In a recent study by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Houghton College shows higher than average rates of success for graduates that major in science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM).
A shortage of STEM graduates has recently been emphasized on a national level. According to Richard Ekman, president of the CIC, “The study showed persuasively that small and mid-sized private colleges are more effective at producing both bachelor’s degree-level and future Ph.D.-level professionals in STEM fields than other kinds of educational institutions.”
The success rate for STEM studies has proven to be true at Houghton College where over the past five years, 100 percent of graduates who obtained degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, math, and computer science have obtained jobs in their desired field of study within six months to a year of graduating from Houghton or gone onto Ph.D. or Masters graduate programs.
Dr. Keith Horn, the associate dean for natural science and mathematics at Houghton College commented, “Houghton’s rates are very comparable, if not better. In physics, since 2000, 52 percent of Houghton graduates have gone on to graduate school . . . the comparable number from the CIC report is 19 percent.”
When asked why Houghton is producing better than average results, Horn attributes it to focused faculty attention, setting of higher standards, fewer distractions, smaller class sizes, working closely with faculty mentors, opportunities to do collaborative research and the personalized attention paid to students’ career aspirations.
“I think we can confidently say that getting a STEM education at Houghton is a fantastic opportunity and may give students their best shot at being successful in their career with great placement into graduate and professional schools,” commented Horn.
