VCU news

By Brian McNeill

The American Society for Engineering Education has ranked Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Engineering as the nation's No. 9 engineering school or university based on the percentage of doctoral degrees awarded to women.

VCU was the only institution in Virginia to be ranked among the top 10 in ASEE's newly published edition of Profiles of Engineering & Engineering Technology Colleges.

"VCU’s School of Engineering has one of the most diverse student bodies of any school in the country and that includes a high percentage of women," said Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the School of Engineering. "We have strong women on our faculty, who model what it means to be an outstanding engineer every day. Importantly, all of our faculty and staff are committed to providing the best engineering education possible for our students."

The School of Engineering awarded 32.1 percent of its doctoral degrees to women in 2013. The University of Texas at El Paso was ranked No. 1, having awarded 40.5 percent of its doctoral degrees to women.

"As a woman dean, I look forward to the day when our female population is 50 percent and I am confident that we are on our way to making that dream a reality," Boyan said.

ASEE's Profiles of Engineering & Engineering Technology Colleges directory provides profiles of U.S. and Canadian schools offering undergraduate and graduate engineering, as well as engineering technology programs with the intent of preparing prospective students for an education in engineering. The report's data was provided by institutions that responded to ASEE's annual survey.