Creating a Career Plan and Increasing Representation in Civil Engineering

In the University of Arizona's College of Engineering, women make up about 30% of first-year students. But in the civil engineering program, that number is about 25%. That is why CAEM's new Building Pathways Program is designed to increase enrollment and support underrepresented students in the field of civil engineering.

The program is funded by a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and is part of the college’s ENGineering Access, Greater Equity and Diversity program, or ENGAGED.

“It’s helping students see not just how to do the courses and how to thrive on campus but where they are going to go after they leave campus," said ENGAGED Director Noel Hennessey in an interview with KGUN9. "They really get to see that up close and early in their academic career is what makes it unique.”

Hennessey says the program will “make the entire curriculum feel less intimidating and feel more personable.”