Co-Op Based Engineering Education Model Supporting Students in Engineering Education Deserts

Previous work has identified that one third of Americans live in an engineering education desert, or a county without a face-to-face 4-year accredited engineering degree or a two-year face-to-face pre-engineering program, regardless of whether it results in a credential. Iron Range Engineering (IRE) is an upper division engineering program designed to help provide access to individuals who due to financial and/or geographic location would be otherwise unable to participate in engineering. In this paper we present data demonstrating how this model of engineering education supports students from a range of geographical areas by addressing the research questions: Is IRE supporting students from engineering education deserts, are those students returning to their home region with a paid engineering position, and if so, with what income? In 2022, students at IRE were surveyed about their co-op experiences, feelings of belonging, and demographic information. This data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of location, salary, and demographic data. Our data supports the idea of this model of education attracting participation of students who otherwise may not have access to an engineering degree. Of the students in IRE, 67% come from engineering education deserts. Of those, 17 returned to their home state with a co-op and 8 returned to their home county with a paid co-op, at an average salary of $22/hour. Our results contribute to our understanding of engineering education deserts in the United States, and the IRE Bell co-op model as a curricular model to provide access to an affordable engineering degree for students in a wide range of locations.