Carleton saw an increase this year of first-year students enrolling in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, according to university admissions.
Carleton undergraduate enrolment in STEM-related programs is up by 11 per cent according to data from the school’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning. Conversely enrolment in the Bachelor of Arts program, both general and honours, saw a 3 per cent decrease.
The change is reflected across the province. Ontario saw a 14 per cent increase in 2014, the highest out of the STEM programs, according to Janice O’Farrell, director of Admissions Services.
“I think that our growth in first-year enrolment is a result of both the strong efforts of Carleton’s recruitment team and of the faculty’s growing reputation,” said Dr. Malcolm Butler, dean of science.
Brendan Lucas, a first-year computer systems engineering student, chose the program because of his interest in computing. He said he decided to come to Carleton based on its good reputation for the degree.
Lucas said he thinks his area of study is one of the fastest growing but also realizes there will be challenges because of this in the future.
“It’s definitely going to be a much more competitive area. It’s going to be much harder to get the better jobs,” he said.
The increase in the number of students in STEM programs has put pressure on Carleton to ensure the programs have enough resources to accommodate the growth, Butler said.
“The university’s budget model certainly supports this,” he said.
Lucas said so far, he’s had few problems as a result of the increase in first-year enrolment.
“I’ve noticed no problems doing anything. The only thing I would say is EngFrosh fills up faster than ever before,” he said.
STEM programs are still largely male dominated despite this year’s surge in enrolment.
Women make up around 30 per cent of first-year undergraduate STEM enrolment, according to the university’s public data. Numbers are even lower for engineering (16 per cent) and computer science (12 per cent).
Women represent 24 per cent of enrolments in STEM programs but 61 per cent in the humanities, social science and education, according to a 2012 report from the Canadian Council of Academics.
The pattern continues higher in academia, with women only representing 9 per cent of full professors in STEM fields, according to the same report.
“The challenge for us is that we see this even at the high school level,” Butler said. “There are many people working with students in the public school system to change this and to help young women see the opportunities for them in these fields of study.”
Organizations exist on campus to encourage women to pursue an education in STEM programs, such as CU-WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).
“We are very supportive of their efforts,” Butler said.
Lucas confirmed the small number of female students in his introduction to software development class, one of the required courses for a degree in computer systems engineering at Carleton.
“We are seeing growth that is greater than that seen across the Ontario system, so that speaks to something special about Carleton,” Butler said.
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