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Introduction
Master's and doctoral full-time enrollments experienced minima in
Fall 1998 and Fall 1997, respectively, and increased significantly
thereafter. Master's enrollments reached annual record levels beginning
in Fall 2000; doctoral enrollment records began in Fall 2001.
Full-time master's enrollments decreased substantially (7.4%) in Fall
2004 following the previous year's limited growth (0.6%). Full-time
doctoral enrollments increased by 7.7% in Fall 2001, 14.6% in Fall 2002
and 12.6% in Fall 2003. The increase in Fall 2004 was only 3.9%.
This report considers the current master's and doctoral enrollment
trends for seventeen engineering disciplines including "computer" which
is mainly the total of computer engineering and computer science.
Emphasis is given to both enrollments and relative enrollments
(fractions of engineering as a whole). The latter provides student
preference information for the present era where graduate enrollments
are changing significantly.
Master's Enrollments and Relative Enrollments - Larger Engineering
Disciplines
Master's enrollments and relative enrollments for the nine larger
disciplines are shown in the two graphs below. Enrollments for
"computer" and industrial engineering have decreased since Fall 2002
(16.2% and 24.8%, respectively); electrical and mechanical engineering
decreased in Fall 2004 (14.6% and 8.3%, respectively). Declines in
these four disciplines combined exceeded slightly that of engineering as
a whole since Fall 2002. The slow, long-term decline in chemical
engineering master's enrollments has continued.
Aerospace, bioeng/biomedical and civil engineering continued their
long-term master's enrollment growth in Fall 2004. Aerospace engineering
has increased 118% since Fall 1996; bioeng/biomedical has increased 175%
since Fall 1995; civil engineering has increased 34% since Fall 1999.
Management engineering enrollments which doubled from Fall 1991
through Fall 2002 now appear to be constant.
Relative enrollments in the graph above indicate that student
preferences for individual disciplines are not as marked as shown by
master's enrollment data.
Master's Enrollments and Relative Enrollments - Smaller
Engineering Disciplines
The two graphs below provide full-time enrollment data in the eight
smaller engineering disciplines. Manufacturing, mining/geological,
petroleum and systems engineering have had slight enrollment declines in
recent years. Materials engineering which had slight enrollment
increases since Fall 1998 had a significant decline in Fall 2004.
Enrollments in environmental and marine/naval engineering are now
constant after extended periods of decline. Nuclear engineering is the
only discipline in this group of eight that is undergoing enrollment growth at the present time.
As was the situation with the nine larger disciplines, the relative
enrollments shown in the graph above appear somewhat tempered compared
to total full-time enrollments. However, the relative enrollment trends
are similar to those of enrollments as described previously.
Doctoral Enrollments and Relative Enrollments - Larger Engineering
Disciplines
Total full-time doctoral enrollments in the nine larger disciplines
shown in the graph below are increasing. However, the growth rates for
"computer", chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering have
declined noticeably in the last year or two.
Bioeng/medical engineering has grown substantially in recent years
(192% since Fall 1995 and 110% since Fall 2000). The trend for this
discipline appears to be such that in just a few years its enrollments
will exceed those of materials and, possibly, civil engineering.
Aerospace, industrial and materials engineering continue to exhibit
slowly increasing full-time doctoral enrollments.
Relative enrollments shown in the graph below for these nine
disciplines generally indicate only modest variations since Fall 1985.
Chemical, civil, electrical, materials and mechanical engineering show
slight, but continued, long-term declines. Aerospace engineering has
ended a period of decline and "computer" has ended a period of
substantial growth.
Bioeng/biomedical engineering has continued to undergo increased
relative enrollment growth and in the last few years the rate of growth
has increased significantly. Industrial engineering continues to grow
very slowly in relative enrollment.
Doctoral Enrollments and Relative Enrollments - Smaller
Engineering Disciplines
The long-term doctoral enrollment growth in environmental and nuclear
engineering has continued. Petroleum and systems engineering enrollments
have grown since Fall 2002. Management, marine/naval and
mining/geological engineering enrollments have been constant since Fall
2001. Manufacturing engineering enrollments have continued to decline
since the maximum in Fall 2000.
The long-term relative enrollments declines of environmental,
nuclear, petroleum and systems engineering have ended. These disciplines
have all undergone slow relative enrollment growth in the last year or
two.
Management, manufacturing, marine/naval and mining/geological
engineering continue to experience significant annual relative
enrollment declines.
Summary
Full-time master's enrollments in engineering declined substantially
in Fall 2004. "Computer", electrical, industrial and mechanical also
declined significantly. The combined decreases in these four disciplines
exceeded the overall engineering decline. Aerospace, bioeng/biomedical
and civil engineering continued their long-term master's enrollment
growth trends.
Full-time doctoral enrollment growth for engineering continued in
Fall 2004, but at a rate substantially less than in past years.
"Computer", chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering also
experienced reduced enrollment growth rates in Fall 2004. Bioeng/biomedical
engineering continued its substantial, long-term growth trend and has
shown significantly increased enrollment growth rates since Fall 2000.
Aerospace, industrial and materials engineering have continued their
long-term enrollment growth trends, but the growth rates have been low.
Acknowledgments
The undergraduate and graduate enrollment data used in this study
originated from the annual surveys of the Engineering Workforce
Commission of the American Association of Engineering Societies.
Engineering Trends acknowledges the efforts of this organization in
providing credible data and expresses its gratitude for their services
to the engineering profession. Persons seeking further information about
their surveys and the availability of survey data should visit the AAES/EWC
Web site (www.aaes.org).
Footnotes
Engineering Trends data are compiled mainly from information
submitted by universities to the annual surveys of EWC and ASEE. On the
very rare occasions where errors in data appear, Engineering Trends
corrects the error, if possible, or deletes the data if the error is
large enough to alter significantly the trend of the university or the
US total.
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