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Office of Assessment, Evaluation, and Institutional Research

2015

Engineering Schools by the Numbers

ASEE publishes “Engineering by the Numbers,” an annual overview of national trends.

The purpose of this report is to highlight “smaller” schools of engineering.

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“Smaller” Engineering Schools by the Numbers

Each year, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) publishes “Engineering by the

Numbers,” a summary of national trends in engineering education based on annual surveys of

engineering and engineering technology schools. Because of how the data are tabulated and

presented, schools with the largest student enrollment, the highest number of degrees awarded,

and the most faculty members are featured most prominently. Smaller engineering schools are

often missing from the document, even though many respond to the surveys. To highlight their

contributions, ASEE plans to publish statistics that include “smaller schools,” based on

the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These schools include institutions

classified as Very Small – fewer than 1,000 degree-seeking students; Small – those with 1,000 to

2,999 degree-seeking students; and Medium – 3,000 to 9,999 degree-seeking students.

Smaller schools are distinctive in several ways that are important to document. They tend to have

lower student-to-faculty ratios, a characteristic associated with a greater faculty commitment to

teaching (Lee & Rhoads, 2014). Their smaller size can enable an uncommon degree of innovation

in engineering education (Ellis, 2016). These schools also contribute to workforce diversity. In

2015, for example, their percentage of African-American graduates with engineering bachelor’s

degrees exceeded the average for colleges nationwide. A number of smaller schools, as well,

graduate a higher-than-average proportion of women.

ASEE aims to provide the same categories of data for smaller schools as are now contained in

“Engineering by the Numbers.” These data will indicate where smaller colleges differ from

nationwide trends and where they generally conform. For instance, 2015 survey data from 9 very

small schools, 39 small schools, and 118 medium-size schools show that at the bachelor’s level,

the lowest degrees awarded-to-faculty ratio was 1.04 and the highest was 2.86. Among all

engineering colleges, enrolled student-to-faculty ratios at the bachelor’s level ranged from 1.04

to 1.11. About 10 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded by smaller schools went to Hispanic

students, 7 percent to Asian-Americans, and 6 percent to African-Americans. The survey of all

engineering schools reported that nationally, 13.4 percent of bachelor’s degrees went to Asian-

Americans, 10.7 percent to Hispanics, and 3.4 percent to African-Americans. At the bachelor’s

level, enrollment was overwhelmingly domestic (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) – 91 percent

– matching the percentage nationwide (ASEE, 2016 p.13). The top five fields, based on degrees

awarded, were Mechanical (5,798), Electrical (2,632), Civil (2,381), Chemical (1,544) and Other

Engineering Disciplines (1,528).

At the master’s level, Hispanic students earned 10 percent of degrees at smaller schools; Asian-

Americans, 10 percent; and African-Americans, 6 percent. Among participating engineering

schools overall, Asian-Americans earned 14.8 percent of master’s degrees; Hispanics, 8.5

percent; and African-Americans, 4.8 percent. These rates for African-American and Hispanic

students are approximately 1.5 percent higher than all Profiles participating schools for 2015.

The highest ratio of master’s degrees awarded-to-faculty was 33, a lower ratio than schools

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overall. The ratio of enrolled students-to-faculty range at the master’s level was .85 to 23. A total

of 46 percent of master’s degrees awarded went to domestic students (permanent residents), a

proportion similar to that of engineering master’s programs nationwide.

The top four engineering fields at the master’s level were Other (1,686), Electrical (1,685),

Mechanical (1,333), and Computer Science (inside engineering) (1,161). These rates for African-

American and Hispanic students are approximately 1.5% higher than all Profiles participating

schools for 2015. A total of 46% of master’s degrees awarded went to domestic students

(permanent residents). The highest master’s degrees awarded to faculty ratio was 33. Overall

smaller schools have a low awarded degree to faculty ratio.

For 2015 doctoral, 124 degrees awarded was the highest number of degrees awarded per

institution. Engineering fields that produced the most doctorates at smaller schools were, in

order, Other (193), Mechanical (171), Chemical (131), and Electrical (126). Approximately 7

percent of doctoral degrees awarded went to Asian students, 6 percent to Hispanic students, and

5 percent to African-American students. About 46 percent of doctoral degrees awarded by

smaller schools went to permanent residents. The lowest degree-awarded-to-faculty ratio was

1.2 and the highest ratio was 90. The student enrollment-to-faculty ratio range was .3 to 3.

Among all Profiles participating institutions in 2015, African-American students obtained degrees

was 3.2%.

American Society for Engineering Education. (2016) “Engineering by the Numbers”, as

contained in Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology. Washington, DC.

©2016 American Society for Engineering Education.

Ellis, J. (2016, June). Does size matter? How institution size affects the origin and propagation

of innovations in engineering education. Presentation at the

ASEE Annual Conference, New Orleans, La. ©2016 American Society for Engineering

Education.

Lee, J., & Rhoads, R. (2014). Faculty entrepreneurialism and the challenge to undergraduate

education at research universities, Research in Higher Education 45(7). doi:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:RIHE.0000044229.70457.ca



The Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges annual survey collects data on

specific fields of engineering. The following graph highlights the total number of bachelor’s

degrees for smaller schools by engineering field. The field with the highest number of degrees is

listed on the left. The one with the lowest number of degrees is on the right.

5798

26322381

15441528

1509

915 845 822 786 751 673 600 482 263 215 215 173 160 150 97 76 340

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Bachelor's Degees Awarded by Engineering Field by "Smaller" Schools, 2015



The following graphs highlight student demographics by ethnicity and residency status. The first

focuses on ethnic background. The Other category includes American Indian, Hawaiian and

Pacific Islander, and Two or More Ethnicities. The second graph shows a breakdown of domestic

(U.S. citizen or permanent resident) and international (non-resident alien) students.

Other include: American Indian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Two or More Ethnicities.

6%

7%

10%

68%

3%6%

Engineering Bachelor's Degrees Awarded by Ethnicity by "Smaller" Schools, 2015

Black

Asian

Hispanic

White

Other

Unkown

Permanent Resident91%

Non-Resident Alien9%

Engineering Bachelor's Degrees Awarded by Residency by "Smaller" Schools, 2015



The following table highlights student-to-faculty ratios. The first column, Award-Faculty Ratio,

reports the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded per faculty member. The second column,

Enrollment-Faculty Ratio, reports the number of students enrolled per faculty member.

Bachelor Degrees Awarded & Student Enrollment-to-Faculty Ratios

School Award-Faculty

Ratio Enrollment-Faculty

Ratio

1. SUNY Polytechnic Institute 24.33 1.04

2. Western Carolina University 23.20 1.05

3. Lake Superior State University 19.25 1.05

4. Hofstra University 17.86 1.06

5. University of Bridgeport 16.50 1.06

6. Robert Morris University 14.96 1.07

7. Humboldt State University 14.65 1.07

8. Southeast Missouri State University 13.80 1.08

9. Arkansas State University 13.37 1.08

10. Union University 13.00 1.08

11. Tennessee State University 12.91 1.08

12. Louisiana Tech University 12.71 1.09

13. Prairie View A&M University 12.00 1.09

14. Carroll College 11.83 1.09

15. Tuskegee University 11.43 1.10

16. Wentworth Institute of Technology 11.19 1.10

17. Southern University and A&M College 11.03 1.10

18. California Maritime Academy 11.00 1.10

19. Gannon University 10.94 1.10

20. California Baptist University 10.91 1.10

21. Virginia State University 10.89 1.10

22. Oklahoma Christian University 10.79 1.10

23. Alabama A&M University 10.62 1.10

24. Loyola University Maryland 10.53 1.10

25. St. Mary's University 10.38 1.11 Note: Calculation is based on tenured and tenured-track faculty. The faculty in these schools are adjunct professors so no ratio could be provided. Note: Calculation is based on the total number of bachelor’s degree awarded and total enrollment. These schools did not report any number in 2015, so no ratio could be provided. Ratio interpreted as “for every student(s) there are X number of faculty”



The following table highlights the two engineering fields with the highest number of

engineering bachelor’s degrees for 2015. For each engineering field, the top 20 schools are

listed, along with the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded.

Top 20 Schools by Engineering Field, Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded, 2015

Mechanical (5,798) Electrical Engineering (2,632)

1. Missouri University of Science and Technology 219 1. University of Michigan-Dearborn 120

2. Michigan Technological University 208 2. Michigan Technological University 104

3. Colorado School of Mines 193 3. Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico 97

4. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 182 4. Missouri University of Science and

Technology 85

5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 169 5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 84

6. Kettering University 147 6. The University of Alabama in Huntsville 82

7. Stevens Institute of Technology 139 7. New Jersey Institute of Technology 77

8. Clarkson University 138 8. Morgan State University 67

9. University of Michigan-Dearborn 133 9. Illinois Institute of Technology 60

10. University of Wisconsin-Platteville 132 10. The Citadel 51

11. New Jersey Institute of Technology 124 11. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 47

12. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 123 12. Milwaukee School of Engineering 40

13. United States Military Academy 109 12. Seattle University 40

14. Milwaukee School of Engineering 108 12. Southern University and A&M College 40

15. Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico 107 12. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 40

16. Lehigh University 91 16. Clarkson University 37

17. U.S. Naval Academy 88 16. The University of Texas at Tyler 37

17. University of Saint Thomas 88 18. Florida Institute of Technology 36

19. Penn State Erie-The Behrend College 84 18. Princeton University 36

20. The University of Alabama in Huntsville 83 20. University of Portland 35



Smaller Schools includes Very Small, Small and Medium-size schools as defined by the Carnegie

Classification. The following table ranks schools in this category according to the total number of

degrees awarded and shows the percentage of degrees awarded to women.

Engineering Master’s Degrees Awarded by “Smaller” Schools, 2015

School Total Female %

1. Stevens Institute of Technology 1002 24.6%

2. Texas A&M University – Kingsville 603 22.7%

3. Missouri University of Science and Technology 571 15.8%

4. New Jersey Institute of Technology 571 27.1%

5. Illinois Institute of Technology 465 26.9%

6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 389 19.0%

7. Southern Methodist University 359 30.4%

8. New York Institute of Technology 346 23.7%

9. Santa Clara University 343 42.6%

10. Colorado School of Mines 338 19.5%

11. University of Michigan-Dearborn 313 25.6%

12. Michigan Technological University 264 17.0%

13. University of Bridgeport 250 26.8%

14. Lehigh University 243 28.4%

15. University of New Haven 226 26.1%

16. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 187 23.0%

17. Lamar University 183 21.3%

18. William Marsh Rice University 180 28.3%

19. Florida Institute of Technology 175 15.4%

20. University of Rochester 169 29.6%

21. The University of Alabama in Huntsville 126 21.4%

22. Louisiana Tech University 117 23.1%

23. University of Saint Thomas 110 23.6%

24. Villanova University 107 27.1%

25. Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico 105 27.6%



The following graph highlights the total number of master’s degrees awarded by smaller

schools in specific engineering fields. The field with the highest number of degrees is on the

left. The one with the lowest number is on the right.

1686

1685

1333

1161

747 712

504431

401291

277

204 129128

125123

59 52 44 34 30 100

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

Master's Degrees Awarded by Engineering Field by "Smaller" Schools, 2015



The following graphs highlight student demographics by ethnicity and residency status. The first

focuses on ethnic background. The Other category includes American Indian, Hawaiian and

Pacific Islander, and Two or More Ethnicities. The second graph shows a breakdown of domestic

(U.S. citizen or permanent resident) and international (non-resident alien) students.

Other includes: American Indian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Two or More Ethnicities.

6%

10%

10%

59%

2%13%

Engineering Master's Degrees Awarded by Ethnicity by "Smaller" Schools, 2015

Black

Asian

Hispanic

White

Other

Unkown

Permanent Resident46%


Engineering Master's Degrees Awarded by Residency by "Smaller" Schools, 2015




reports the number of master’s degrees awarded per faculty member, with schools ranked in

descending order. The second column, Enrollment-Faculty Ratio, reports the number of students

enrolled per faculty member.

Master’s Degrees Awarded & Student Enrollment-to-Faculty Ratios, 2015



Ratio


2. Trine University 23.00 23.00

3. Wilkes University 15.00 5.00

4. Bucknell University 8.88 7.10

5. University of Wisconsin-Stout 7.50 0.30

6. Princeton University 5.74 4.00

7. Howard University 5.63 1.07

8. Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne 4.75 0.28

9. University of California-Merced 3.58 1.72

10. Alabama A&M University 3.20 0.52

11. University of Maine 2.43 0.43

12. University of the District of Columbia 2.40 1.33

13. Milwaukee School of Engineering 2.35 1.38

14. Kettering University 2.16 0.73

15. Widener University 1.92 0.77

16. Clarkson University 1.87 1.04

17. Alfred University-NY State College of Ceramics 1.82 0.59

18. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 1.78 1.28

19. University of Alaska Fairbanks 1.67 0.52


21. SUNY-College of Environ. Science and Forestry 1.40 0.54

22. Seattle University 1.30 0.43


24. California Institute of Technology 1.24 2.55

25. Montana Tech of the University of Montana 1.23 0.57

26. Texas A&M University – Kingsville 0.09 0.03

27. Stevens Institute of Technology 0.09 0.05


29. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 0.00 0.00

30. Oregon Institute of Technology ** 2.45

31. Robert Morris University ** 0.25

32. University of Portland ** 0.86

33. Western Carolina University ** 0.30 Note**:Calculation is based on the total number of bachelor’s degree awarded and total enrollment. These schools did not report any number on 2015, so no ratio could be provided. Ratio interpreted as “for every student(s) there are X number of faculty.”



Smaller Schools includes Very Small, Small and Medium-size schools as defined by the Carnegie

Classification. The following table ranks schools in this category according to the total number of

doctorates awarded and shows the percentage of degrees awarded to women.

Doctoral Degrees Awarded by School and Percentage

Female Doctoral Degree Recipients, 2015

School Total Female %

1. Colorado School of Mines 124 28.2%

2. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 103 18.4%

3. Princeton University 93 18.3%

4. William Marsh Rice University 77 29.9%

5. California Institute of Technology 75 24.0%

6. Missouri University of Science and Technology 75 20.0%

7. Lehigh University 61 23.0%

8. New Jersey Institute of Technology 50 20.0%

9. Michigan Technological University 49 22.4%

10. University of Rochester 46 23.9%

11. Illinois Institute of Technology 44 18.2%

12. Stevens Institute of Technology 43 25.6%

13. Southern Methodist University 36 22.2%

14. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 35 25.7%

15. Louisiana Tech University 27 14.8%

16. Brown University 24 37.5%

17. The University of Alabama in Huntsville 24 25.0%

18. University of Arkansas at Little Rock 23 30.4%

19. Clarkson University 22 18.2%

20. The University of Tulsa 22 4.5%

21. Lamar University 19 36.8%

22. North Carolina A&T State University 18 27.8%

23. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology 18 27.8%

24. University of Idaho 18 11.1%

25. Florida Institute of Technology 17 17.6%



The following graph highlights the total number of doctoral degrees for smaller schools by

specific engineering field. The field with the highest number of degrees is listed on the left. The

one with the lowest number of degrees is on the right.

193171

131 126

9787

78 7562

4935 30 23 23 22 20 15 11 11 11 8 2

0

50

100

150

200

250

Total Doctoral Degrees Awarded by Engineering Field by "Smaller" Schools, 2015



The following graphs show a breakdown of doctoral degree recipients by ethnicity and residency

status. The first highlights ethnic background. The Other category includes American Indian,

Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Two or More Ethnicities. The second chart shows the

proportions of domestic (U.S. citizen and permanent resident) and international (non-resident

alien) students.

Other includes: American Indian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Two or More Ethnicities.

5%

7%

6%

58%

2%

22%

Engineering Doctoral Degrees Awarded by Ethnicity by "Smaller" Schools, 2015

Black

Asian

Hispanic

White

Other

Unkown

Permanent Resident

46%


Engineering Doctoral Degrees Awarded by Residency by "Smaller" Schools, 2015




reports the ratio of doctoral degrees awarded and faculty members, listed in descending order.

The second column, Enrollment-Faculty Ratio, reports the number of students enrolled per

faculty member.

Doctoral Degree & Enrollment Student to Faculty Ratios



Ratio 1. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona

Beach 90.0* 1.8

2. University of Michigan-Dearborn 24.7 2.0


4. Santa Clara University 21.5 0.9

5. Texas A&M University - Kingsville 19.0 2.0

6. New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology 17.7 1.4

7. Villanova University 12.2 0.8


9. Alfred University-NY State College of Ceramics 10.0 1.0

10. University of Alaska Fairbanks 10.0 1.9

11. Howard University 9.0 1.7

12. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 8.7 0.7


14. Florida Institute of Technology 5.9 0.5


16. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology 4.5 1.0

17. University of Idaho 4.3 1.1

18. North Carolina A&T State University 4.2 0.5

19. University of Maine 3.9 1.0

20. University of New Orleans 3.4 0.5

21. Clarkson University 3.3 0.8

22. University of California-Merced 3.3 0.4

23. Dartmouth College 2.7 0.4

24. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2.7 0.5

25. Michigan Technological University 2.7 0.4 Note: Calculation is based on the total number of bachelor’s degree awarded and total enrollment. Schools did not report any number in 2015, so no ratio could be provided. Ratio interpreted as “for every student(s) there are X number of faculty” *Embry Riddle has just started offering doctoral degrees, hence the ratio. This was confirmed with the institution.



Created by: Austin Ryland Yessica Yang Choy Senior Research Associate Analyst Assessment, Evaluation & Institutional Research Assessment, Evaluation & Institutional Research American Society for Engineering Education American Society for Engineering Education Questions or Comment? Please contact: Brian L Yoder Director Assessment, Evaluation & Institutional Research American Society for Engineering Education [email protected] or 202-331-3535


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