For most of the last century, the United States and other industrial countries have viewed the number of young adults entering engineering careers as a major indicator of national standing and economic competitiveness (Wu, 2007). The National Academies’ Rising Above the Gather-ing Storm (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, 2005, 2010) argues for the education of more and better engineers, and the National Science Board’s (NSB’s; 2010) biennial Science and Engineering Indicators reports routinely include the number of new engineers as an indicator of U.S. achievement. Without seeking to resolve the issue of exactly how many engineers are needed, there is a broad consensus that sustaining a healthy flow of capable young adults into engineering careers is important for the health of the economy (Duderstadt, 2008; National Academy of Engineering, 2004, 2005; National Academy of Engineering & National Research Council, 2005; National Research Council, 1999a, 1999b, 2001). In this analysis, we first describe the current flow of young adults into professional engineering and then seek to identify the factors that are associated with successful entry into the field.
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