A STUDY OF WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS AND TIME TO COMPLETION OF FIRST-YEAR REQUIRED COURSES AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This paper reports fi ndings on gender that were part of a larger study reviewing time to completion of course work that includes the fi rst two semesters of calculus, chemistry, and physics, which are often considered the stumbling points or “barrier courses” to an engineering baccalaureate degree. Texas A&M University terms these courses core body of knowledge (CBK), and statistical analysis was conducted on two cohorts of fi rst-year enrolling engineering students at the institution. Findings indicate that gender is statistically signifi cantly related to completion of CBK with female engineering students completing required courses faster than males at the .01 level (p = 0.008). Statistical signifi cance for gender and ethnicity was found between white male and white female students at the .01 level (p = 0.008). Descriptive analysis indicated that of the fi ve majors studied (chemical, civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering), women completed CBK faster than men, and African American and Hispanic women completed CBK faster than males of the same ethnicity.