Past research has explored the factors involved in successful partnerships between higher education, government and industry; but little attention has been given to perceptions of students, program administrators, and instructors themselves regarding the philosophy, values, attitudes, and behaviors of the effective instructor, now and for the future. This study examined the perceptions of the role of the effective instructor in graduate engineering education in the work place. A qualitative case study was conducted of the perceptions of effective instruction in the masters-level engineering education program offered by Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Dahlgren, Virginia. Open-ended interviews were conducted with five students, five instructors, five NSWC administrators and four Virginia Tech administrators. Analysis of interview data resulted in four categories of perceptions: (a) the teaching role, (b) the students, (c) the subject, and (d) off-campus conditions. The four categories were used to organize the nineteen case histories and to compare perceptions within and across case groups. Respondents who were more experienced with off-campus adult learners and also perceived few differences between education and training viewed the instructor's main responsibility as one of meeting student needs. Instructors and Virginia Tech administrators believed that teaching, research and obtaining a degree were most important while students and NSWC administrators believed that teaching, learning, and organizational productivity were most important. All respondents recognized that NSWC students faced more demands, and were more motivated and professionally experienced than their counterparts on campus. Instructors with off-campus experience, NSWC administrators, and students believed that work place applications should be incorporated into NSWC graduate education, while Blacksburg-based faculty and administrators did not. All groups agreed that graduate engineering education must incorporate state-of-the art technologies. It was concluded that work place engineering education requires more than the transmission of knowledge. A student-centered approach to the role of the engineering instructor takes into account the professional experiences of the students and the unclear, complex nature of problems encountered in engineering practice. This implies an emerging form of graduate/continuing professional engineering education, consisting of four elements: (a) the subject matter, (b) adult learning processes, (c) the life situation of the learner, and (d) work place objectives. Implications for college teaching, strategic planning, program administrators and individual students are discussed. / Ed. D.