RATIO OF BACHELOR’S DEGREE RECIPIENTS TO TENURED/TENURE-TRACK TEACHING FACULTY BY DISCIPLINE

By Charles Stuppard

Reprinted from ASEE Connections

The ratio of bachelor’s degree recipients to tenured/tenure-track faculty can provide insights into the overall student experience.

This databyte highlights the ratio of bachelor’s degree recipients to teaching tenured/tenure-track faculty by discipline in 2018. Electrical/Computer Engineering, Civil/Environmental Engineering, and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering each had less than a 2:1 ratio of bachelor’s degree recipient to tenured/tenure-track faculty. In contrast, Computer Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Electrical Engineering had a more than 10:1 ratio of bachelor’s degree recipients to tenured/tenure-track faculty.

*Included institutions must have reported enrollment, faculty, and a minimum of 50 bachelor’s degrees awarded. 260 institutions fit the criterion for this table.

The range of ratios by discipline is in line with the range of ratios by school. Of the 22 reported disciplines, Computer Engineering had the sixth highest number of degree recipients despite ranking among the bottom 10 in the number of tenured/tenure-track faculty. The higher ratio may not signify a need for more Computer Engineering faculty, although it may influence research awards and student opportunities within some programs.