This paper critiques the educational minimalism embedded in the national engineering education system. Such minimalism has led engineering courses—and, more broadly, engineering curricula—to be delivered with minimal connection to real-world practice. As a result, engineering graduates may enter the labor market unfamiliar with many of the situations they encounter. This can contribute to reduced self-confidence at the start of professional work and to diminished industry trust in universities. The paper first examines the traditional engineering education model and identifies manifestations of minimalism within it. It then proposes practical remedies for each manifestation to better enable students to visualize and engage with real-world conditions. In addition, drawing on standard frameworks, active learning strategies, and authentic assessment, a non-minimalist “realism ladder” pedagogy is introduced. Five implementation examples from Sharif University of Technology are subsequently presented to illustrate the proposed framework. Two examples are supported by independent studies with quantitative data, whereas three are descriptive educational experiences based primarily on instructor observations. Taken together, these examples provide preliminary evidence and its potential to increase students’ exposure to more authentic engineering conditions. The paper concludes by discussing methodological limitations, implementation requirements, practical recommendations, and directions for more rigorous empirical evaluation of the framework.