APLU Report Finds Minorities Lack Representation in Engineering Education

Title: 2018 Status Report on Engineering Education

Author: Eugene L. Anderson, Krystal Williams, Luis Ponjuan, and Henry T. Frierson

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities

A recent report written by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities used data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to examine the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in engineering education in the United States.

The report highlights significant underrepresentation in degree completions by many women and racial and ethnic groups across the country, particularly in graduate education where only 6.3 percent of engineering master’s degrees and 4.9 percent of engineering doctoral degrees were earned by students of color. Despite the disparities in completion, the small group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) with engineering programs play a valuable role in educating engineers of color. About 17 percent of all engineering bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students came from HBCUs and a third of similar degrees earned by Hispanic students came from HSIs.

Click here to read the original report

—Ben Schaap