NEW YORK—A preliminary report on the impact of increased enrollment of foreign students in Ph.D. engineering programs in the United States concludes "there is currently little reason to be concerned" about their effect on the ability of such programs to educate students and conduct research. But some engineers say they are disturbed by the trend.
The report, which appeared in the April 3 issue of Science, noted that more than half of all engineering doctorates awarded by U.S. institutions since 1981 have gone to foreign-born students as the number of U.S. applicants to graduate engineering departments has declined. Authors Elinor Barber, of the Institute of International Education in New York, and Robert Morgan, of Washington University in St. Louis, conclude that "it may be desirable for universities, for broader policy reasons," to encourage qualified U.S. citizens to enroll and, thus, reduce their dependence on foreign-born students. The authors received...
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