Examining the Tracks that Cause Derailment: Institutional Contexts and Engineering Degree Attainments

  1. Women are more likely than men to switch out of engineering and complete a degree in another field.
  2. No significant differences for race/ethnicity or income on switching out of engineering program.
  3. Students with a higher sense of STEM identity are more likely to complete an engineering degree.
  4. Native American, Latinos, and Women are less likely to complete an engineering degree within five years.
  5. Students from low income backgrounds are less likely to complete an engineering degree within five years while students from high-middle income backgrounds are more likely.
  6. Students that reported a higher frequency of socializing with others of different racial or ethnic backgrounds during their pre-college experiences were less likely to complete an engineering degree.
  7. Authors found that several institutional characteristics significantly influenced the likelihood of engineering degree completion. Additionally, results show that the individual practices of faculty can aggregate into an institutional influence on engineering persistence.
  8. Findings do not demonstrate that participating in undergraduate research directly improves an engineering aspirant’s chances of completing an engineering degree, but that encouraging more faculty to engage in this activity can benefit students in indirect ways.