The Women's Engineering Program (WEP) at Notre Dame address the unique needs of our women engineering students and girls interested in engineering, science, and technology.

Our goal is to encourage more women to pursue engineering as an exciting and fulfilling educational and career choice.

For our current students, undergraduates as well as those seeking advanced degrees, we provide a variety of activities that enhance the learning experience including mentor programs, professional speakers, and industry/plant visits. The range of academic-support initiatives within the WEP include tutoring, internships, and other career-development options. We identify and promote scholarships available to support women studying engineering. And, we work with national engineering-related organizations, educational institutions, and prospective employers to identify fellowship and post-graduate employment opportunities.

For prospective students, we offer campus visits and access to a wide range of on-line resources that help pre-college students learn about the benefits of studying engineering. Through the college's Introduction to Engineering Program, held twice each summer, high-school students can come to Notre Dame for a three-week introduction to various careers in engineering and to college life. We also participate in outreach activities for younger girls through Ms. Wizard Day and the University's Expand Your Horizons program, both of which seek to inspire young girls to pursue their interests in engineering and other technical fields. Through the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), we also provide programming to help members of local Girl Scout troops earn their technology badges.

We have developed the WEP on the foundations of scholarship, faith, community, and service -- hallmarks of education at the University of Notre Dame and, of course, at the College of Engineering.

Scholarship
Women students at Notre Dame enjoy a full range of opportunities to develop their academic talents in the engineering program. In addition to a challenging curriculum, through which a student can earn one of eight bachelor's degrees offered by the college, women students can engage in research in a variety of interesting areas including the development of an artificial hip joint or a universal blood substitute, the improvement of wireless communications technology, and other areas in which engineers seek to improve the quality of life. The WEP actively seeks out research and scholarship activities for women undergraduate and graduate students. We also provide academic support services for students who need additional resources to make the most of their education at Notre Dame.

Faith
As a Catholic university Notre Dame has demonstrated a visible and active commitment to the development of the whole person. For those who seek a rich and rewarding spiritual life, opportunities abound on campus -- from chapels in the residence halls to retreats focusing on issues of interest to our students. The WEP recognizes that this unique aspect of the Notre Dame environment benefits students in many ways. And, we seek to help students take advantage of all that Notre Dame offers to help individuals grow in their faith.

Community
Perhaps the most important aspect of the WEP is the way in which we work to develop a community of women engineers. Through dorm-based mentor programs, we work to provide underclass students with access to upperclass students who have experienced and successfully managed the same challenges first-year and sophomore students face. Through the student chapter of the SWE, we provide opportunities to socialize and to develop study groups and, more important, friendships. And, through mentoring and networking opportunities, we integrate our students into the broader Notre Dame family, where alumnae help undergraduates both to navigate the challenges of an engineering education and to network into internships and full-time jobs.

Service
Since much of engineering is based in serving humanity and raising the quality of life, the WEP supports service opportunities through SWE-ND. Recent activities have included helping members of local Girl Scout troops earn their technology badges, demonstrating science projects to local school children at Notre Dame’s Robinson Community Learning Center, raising money for a local women’s shelter, and participating in the Ms. Wizard Day and the Expand Your Horizons Program, both sponsored by the University to encourage girls to study math and science and to consider careers in engineering and technology. 

Incredibly, 80 percent of all current students participate in some kind of service activity during their time at Notre Dame. A large majority also chooses to pursue service opportunities, at least a year or two, after graduation. It's part of the Catholic character of the University, and it's integral to the character of many of our students.