Institutions that are seeking Silver Level status who have not previously achieved Bronze level status must submit a pre-application using the format below prior to completing the full Silver Application.
In recognition of the fact that there are a number of institutions that have a long history of serving diverse communities in engineering, the Engineering Deans Council has approved the creation of a program that allows those institutions to apply directly for Silver-level recognition. This is a two-step process by first submitting a pre-application for review. Once approved, the institution may complete the full application for Silver.
Eligibility Criteria:
- The engineering program must demonstrate that they already fulfill the basic requirements of Bronze-level criteria, namely:
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- The Dean has signed the Diversity Pledge.
- The existence of academic support programs for underrepresented students in engineering.
- At least one pipeline activity with a community college (or equivalent) or high school.
- The engineering program must also meet the minimum graduation requirements:
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- Graduation of a minimum of 200 undergraduate and graduate engineering students over a 6-year period. Graduates of computer science programs can be included in this total if the degree is conferred from the engineering college or equivalent academic unit.
- And one of the following two criteria:
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- Graduation of 40% or more female students in engineering over a continuous 6-year period, as measured by the number of degrees conferred to females as a total of the degrees conferred[3].
An engineering program that fulfills the basic requirements (criteria 1), the minimum graduation requirements (criteria 2), and one of the two requirements in criteria 3 will be eligible to submit directly for Silver-level recognition.
Application Process:
Institutions that want to be considered for the Direct-to-Silver recognition must submit the following information by July 22, 2022:
- A (no more than) two-page cover letter signed by the Dean that verifies that the Dean has signed the Diversity Pledge, that the engineering program has academic support programs specifically designed for underrepresented minorities, and a short description of an existing pipeline activity.
- Data on degrees conferred to verify that the program meets the minimum requirement of 100 graduates over a 6-year period.
- Data on degrees conferred to verify that the program meets one of the two requirements for degrees conferred to underrepresented minorities OR females.
There is no fee for the pre-application portion of the process.
Institutions will be notified by July 29, 2022 of their eligibility to submit for Silver-level recognition . If approved, the institution may proceed to the Silver Recognition Application guidelines found here.
[1] Underrepresented minorities are defined as Black or African-American students, Hispanic students, Pacific Islander students, or Native American students.
[2] This percentage is equal to 3 times the national average over the period 2009-2020 based on data supplied by the American Society of Engineering Education.
[3] This percentage is equal to approximately 2 times the national average over the period 2009-2020 based on data supplied by the American Society of Engineering Education