encapsulated Postscript) is for vector graphics (mathematical expressions of geometrical primitives).

Images created in Word can opened in Adobe Acrobat and saved as .tif or .eps

Figure files greater than 15MB should be checked to see if layers were merged.

All tables should be numbered consecutively and have a caption consisting of the table number and a brief title. This number should be used when referring to the table in text. Table references should be included within the text in numerical order according to their order of appearance. Tables should be inserted as part of the text as close as possible to its first reference — with the exception of those tables included at the end of the paper as an appendix. A separate list of table numbers and their respective captions should be included at the end of the paper (for production purposes only).

Video Files

Currently, the ASME Journal Tool does not accommodate the submission of video files. Authors can contact the Editor by email if they have video files. If accepted by the Editor for review, ASME will provide information for transferring the files by FTP.

Video files should augment a figure that is included in the paper since they will be included as part of the peer-review of the paper, and if accepted for publication, part of the archival version of the paper.

The following file formats can be accepted for video files:

Supplemental Material

Go to “ Supplemental Material ” for information on this.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments may be made to individuals or institutions not mentioned elsewhere in the work who have made an important contribution.

Funding Information

Funding information provided will be placed at the end of the Acknowledgment section.

Nomenclature

Nomenclature should follow customary usage. For reference, consult American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recommendations. The nomenclature list should be in alphabetical order (capital letters first, followed by lowercase letters), followed by any Greek symbols, with subscripts and superscripts last, identified with headings.

Sample Nomenclature

• Pages must be paginated.
• Highly technical terms or phraseology must be explained and defined.
• The use of the first person and reference to individuals should be made in such a manner as to avoid personal bias.
• Company names should be mentioned only in the acknowledgments.
• All papers should be concise regardless of length.
• Long quotations should be avoided by referring to sources.
• Illustrations and tables must be kept to a practicable minimum.
• Detailed drawings, lengthy test data and calculations, and photographs not integral to the understanding of the subject, should be omitted.
• Equations should be kept to a reasonable minimum, and built-up fractions within sentences should be avoided.
• Spell out all acronyms on first use. Put the acronym in parentheses immediately after the spelled-out term.
• All lines of the initial submission must be numbered.

Within the text, references should be cited in numerical order according to their order of appearance. The numbered reference citation within text should be enclosed in brackets.

Example: It was shown by Prusa [1] that the width of the plume decreases under these conditions.

All references must include a DOI.

In the case of two citations, the numbers should be separated by a comma [1,2]. In the case of more than two references, the numbers should be separated by a dash [5-7].

Note: ASME primarily uses the Chicago Manual of Style for reference format. Authors are encouraged to seek out precise instructions via: http://www.ChicagoManualofStyle.org. ASME does not allow references to Wikipedia.

Sample References

References should be listed together at the end of the paper; footnotes should not be used for this purpose.

References should be arranged in numerical order according to the sequence of citations within the text. Each reference should include the last name of each author followed by initials.

Website Content

• [2] Wayne, John “John Cowboy Videos 2009,” YouTube video, 7:00, November 13, 2009, http://www.you tube.com/ watch?v= aBcDeFgH9yz.
• [3] “Apple Privacy Policy,” last modified February 4, 2009, accessed July 19, 2010, http://www.apple.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html.
• [17] “WD2000: Visual Basic Macro to Assign Clipboard Text to a String Variable,” revision 1.3, Microsoft Help and Support, last modified November 23, 2006, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/212730.
• Note: If a site ceases to exist before publication, or if the information is modified or deleted, this must be included: [8] As of February 22, 2013, Sullivan was claiming on her website that … (a claim that had disappeared from her page by March 4, 2013).

Journal Articles and Papers in Serial Publications

• [3] Adams, Z., 2014, “Bending of an Infinite Beam on an Elastic Substrate,” ASME J Appl. Mech., 3, pp. 221-228.
• [9] Zhang, T. W., Khun, C., Liu, Q., and Miller, A. P., 2011, “Self-Healing Techniques,” Nature, 332(6662), pp. 888-892.

Textbooks and Monographs

• [10] Gibson, T.A., and Tucker, M. T., 2008, The Big Book of Cellular Studies, John Wiley and Sons, NY.

Chapter Within a Book

• [32] Stevens, T. T., 1999, “Stochastic Fields and Their Digital Simulation,” Stochastic Methods. T. A. Sulle, and M. Siiu, eds., Martinius Publishers, Dordrecht, Germany, pp. 22-36.

Individual Conference Papers/Papers in Compiled Proceedings/Collection of Works by Numerous Authors

• [21] Wions, T. T., and Mills, C. D., 2006, “Structural Dynamics in Parallel Manipulation,” Proceedings of the IDETC/CIE, New Orleans, LA, September 10-13, 2005, ASME Paper No. DETC2005-99532, pp. 777-798.

Theses and Technical Reports

• [1] Oligaria, T. T., Fredy, C. W., Popullo, A. Z., and Tucker, M. A., 20111, “Characterization of PKM Dynamics,” SAE Technical Paper No. 2011-02-8345, 07ATC-96.
• [25] Mollen, T., P., 2014, “Use of General Nonlinear Material in Articulated Systems,” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Boston, Boston, MA.
• [27] Clinton, D., 2013, “Review of Rocket Technology,” NASA Report No. NASA RE-8842.

Books Consulted Online

• [23] Smith, John, 2014, A Dog’s Life in Berlin. Oxford University Press, New York. Doi: 10.1055/acprof.oso/97890.0394.000.

Citing ASME Journal Titles

In order to improve the accuracy of citation data collection, ASME is standardizing on the following abbreviations for the titles in the ASME Journal Program. Authors should use these abbreviations for ASME titles in their references:

Journal Statements:

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing in Engineering

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

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• CAREER BRIEF
• 08 May 2019

Toolkit: How to write a great paper

A clear format will ensure that your research paper is understood by your readers. Follow:

1. Context — your introduction

2. Content — your results

3. Conclusion — your discussion

Plan your paper carefully and decide where each point will sit within the framework before you begin writing.

Collection: Careers toolkit

Straightforward writing

Scientific writing should always aim to be A, B and C: Accurate, Brief, and Clear. Never choose a long word when a short one will do. Use simple language to communicate your results. Always aim to distill your message down into the simplest sentence possible.

Choose a title

A carefully conceived title will communicate the single core message of your research paper. It should be D, E, F: Declarative, Engaging and Focused.

Conclusions

Add a sentence or two at the end of your concluding statement that sets out your plans for further research. What is next for you or others working in your field?

Find out more

See additional information .

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01362-9

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Academic Writing for Engineering Publications

A Guide for Non-native English Speakers

• © 2022
• Zhongchao Tan 0

Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

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• Designed for non-native English writers who are studying and working in English-speaking countries
• Uses hundreds of examples and emphasizes essential cultural difference for non-native English writers
• Includes essentials of copyright and plagiarism, to help writers avoid challenges from readers or copyright holders

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Table of contents (17 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

Zhongchao Tan

Academic Integrity

Organization of ideas, preparing for writing, drafting introduction, drafting methodology, drafting results and discussion, drafting conclusions, drafting other sections, engineering language skills, engineering language, phrases and words, punctuation, finalization.

• academic writing
• engineering publications
• Writing for Science and Engineering
• Writing for Engineers and Scientists
• The Craft of Science Writing

About this book

This textbook is designed for non-native English speakers who need to write scientific and engineering research articles, technical reports, engineering thesis, academic books, and other technical documents in English. The author focuses on formal academic writing in a professional language and frame. The book is written in standard English and provides useful guidelines on development of thoughts, organization of ideas, construction of paragraphs and sentences, and choices of precise words. It also pays attention to details such as visual creation, punctuation, and format. Informal writing is excluded from the scope of this practical guideline.

Authors and Affiliations

About the author.

Zhongchao Tan is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He received his BSc and MSc degrees from Tsinghua University, Beijing, and PhD Degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. He was the former Associate Dean (International) of Waterloo Engineering and the founding Executive Director of Tsinghua-Waterloo Joint Research Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies. In addition, Tan has provided dedicated services to several international professional societies including Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering and Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Academic Writing for Engineering Publications

Book Subtitle : A Guide for Non-native English Speakers

Authors : Zhongchao Tan

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99364-1

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Education , Education (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-030-99363-4 Published: 20 July 2022

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-030-99366-5 Published: 21 July 2023

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-99364-1 Published: 19 July 2022

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XIV, 234

Number of Illustrations : 10 b/w illustrations, 24 illustrations in colour

Topics : Engineering/Technology Education , Writing Skills , Science and Technology Studies , Media and Communication

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Writing an Engineering Paper

Sciences and Engineering Workshops

Sarah Gibson, UCLA Electrical Engineering, GWC Writing Consultant

This workshop covers the basics of how to structure and write an engineering paper. We will also discuss voice, style, and transitions, as well as compare models of "good" vs. "bad" writing. The workshop will be applicable to engineering journal and conference papers, as well as to master's and doctoral theses and proposals. (Approx. 30 minutes. Recorded in 2012.)

Click here for presentation slides: Writing an Engineering Paper Workshop Slides.pdf

Sarah Gibson completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering at UCLA in spring 2012. Her dissertation work focused on neural engineering, a field that combines electrical engineering with neuroscience. Her research interests included algorithms for neural signal processing and their FPGA implementations.

This presentation work by the UCLA Graduate Writing Center is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License .

Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists

• Technical Writing Resources

Find books, websites, journals about Technical Writing

Image: stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The library has   many books that can help you with your writing in general. Try these  Subject Heading  searches in the  catalog  for books on writing:

• English language -- Grammar.
• English language -- Rhetoric.
• Report writing.
• Find Books and E-books

Campus Writing Resources

Read these library ebooks on your computer, phone, or tablet

You can find additional titles by searching the library catalog using the phrases “ technical writing ”, “ communication in engineering ”, or “ communication of technical information ”

• How to Write a Good Scientific Paper [e-book] / Chris A. Mack (2018) Many scientists and engineers consider themselves poor writers or find the writing process difficult. This book is all about teaching the style and conventions of writing for a peer-reviewed scientific journal.  
• Writing for Science and Engineering: papers, presentations and reports [electronic resource] / Heather Silyn-Roberts.(2000) Discusses writing a literature review, research proposals, journal paper, design report, emails, and many other useful documents in science and engineering.
• Engineer’s Guide to Technical Writing [electronic resource] / Kenneth G. Budinski (2001) Definition of technical writing and styles, includes examples of laboratory report, informal report, formal report, technical newsletter, journal article, patent.
• Scientists Must Write: A Guide to Better Writing for Scientists, Engineers, and Students [electronic resource] / Robert Barrass Describes the importance of writing for technical communications and includes details about how to plan and write for a technical report, including using illustrations and numbers. A chapter is devoted to how to gather information through “Reading.”
• Technical Writing [electronic resource] / Sajitha Jayaprakash (2008) Find out the basics of technical writing and documentation. Learn about writing standards and styles, the structure of a document, and using language to communicate. Punctuation rules and misused words are explained.
• Technical Writing in the Corporate World [electronic resource] / Herman A. Estrin, Norbert Elliot (1990) Writing technical documents. Includes resumes and cover letters to get a job. On the job writing examples include trip reports,  activity reports, proposals, and procedures.

You can also find ebooks on grammar and style. 

Print Books

Prefer print books?  Look for Technical Writing books on the 8 th  floor under the call numbers beginning with T11, including :

• The Essentials of Technical Communication. Fifth edition by Elizabeth Tebeaux and Sam Dragga This is an English textbook for students taking courses in technical communication
• Write, Present, Create : Science Communication for Undergraduates by Mary Poffenroth Helps non-science major students successfully complete papers, presentations, and new media projects in undergraduate science courses.
• The Writing Center We offer one-on-one and small-group tutoring appointments, both in-person on campus and online via Zoom.
• The Writing Center's Homegrown Handouts Homegrown Handouts address the most common questions tutees ask in the Writing Center.
• Last Updated: Jun 4, 2024 11:15 AM
• URL: https://libguides.sjsu.edu/techwriting

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Ultimate Guide to Writing an Engineering Journal Paper

Writing an engineering journal paper is quite complicated. Good knowledge is needed in this area. If any difficulties arise, you can enter in the search bar “I need a service to write my paper ” and pay experts for writing your essays, research articles and other homework assignments in any discipline, including engineering.

This article is an ultimate guide to writing an engineering journal paper. We will concentrate mainly on issues of style and content, since the questions of novelty and originality of the research are decided by the authors themselves. Using this guide, writers will be able to get a better idea about the quality of their papers, and thereby reduce the risk of frustration as a result of receiving a poor rating. 

The Basic Structure of Engineering Journal Paper

Engineering journal paper typically includes the following sections:

• Some general comments;
• Nomenclature;
• Introduction;
• Description of the experimental program (material, samples, test procedure, results);
• Discussion;
• Conclusions;
• Bibliographic list;
• Concluding remarks.

How to Write an Engineering Journal Paper?

It is important to adhere to the basic structure of the paper and to comply with the requirements for writing each part of the work.

• Foreword . The preface is intended to prepare the reader for the rational use of published scientific information and a deeper, more conscious use of it.
• Some general comments . This part may contain some general comments of the writer. This part may also be missing.
• Title . The title should be as short as possible and reflect the content of the paper. Usually, the title should not have acronyms, as many of them are unfamiliar to most readers. This is especially true for acronyms invented by the author.
• Abstract . The abstract is a brief overview of the content of the paper and indicates the key issues addressed by the author, the approach to these problems and the achievements of the work. The abstract should also not contain acronyms; you cannot use them in the titles of sections. References to other works should be avoided in this part of the paper. Their place is in the main body of the text.
• Keywords . Keywords should reflect and cover the content of the paper. Their importance is often underestimated: keywords serve as the profile of your work for databases, and therefore should be selected carefully.
• Nomenclature (list of symbols) . For publications containing numerous formulas and, accordingly, mathematical symbols, a list of symbols must be attached. Otherwise, the reader always runs the risk of getting lost in the text. This list should be placed on the second page of your engineering paper.
• Introduction . This section contains mainly the motivation for your work. The existence of your paper implies that there is an unresolved or new scientific problem. In this case, you need to provide a brief presentation on the state of the industry with citations from relevant literature.
• Description of the experimental program (material, samples, test procedure, results) . It provides a presentation of the objectives of the paper and describes the strategy used to achieve them. The best way to show results is to present them in the form of clear graphs. Typically, the results presented in the graphs do not need to be duplicated by tables. However, in some cases, it may be useful to present the results in the form of numbers, especially if they will be used for further calculations.
• Discussion . This section organizes and interprets the results.
• Conclusions . It is clear from the title of this section that here conclusions are drawn based on the results of the research work.
• Bibliographic list . Before compiling a bibliographic list, it is necessary to study the rules for making links in the publication.
• Concluding remarks . This section summarizes all of the above. You can put yourself in the place of the reader, and then you will have some questions about work. Try to answer them. For example: Why did I choose this problem? What I’ve done? What did I get as a result of my work? How to interpret the results?

Thus, try to take into account our recommendations and your engineering journal paper will be approved by the editor definitely.

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What was Trump found guilty of? See the 34 business records the jury decided he falsified

Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after prosecutors successfully convinced a jury he disguised hush money reimbursement as legal expenses. He is the first former president to be convicted of a crime.

Each count is tied to a different business record that prosecutors demonstrated Trump is responsible for changing to conceal or commit another crime .

Those records include 11 checks paid to former lawyer Michael Cohen , 11 invoices from Michael Cohen and 12 entries in Trump's ledgers.

The jury found that Trump authorized a plan to reimburse Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment issued to Stormy Daniels and spread the payments across 12 months disguised as legal expenses.

Live updates: Former President Donald Trump found guilty on all counts in hush money case

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Breakdown of 34 counts of falsifying business records

Here are the 34 business records Trump was found guilty of falsifying, as described in Judge Juan Merchan 's jury instructions :

• Count 1: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 2: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 3: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 4: A Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust Account check and check stub dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 5: Michael Cohen's invoice dated March 16, 2017
• Count 6: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dated March 17, 2017
• Count 7: A Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust Account check and check stub dated March 17, 2017
• Count 8: Michael Cohen's invoice dated April 13, 2017
• Count 9: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated June 19, 2017
• Count 10: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated June 19, 2017
• Count 11: Michael Cohen's invoice dated May 22, 2017
• Count 12: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated May 22, 2017
• Count 13: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub May 23, 2017
• Count 14: Michael Cohen's invoice dated June 16, 2017
• Count 15: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated June 19, 2017
• Count 16: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated June 19, 2017
• Count 17: Michael Cohen's invoice dated July 11, 2017
• Count 18: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated July 11, 2017
• Count 19: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated July 11, 2017
• Count 20: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Aug. 1, 2017
• Count 21: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Aug. 1, 2017
• Count 22: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Aug. 1, 2017
• Count 23: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Sept. 11, 2017
• Count 24: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Sept. 11, 2017
• Count 25: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Sept. 12, 2017
• Count 26: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Oct. 18, 2017
• Count 27: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Oct. 18, 2017
• Count 28: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Oct. 18, 2017
• Count 29: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Nov. 20, 2017
• Count 30: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Nov. 20, 2017
• Count 31: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Nov. 21, 2017
• Count 32: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Dec. 1, 2017
• Count 33: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Dec. 1, 2017
• Count 34: A check and check stub dated Dec. 5 2017

Jurors saw copies of these records entered as evidence. Evidence from the entire trial is available on the New York Courts website .

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi

From music to engineering physics, Regents reviewing the future of 11 KU degree programs that aren’t meeting key metrics

photo by: Shawn Valverde/Special to the Journal-World

The University of Kansas campus is pictured in this aerial photo from September 2023 with the Campanile in the foreground.

For faculty, staff and students in nearly a dozen degree programs at KU, the summer season may be stressful rather than slow.

Over the next several weeks, the Kansas Board of Regents is expected to make decisions on whether to merge or phase out 11 degree programs at the University of Kansas, each of which is suffering from some combination of low degree numbers, low wages, or low job prospects in the region.

Everybody from music majors to engineering physicists will have something at stake. Both of those degree programs are on the list of possible cuts, as are astronomy, atmospheric sciences, African studies, and a pair of religion programs, among others.

If the Regents decide to phase out a program, that typically is a process that takes several years. Students who are enrolled in the program generally are allowed to finish their degrees, although universities often shut down new enrollment in the degree programs.

The idea of the Regents reviewing degree programs for possible elimination is not new, but the process seems to have picked up urgency among the Regents, as the entire higher education industry prepares for an expected downturn in overall enrollment numbers due to smaller high school classes that will graduate in the coming years.

“The current reality is that we have fewer students, and some might say more programs in our inventory,” Regent Cynthia Lane said at a recent meeting of the Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee, which she chairs. “There is a sense across the nation that higher education investment may not be worth it. I think we have a counter-narrative, a different story to be told.”

However, Lane said for that story to resonate, universities must do all that they can to make sure that degree programs are meeting key metrics and “frankly, that our degrees offer our students the promise that higher education is worth the investment.”

Lane, who spoke about the subject both at an April 30 meeting of the Academic Affairs committee and in a brief interview with the Journal-World in mid-May, will play a key role in the program review process. Her Academic Affairs committee will hold a key meeting on Tuesday, where committee members are expected to issue recommendations on whether to merge, phase out or require action plans for 31 degree programs at KU and the other five Regents institutions — Kansas State, Wichita State, Pittsburg State, Emporia State and Fort Hays State.

KU leaders have submitted plans for all 11 of the KU programs up for discussion. The KU group, led by Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer, is not recommending that any degree programs be phased out. It is recommending one program be merged with another one — the bachelor of secondary education in physical education plus would be merged into a more general secondary education degree. For the remaining 10 programs, KU is recommending that they be placed on “action programs,” which would give those programs three years to implement strategies to begin including key metrics.

The action plan process is another sign of the seriousness with which the Regents are viewing the need for universities to narrow their degree programs. Universities used to have eight years to implement an action plan. Now, it is down to three years.

“One of the very first things when I became a Regent three years ago that members started talking about is, we have too many programs,” Lane said. “We are always adding programs but we don’t seem to be sunsetting or removing any.”

Lane said she has learned that perception might be false because Regents have not always been fully aware of the work that universities are doing on their own to narrow programs. KU, for example, has cut 44 degree programs since 2021. Bichelmeyer told Regents that those cuts have resulted in a little more than $5 million per year in payroll savings as KU used a voluntary separation buyout program as it undertook the course changes. Many were in the arts and humanities and faced opposition from faculty leaders, as the Journal-World reported at the time.

Bichelmeyer said she and other leaders don’t favor cuts to the 11 programs that the Board of Regents have mandated for review. She said the metrics used by the Regents don’t always capture the importance the degree programs have to KU’s broader mission of being a world-class research institution.

She said it is important to keep some degree programs in their current structure because to merge them with other programs, or eliminate their teaching altogether, would have impacts on the often collaborative work that researchers do.

“We group our programs on the specialized knowledge of the researchers who come in as faculty and who they need to engage with to advance the knowledge base,” Bichelmeyer said in the April 30 committee meeting where KU presented data and plans to the Regents committee.

Bichelmeyer said it sometimes is important for degree programs to be narrower rather than broader to produce the best research outcomes.

“Some of that has to do with the nature of the research and the uniqueness of the research,” she said. “Do you lose the excellence if you lose the focus?”

All 31 of the degree programs up for review by Regents are on the list because they failed to meet minimum standards in at least two of the four benchmarks used by the Regents — student demand, degree production, talent pipeline, and student return on investment. The last two particularly look at how many students remain in the region after graduation and are employed in a field related to their degree, and how much they are earning in wages in that degree.

Tuesday’s meeting of the Academic Affairs Committee will not be the final action for degree review. Rather, the committee will craft a set of recommendations for the entire Board of Regents to consider at a future meeting. The earliest the full board would review the recommendations would be June 20.

Here’s a look at the 11 KU programs that are up for review, including key statistics and other items that KU leaders presented for the Regents to consider.

• African Studies (Bachelor of General Studies/Arts in African & African-American Studies): The program has an average of 10.25 junior- and senior-level students major in the degree each year. It has produced 4.25 degrees per year over the last four years. Just under 48% of of graduates are employed in the region within one year of graduation. The median salary for graduates is $39,959 five years after graduation. Of the four metrics, only the salary number met the Regents benchmarks.

KU’s strategy for improvement includes boosting employer connections with Black-owned businesses and more targeted recruiting of potential students. Regents were told that the program produces a significant amount of nationally recognized research, despite the program’s size.

• American Studies (Bachelor of General Studies/Arts in American Studies): 19.25 majors, 5.75 degrees, 55% employed in region, $46,480 median wage. The numbers of majors and degrees both fell short of Regents benchmarks.

Strategies include changes to the curriculum that would make it easier for university students to add the degree as a second major.

• Physical Education Teaching & Coaching (Bachelor of Secondary Ed In Physical Ed Plus): 21.25 majors, 8.25 degrees, 72% employed in region, $62,121 median wage. The numbers of majors and degrees both fell short of Regents benchmarks.

KU is proposing to merge the degree with the B.S.E. in Secondary Education. The merger would save about $40,000 a year in department expenses, KU estimated.

• International/Globalization Studies (Bachelor of Arts in Global International Studies): 109.25 majors, 34.25 degrees, 34% employed in region, $35,903 median wage. The employment and wage figures both fell short of Regents benchmarks.

Strategies include more industry partnerships and internship opportunities.

• Religious Studies (Bachelor of General Studies/Arts in Religious Studies): 15.75 majors, 7.25 degrees, 56% employed in region, $48,777 median wage. The numbers of majors and degrees both fell short of Regents benchmarks.

Strategies include curriculum changes that will include more classes that delve into ethical, social and religious issues encountered within professions such as law, medicine, media and business, which may help the degree become more popular with students seeking a double major.

• Jewish Studies (Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies): 7.5 majors, 3.5 degrees, 26% employed in region. Salary information was not disclosed due to small statistical size. The number of majors, degrees and employment all failed to meet Regents benchmarks.

Strategies include changes to the curriculum that no longer require students to complete intermediate-level Hebrew or Yiddish classes. Other strategies include the creation of a new event that connects students in the program with Jewish professional organizations in Lawrence, Olathe and Overland Park.

• Astronomy (Bachelor of Arts/Science in Astronomy): 24.5 majors, 4.75 degrees, 40% employed in region. Salary data wasn’t shared. None of the categories met Regents benchmarks, although the number of majors fell just short of the benchmark of 25 students.

This is a degree that KU says is hampered by the Regents benchmarks. To work in the astronomy field generally requires advanced degrees, and thus many students aren’t in the workforce full time within a year of receiving their undergraduate degrees. KU leaders also noted that the program is important to the overall region. The KU astronomy degree is the only such undergraduate degree program within a 500-mile radius, and KU and Baylor are the only universities that offer the degree program in the Big 12.

• Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science): 39.5 majors, 9.75 degrees, 38% employed in region, $44,891 median wage. The degree production and employment numbers did not meet the benchmarks.

Strategies include curriculum adjustments designed to help students with some of the higher-level math classes required for the degree, and also the creation of greater industry partnerships. University leaders told Regents that KU offers the only degree program in the state that meets all the federal requirements to become a meteorologist.

• Geography (Bachelor of General Studies/Arts/Science Geography): 16.25 majors, 6.25 degrees, 59% employed in region, $46,649 median wage. The major and degree numbers did not meet the benchmarks.

Strategies include a redesign of the curriculum that focuses on the geography skills businesses are most in need of — expertise in GIS systems was cited — and how the degree program can work with other majors on providing those skills to those professions.

• Music (Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Fine Arts/Arts in Music): 74.75 majors, 22.25 degrees, 41% employed in region, $36,400 median wage. The employment and wage numbers did not meet the benchmarks.

KU said this degree is not well measured by the Regents metrics. Many undergraduates seek graduate education, and many music degree graduates work in the “gig” economy as freelancers and performers. U.S. Labor Department wage data does not do a good job of capturing those wages, thus likely negatively skewing the median wage data for the KU degree.

• Engineering Physics (Bachelor of Science in Engineering): 28.25 majors, 6.25 degrees, 50% employed in region, wage data not disclosed. The degrees and employment figures did not meet the benchmarks.

Strategies include additional student recruitment events, job fairs and employer connections. KU told the Regents that KU’s engineering physics program is one of the two oldest such programs in the nation. KU is tied with the University of Maine for having the longest continuously accredited engineering physics program in the nation.

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