A study released in December by duke university examining the state of gloom in United States engineering sectors has concluded the precarious outlook projected for its future has been exaggerated. It found statistics which compare the volume of engineering graduates in the U.S. to countries like China and India (70,000 vs. 950,000, respectively) are compiled with different definitions for what classifies an "engineering" background.

In China, anyone with technical training can be listed as an engineer; auto-mechanics are cited. When computer science degrees were compared, the U.S. was found to graduate 134,000 four-year degrees annually, compared with 122,000 in India and 351,000 in China. Per capita, the U.S. still graduates more of these students than other countries.

Compounded by propaganda, other countries were suspected of inflating their data to attract foreign investors. Countering arguments against the study decry its assuaging reassurances as out of touch with the psychological impact of offshoring and incorrectly representing the significance of foreign enrollment in U.S. schools.

Read the article. (BusinessWeek, 12-27-05)