"I Don't Think This Is Me": The Role of Uninformed Choices in Attrition From Engineering

• In Event: STEM Switching Reconsidered: Why Do Undergraduates Leave STEM Majors and Where Do They Go?

Abstract

Luke had a long-standing interest in technology, as well as psychology and communication. He entered college as a computer engineering major because he had always excelled in math and he thought that he could secure a good job in a growing field. His father had strongly encouraged him to pursue an engineering degree and his choice of major was made, in part, to ease the pressure he felt from his family. He had no opportunities to learn about engineering in high school but felt that his interest in math might sustain him throughout the major. Yet after a summer orientation for the engineering program, he still didn’t have the “whole picture of what engineering was.” Early coursework did not spark his interest or provide him with a sense of possible careers. Frustrated, he switched into general engineering at the end of his freshman year. At the end of his sophomore year, he switched into psychology because he had enjoyed it in high school.

Luke’s story is typical of many incoming engineering majors in our study who had little information on which to base their choice of major. Few students had access to engineering courses or experiences in their pre-college education. This lack of information, coupled with other factors, such as parental pressure, may partly explain why talented students leave engineering at high rates.

There is a growing need for engineers in the coming decade. Some sub-fields, such as biomedical engineering, petroleum engineering, and civil engineering, are projected to experience growth rates of 25% of more (BLS, 2012). Yet, nearly 60% of entering engineering students switch to other fields (Eagan et al., 2014). Engineering students leave the major for a variety of reasons including departmental climate (Liztler, 2012; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Suresh, 2007), lack of confidence in the professional role of engineer (Cech, 2011), lack of self-efficacy (Lent et al., 2008), negative experiences in gate-keeper courses (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Suresh, 2007), and inadequate high school preparation (Suresh, 2007). Yet the relationship among students’ choices, initial expectations, and their decisions to leave STEM has not been fully explored.

This paper describes some of the reasons behind a popular switching path in our study, engineering to business. Over half of STEM switchers left, in part, because of unexamined or under-informed choice of major or career. Eighteen of these under-informed students (19% of the total sample) switched out of engineering majors, often following circuitous paths before settling on non-STEM majors. Some of these students felt pressured into making uninformed choices because of their aptitude for and interest in math. Students’ lack of incoming knowledge about engineering was compounded by a lack of real-world focus in early required courses that diminished their initial curiosity about the major. Consequently, many of these students switched to applied majors in non-STEM fields, such as psychology, finance, economics, or business management, which better met their need for a practical curriculum with clear career paths.

Author

• Heather L. Thiry, University of Colorado - Boulder