DID YOU KNOW?

The share of women earning engineering degrees have steadily increased over the past decades!

Between 2009 and 2019 the percentage of women earning bachelor’s degrees in engineering increased from 17% to 22%, master’s degrees from 23% to 27% and doctoral degrees from 22% to 25%.

Women are successfully entering into the engineering and computer science fields and breaking barriers. Take a look at some of your peers highlighted on this website. They come from different walks of life but are all passionate about their work and already pursuing big ideas, doing ground-breaking research and inspiring others.

At FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing (CEC), 21% of the undergraduate degrees are awarded to women and CEC is ranked among the top 40 in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to female students. In terms of graduate degrees, CEC is ranked well above the national averages since 27% of master’s and 34% of the doctoral degrees are awarded to women.

That’s because our students find a supportive environment surrounded by talented faculty and staff committed to their success. Feel free to connect with our faculty and read why they chose engineering or computer science degrees here.

Outside the classes, student organizations such as Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Women Engineers and Women in Computer Science, the CD-SSEC and the Office of Career and Talent Development provide opportunities to connect, learn, travel and network with your peers and professionals.

Hasantha Malavipathirana, doctoral student at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), awarded 2020 Cadence Women in Technology Scholarship.

Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student Valentina Dargam and undergraduate student Maria Giraldo received second place at the 2019 Florida Blue Health Innovation Pitch Competition for their entrepreneurial pitch related to new diagnostic approaches for aortic valve disease.

Armana Sabiha Huq, the President of Society of Women Engineers and a Ph.D. student majoring in civil engineering, received the best research paper award for her work in traffic safety at the Florida Puerto Rico Institute of Transportation Engineering (FLPRITE) annual meeting in November 2019.

Sana Nasim, a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering, won second place in the 2020 3-minute (3MT) thesis competition sponsored by the Graduate School at FIU.

Student Success


FIU engineering and computing students are WorldsAhead in innovation, creativity and hard work. They are relentless in pursuing big ideas that will lead to better lives.

“I’m most excited about the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML). There is endless potential for its application in our daily lives ranging from medicine to entertainment…. Get involved with student organizations and do internships starting your sophomore year. Your path is not linear; you might take different routes to get to the same place and that’s ok, explore your options!”

Mariella Alejandra Massuh

President of the Women in Computer Science (WICS) Student Chapter

“Technology is ever adapting. I think that what excites me the most is the opportunity of using technology to change our daily lives. A few weeks ago, I was playing a virtual reality (VR) game at my best friend’s house and we had a conversation about how “quickly” VR became widely accepted in households. Not even 10 years ago I would have predicted the use of this technology in houses. I am excited to be a part of an industry that contributes to making great strides in human living.”

Estefani Arroyo

Vice President of the Women in Computer Science (WICS) Student Chapter

 “The major focus of my doctoral dissertation is on transportation safety, incorporating intelligent transportation systems. The specific objective of my research is to develop an advanced method to identify and mitigate secondary crashes and to evaluate their complex interaction between roadway, vehicle, traffic and environmental condition. The field of traffic safety engineering has multiple dimensions for diversified research interests. Therefore, anyone can switch their profession to traffic safety area.” 

Armana Huq

President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Student Chapter

“FIU is allowing me to be involved in so many different hands-on projects where I can finally apply what I have been learning in classes for the past four years and see all the practical applications. Each day there are new discoveries and advancements in biomedical technology in the current 4th industrial evolution so I am extremely excited to dive into actual industry experiences.”
Shannon Joseph

Vice President of Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Student Chapter