The purpose of ASEE is the advancement of education in all of its functions which pertain to engineering and allied branches of science and technology, including the processes of teaching and learning, counseling, research, extension services and public relations.

In 1862, Congress passed the Morrill Land-Grant Act, which provided money for states to establish public institutions of higher education.

As a result of increasingly available higher education, more Americans started entering the workforce with advanced training in applied fields of knowledge.

After a generation of students had passed through these new public universities, professors of engineering began to question whether they should adopt a more rigorous approach to teaching the fundamentals of their field.

Ultimately, they concluded that engineering curricula should stress fundamental scientific and mathematical principles, not hands-on apprenticeship experiences.

ASEE administered over ten government contracts, including the prestigious National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program until 2019.

ASEE also received several grants in the 1970s to research the status of women and American Indians and develop programs to attract more of these students to enter engineering.

Since then, ASEE has continued to release studies on the subject in its Journal of Engineering Education, and has created divisions specifically devoted to developing programs and research in this area.

[8] ASEE administers a number of fellowship and research opportunities with funding provided by federal agencies including the Department of Defense (DOD), NASA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).