Why do students choose to study engineering?: Insights from a large-scale institutional survey

CONTEXTImproving capability in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines is fundamental to the Australian government’s agenda for promoting productivity and innovation (Australian Government, 2017). Increasing participation in university engineering degrees is a key mechanism for achieving this. However, encouraging students to pursue engineering pathways is an ongoing challenge with falling rates of students completing advanced STEM subjects in high school (Barrington & Evans, 2016) and the persistent underrepresentation of minority groups (Australian Government, 2017). Australia’s capacity to develop more engineers, and thus address projected skill shortages, requires action across the pipeline. Improved understanding of why students choose to study engineering is valuable in guiding strategies for increasing participation.PURPOSEThis study investigates factors influencing student decisions to study engineering compared to students studying in other areas. The research question is: “What factors influence student decisions to choose to study engineering and when do they make them, as compared to other disciplines?”APPROACHBuilding upon a previous study (Dawes et al., 2015), the first-year domestic cohorts enrolled in STEM degrees as well as selected non-STEM degrees at the Queensland University of Technology were surveyed about their study decisions. In 2022, 19.6% (n=967) of the eligible population responded to the survey. Participants were grouped into (1) engineering, (2) science, technology, or mathematics (STM), and (3) non-STEM related disciplines. Statistical analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between discipline group and specific categorical variables relating to gender, perceived mathematics ability, influencers on degree decision making, and timing of decision to study chosen degree.OUTCOMESEngineering students were less likely to be female and have greater perceived mathematics ability compared to both STM and non-STEM students. No statistically significant differences were recorded for the influencers on decision making across the disciplines, but engineering students selected their degree earlier than STM and non-STEM students.CONCLUSIONSThe differences in degree decision making between engineering and STM students highlights the need for specific strategies to attract students to engineering, rather than promoting STEM as an aggregated field. Separating engineering aspiration from other STEM disciplines is recommended for understanding which factors impact degree selection