Promoting Persistence: Female STEM Professors and Graduation Rates of Female STEM Students

In higher education there have been notably more men than women pursuing areas of study in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). This quantitative mixed method study investigated pre-existing data including faculty male to female ratios and female graduation rates within the STEM fields. This study also surveyed current male and female students studying STEM in their final undergraduate year at a Midwest, faith-based, liberal arts college, with the intention of analyzing the impact of the role of female professors on the retention and graduation rates of female students studying in the STEM fields. The discussion unpacks the responses of these students and their goals for post-graduation. Both male and female students were surveyed in order to compare the responses to have a better scope. This research is impactful for faculty and institutions to obtain a better understanding of how to support women in their undergraduate study as they pursue careers in the STEM fields