Mathematical competencies for engineers

Mathematics as generally accepted subject forming background of engineering sciences throughout all disciplines is often questioned with respect to its real role in the engineering study programmes at technical universities worldwide. Many studies presented at SEFI conferences pointed to considerable decline in actual knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts for engineering students nowadays. SEFI Working Group for Mathematics in Engineering Education, webpage [1], is actively dealing with this problem. Efforts of WG members resulted in introduction of new concepts, mathematical competencies, regarded necessary for future engineers to their successful professional careers. These ideas should be mirrored in new curricula design of mathematical courses for engineering students. Latest third curricula publication by SEFI MWG, see [2], that is available at the WG webpage, provides rough guidelines for design of a reasonable applied mathematics course reflecting real needs of future engineers. They urgently need to obtain several specific mathematical competencies during their studies, which could be used later in their professional scientific work in particular technical discipline, where the need to solve various applied mathematical problems appears quite often and it is necessary for successful fulfilment of the various engineering tasks themselves.