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BOULDER Colo, (KDVR) -- The University of Colorado Boulder said it has seen an increase in women enrolling in its engineering classes.
According to the American Society for Engineering Education, CU leads the nation in the percentage of first-year female engineering students.
“The gender parity in engineering is not unusual anymore, it’s achievable," said Keith Molenaar, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
He has seen the changes in diversity since he was an undergrad student in the 1990s.
“We’ve been working on it for more than 20 years. We not only dedicated that at the university level, but really worked with students in K-12 to get them excited about engineering. We’re seeing the results now," said Molenaar.
Women made up 41% of the 2023 freshman class. This year, women make up 30% of the total undergraduate class, up from 18% in 2003.
It's still a disparity that recent graduate Megan Conard encountered when she showed up for her internship.
"I was the first female engineer to show up, they had to actually build me a restroom because there were none," said Conard.
FOX31 asked Conard why it was important for her to stick with the field.
“I think for me it was what I wanted to do in order to do the jobs I wanted to do and make the impact that I felt that I could make," she said. "Being an engineer was the best path for me. It's the thing that I love the most. I love the problems I get to solve and the hands-on aspect of my everyday job. In order to do that I had to get my engineering degree.“
Conard says retention is also key to reaching gender parity in the industry.
"I think quite a few people, even after they get their engineering degree wind up leaving engineering as a field. So even once you made it through the four years a lot of women end up leaving," said Conard.
Molenaar says despite the universities' accomplishments the industry is still less than 20% women. He says it's critical to increase the percentage to meet workforce needs.
“If we have solutions that come from male-dominant engineering groups or we don’t have diversity within our engineering workforce then we’re going to come up with solutions that aren’t appropriate for the entire state and the nation," said Molenaar.
“That includes women in engineering and other underrepresented groups because that diverse workforce is so important,” Conard said.
Molenaar told FOX31 that over 90% of their students have gained full employment within six months of graduation.
He says many of their students aren't just inspired by the paycheck or social mobility, but more on the difference they make as engineers.
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