Abstract
First, the introduction of engineering design education to Japanese universities is discussed from the viewpoint of the historical relationship between the U.S.A. and Japan since the second world war. The education program for engineers in the U.S.A. has been actively debated and has been changed every decade. These changes are due to the world situation, the changes in the American society itself and the traditional vitality found in the field of the engineering education there. On the other hand, although Japanese society has undergone great changes in about 50 years from 1955, the education program for engineers has seen little improvement. Therefore, the introduction of engineering design is one of the larger steps to be implemented in the Japanese higher education system. Secondly, the abilities of creation, deduction and induction are compared and the relationship between these abilities and engineering design education are compared. Based on these studies, the three fundamental actions in higher education for engineers, namely cultivation, training and education are analyzed and the theory and technique for design education are fully discussed.
