Department Level Curricula Reform of Undergraduate Engineering Education of USA：a Case Study of University of Vermont

In order to realize the vision of the engineer of the twenty-first century, US National Science Foundation assisted in the development and implementation of curricular reform in some universities. As one of the six universities funded University of Vermont (UVM) has implemented curricula reform for several years in the civil and environmental engineering department. The main purpose of this reform is to incorporate a system approach to the civil and environmental engineering programs, take full account of the integration of the ecological, social and economic interests, and develop service-learning programs which place an equal emphasis on service to the community and learning for the students. Curriculum reform improved students' understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the engineer. Incorporating system thinking and service-learning into engineering education curricula plays a significant role in engineering education reform of China.