Future RIT Students
Are you a woman who is interested in becoming an engineer? As you have probably already heard, RIT offers excellent engineering programs which are complemented by our unique Cooperative Education or coop program. What you may not have heard is that women enrolled within engineering at RIT graduate at a higher rate than their male classmates. The national retention average for women versus men in engineering programs reveals that more women on average drop out of engineering programs compared with their male peers, but at RIT that trend is reversed. So, how has RIT been able to graduate more (on average) successful women engineers than our peer colleges? The answer is easy... There is a strong, positive community for women engineering students at RIT and within the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. RIT is committed to your success as a woman engineer and offers various activities to assist you as you progress through degree requirements. As an enrolled woman in one of our five engineering departments, you will find a supportive environment to help achieve your career goals.Our engineering college has many women engineering role models who care about your success:
11 % of our engineering faculty are women
20% of incoming KGCOE students are women
24% of the mechanical engineering department's faculty are women
100% of our women engineering faculty are engaged in engineering outreach and community building activities
RIT's Women in Engineering program (also known as WE@RIT) has been carefully designed to help you achieve your career goals by offering activities aimed at fostering a positive community for women within our college. The Kate Gleason College of Engineering is the only engineering college in the nation named in honor of a woman. This fact inspires WE@RIT to create a supportive environment within the college that enables women to succeed academically and socially. Bi-weekly events form our “Kate’s Hour” series while the Mentoring Program serves women students throughout their college experience. Each year over 1000 engineering women college students attend events hosted by WE@RIT!
WE@RIT also offers a series of programs designed for women who are entering college for engineering. These programs introduce participants to the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, our strong community of dedicated women, and the rich campus life that RIT has to offer. These include WE Retreat and WE’re in Motion.
Over the past several years, RIT's Society of Women Engineers (SWE) student section has won numerous awards including the Outstanding Student Section award for student sections in 2003 and 2004. WE@RIT strongly supports its highly successful SWE Student Section which provides a strong community for its members.