Leaving Engineering: Lessons from Rowan University's College of Engineering

The paper focuses on retention in the Rowan University undergraduate engineering program with many “female-friendly” features despite its design as best practices for all students. Both male and female “stayers” in the program are compared to “leavers” on a variety of characteristics, including pre-college and family background, grades, satisfaction with the Rowan program, engineering self-confidence, and future expectations about their engineering major and career. Data come from a special survey of all Rowan engineering students.