Diversity makes engineering teams stronger. But women's participation remains below men's at all degree levels and in all fields of engineering. Since 1993, the proportion of women in engineering has increased at all degree levels, but mostly at the master's and doctoral levels. In general, women earn larger proportions of degrees in chemical, materials, industrial, and civil engineering than in computer science and aerospace, electrical, and mechanical engineering.
Only about one-fifth of engineering degrees are awarded to women, according to the National Science Foundation and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, yet by 2022, the U.S. will need 1 million more STEM professionals than it is currently producing. One of the keys to resolving the gender gap is getting girls interested in engineering earlier. The College of Engineering supports a number of innovative programs, including:
- Google Research Workshop for Computer Science Students
- Future Girls @ the Beach mentoring and residential program
- MESA programs for low-income students
- STEM Day for middle school students
- Women Engineers @ the Beach for high school girls
- Engineering Girls @ the Beach for middle school girls
In the News
- ExploreCSR Introduces Female Students to the World of Computer Science Research
- Cal State Long Beach Hosts Research Workshop to Help Boost Women in Engineering
- SCE VP Jill Anderson Urges Girls to Study Engineering
- CSULB College of Engineering Makes Dramatic Advances in Diversity
- Students Attend Grace Hopper Celebration
- EE Grad Describes SCE Job as 'So Much Fun'
- CECS Department Joins Diversity Initiative
- College Makes More Strides in Diversity
- Future Girls @ the Beach: Encouraging Girls to Study Engineering
- Code Documentary Opens Gender Dialogue
- Hands-on Engineering Experience for Girls
- CECS Delegates Heading to Grace Hopper Celebration
- So You Want to Work at Facebook
- CSULB Opens Door for Girls in Engineering
- CSULB Holds My Daughter Is an Engineer Event
- Constructing a Passion for Engineering in Girls
- Girls Get Taste for Engineering at CSULB
Articles on the Gender Gap
- Erasing Women in Tech: How ‘60 Minutes’ Ignored Women’s Voices, Stories, and Expertise
- What Managers Can Do to Keep Women in Engineering
- U.K.s Anne-Marie Imafidon on STEMETTES
- The U.S. News/Raytheon STEM Index Shows Gender and Racial Gaps Widening in STEM Fields
- Making Computer Science More Inviting: A Look at What Works
- Women in Tech: Don't Even Try to Fit in a Man's World
- How Can We Encourage More Women to Study Computer Science?
- Shifts in Computer Science Interest
- How to Recruit and Retain Women in Tech Workplaces