Director's Message

Headshot of Beth Holloway

I am excited to bring you this edition of the Women in Engineering (WiE) Program annual report. WiE saw another year of increased enrollment of women in engineering, significant positive impacts on our current and future students, and opportunities to review and rethink our programs.

WiE moved to a new home in the Gateway complex, Dudley Hall, where we are co-located with many other student success programs in the College of Engineering, and we couldn't be happier about the new opportunities to collaborate and work together.

We have been working on increasing the number of pre-college students that we touch, and I'm proud to say that we reached more than 5,500 students in kindergarten – 10th grade in 2022-23. The incoming first year engineering class for Fall 2023 was composed of the largest number (848) and percentage (35%) of women in Purdue's history, and we are excited to welcome those students into the WiE community.

And we are also proud to say that, according to ASEE By the Numbers (2022 edition), Purdue is No. 2 in the country and #1 in the Big Ten in the number of bachelor's degrees in engineering awarded to women. We are so very appreciative of the participation and support of our alums, corporate partners, foundation partners, community partners and friends. With all of you, I am confident that WiE will continue to expand on our successes.

Beth Holloway

Senior Assistant Dean for Student Access and Success

Leah H. Jamieson Director of Women in Engineering

Professor of Engineering Practice, Mechanical Engineering

College of Engineering

Research

an example of a 3D model
  • Impact of WiE Participation
  • Spatial Skills
  • Why Women Students Choose Engineering
  • E-mentoring
  • WiE Student Leaders
  • Major Pathways
  • Perceptions & Self-Confidence in FYE Students
  • Gender Stereotypes – Historical
  • Sophomore Transitions

Enrollment of Women in Engineering — Fall 2023

10 Year Enrollment of Undergraduate Women in Engineering
Total of 3238 female undergraduate students in engineering
undergraduate enrollment by department chart
graduate enrollment by department chart
28.8% women undergraduate students enrolled in engineering in Fall 2023
24.4% women graduate students enrolled in engineering in Fall 2023

WiE Participation/Reach

Outreach Participation

Participation by program data table

Recruiting Participation

Participation by program data table

Community Building Participation

Participation by program data table

Yield Rates on Select Programs

For Your Imagination participation rates chart
Introduce a girl to engineering day participation rates chart
Exploring Engineering at Purdue - participation rates chart

Results/Graduation Rates

Research Question

Does participation by women first-year engineering students in one or more of the WiE programs lead to improved persistence in pursuing an engineering degree?

Zurn-Birkhimer, Suzanne M. and Mayari I., Serrano, 2022: Longitudinal Analysis of First-Year Engineering Students' Active Participation in Women in Engineering Program Activities and the Relationship to Engineering Persistence, Proceedings of the 2022 American Society for Engineering Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Participation Distribution

Program Distribution pie chart
2498 Total Women. 1688 Total W.i.E. Participants

General

College of Engineering Graduation Rates

Graduation Rates Based on WiE Activity

program? participation charts

Graduation Rates Based on WiE Activity Combinations

charts

Conclusions

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WiE participants graduate from the College of Engineering at higher rates than those who chose not to participate.

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Participation in multiple WiE programs increases likelihood of graduation.

group of women posing in front of sculpture that says "Indiana"

Make a Contribution to the Women In Engineering Program

The Women in Engineering Program could not achieve its mission to enrich the profession of engineering with women's full participation without our donors' generous support. We offer our sincerest thanks to all who have supported our programs.

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