| Abstract Scope |
To improve the identification of students likely to succeed in graduate school, as defined by degree completion and research outcomes, the MSE Department at OSU started to change their graduate admission process and applicant evaluation in 2016, with strong support from the College of Engineering. For this, an assessment of the applicants’ non-cognitive variables based on the Fisk-Vanderbilt MS-PhD Bridge Program admissions model was included into the review process, based on input from targeted questions in the instructions for student application and reference letters. In this talk we discuss the reasoning behind the changes, their implementation, and a current assessment of outcomes. While MSE’s new process increased the enrollment of women and underrepresented minority students by 19% and 57%, respectively, the outcomes go well beyond the graduate student body and include improvements in overall climate and ranking, with the graduate program climbing 8 places to currently #12 since 2016. |