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Are We Accepting the Right Students to Graduate Engineering Programs: Measuring the Success of Accepted Students via Data Envelopment Analysis School of Engineering University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT 06604

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present two consecutive DEA models to measure the relative efficiency of applicants to graduate programs in engineering and to compare these efficiencies with the success of these students in the program. The proposed performance criteria are determined depending on the current evaluation criteria in the School of Engineering at the University of Bridgeport. The steps and implementation of the proposed methodology are explained with the help of a numerical example for the Fall 2004 semester.

Keywords: Graduate Enrollment, Engineering, Decision Making, Engineering Education, Data Envelopment Analysis.

1. Introduction

Evaluating candidates for graduate degree programs has always been a concern of both academic and administrative personnel at Universities. The difficulty of this task has increased over time due to growing complexity and size of the pool of applicants as educational programs extend to the global arena. Many Universities are facing a significant increase in the number of international student applications to graduate degree programs.

With this being the motivation, this study aims at determining the key criteria for applicants to the graduate programs at the University of Bridgeport, School of Engineering. In this regard, a two-step approach is developed. In the first step, an output oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been utilized to evaluate and rank the accepted applicants depending on various criteria; for example, GRE and TOEFL scores, GPA, number of below-B grades in the Bachelor of Science transcripts, and other parameters. Following this, an additional ranking algorithm is implemented and run to determine the degree of success among the same set of accepted students, following their progress in the program till they graduate.

The results of the two ranking algorithms are then compared to validate the appropriateness of the selection criteria. A case study is included to demonstrate the steps and applicability of the proposed DEA approach.

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Kongar, E., & Baral, M., & Sobh, T. (2008, June), Are We Accepting The Right Students To Graduate Engineering Programs: Measuring The Success Of Accepted Students Via Data Envelopment Analysis Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3444