Dive Brief:
- Some top college technology programs are reversing the downward trend in the number of women studying computer science or engineering.
- Of the total computer science graduates in the U.S. today, 18% are women, compared to 37% in 1985.
- Schools reversing the trend include Carnegie Mellon University, with women making up 40% of its incoming computer science freshmen, and Harvey Mudd College, where women represent more than half of its engineering graduates for the first time, the New York Times reported.
Dive Insight:
How do they do it? The initiatives include training high school teachers to teach computer science and host camps and mentoring sessions, which get all students more interested in science at a younger age. Also, by changing recruiting brochures to show more women, starting formal mentoring programs where female computer science majors can help younger female students, and eliminating programming experience as an admissions criterion.