Increasing electrical and computer engineering enrollment: A multi-faceted approach

In the late 1990´s there was a significant decrease in the number of electrical engineering graduates with bachelor degrees in the United States. There was also a drop in the number of Electrical Engineering graduates at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) at that time. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering wanted to increase the enrollment of its students by using four strategies: (i) creation of a computer engineering program, (ii) raising the retention rate of freshmen students, (iii) attracting community college students, and (iv) offering summer camps to high school students. A Computer Engineering program was created in 2003 to attract students into a growing discipline. The Infinity Project program was used to increase the freshmen retention rate. By using the multi-faceted strategies, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has been able to increase its enrollment. Some recommendations have been made for institutions that want to use some of the strategies to increase their enrollment.