More than half of the 186 U.S. engineering school deans in a new study of the field’s academic C-suite earned PhDs from just 21 schools. The review notes nagging leadership diversity challenges but also identifies career paths for aspiring deans, particularly women and people of color.
The American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) sponsored the sample study as part of a diversity push begun in 2015. There are 360 accredited U.S. engineering schools. The top engineering dean producer is MIT, which awarded PhDs to 13 deans in the sample. Other top trainers are University of California-Berkeley, Stanford, the University of Michigan, Caltech and Georgia Tech.