Abstract Defining the knowledge and skills that enable engineers to participate in public policyThe role of engineers in public policy can be seen as a twofold endeavor: (1) to help createpublic policy related to the utilization of technology to solve public problems as well as monitorand assure compliance with such policies; and (2) to use engineering knowledge to assist in theconstruction of policy directives to help solve social problems. The policy, engineering, andengineering education communities, through speeches, statements, and reports, have agreed thatit is important that engineers participate fully in the policymaking process. Therefore, it is crucialthat students increase their understanding of different public policy issues, and understand thepolicy creation and evaluation process. A few courses and even fewer programs of study existthat address this need. However, there is little empirical understanding of the knowledge andskills engineering students must obtain in order to be able to participate effectively in thecreation and evaluation of Public Policy issues. This paper intends to offer guidance on this pointthrough two different approaches: a literature review and interviews with experts. Because of thenature of the problem, the type of literature review done for the project was thematic. In thisreview, the major ideas of different authors who have written about general curricular design,curricular design in public policy for STEM programs, and authors who have published theircourse curriculums in public policy whose students are categorized under the umbrella of STEM,were investigated. The result provides a picture of the current curricular landscape of publicpolicy education in the engineering context. The research team also completed interviews with anumber of individual experts with different backgrounds and levels of engagement in publicpolicy and engineering. These experts were asked about the skills and knowledge necessary forthem to successfully engage with and influence public policy debates related to engineeringconcepts. These experts were also asked how they acquired these skills. The results from theliterature review, providing a theoretical perspective, and interviews with experts, providing amore practical perspective, were combined to propose a profile of the skills and knowledgestudents of engineering might need to learn to be able to participate effectively in public policy.These results are expected to add to the academic discussion in this area and be useful to thegrowing field of Engineering and Public Policy to guide colleges and universities as they build,expand, and improve their programs of study.