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An analysis of doctoral prestige and faculty composition in Canadian mechanical engineering programs.
W Brent Lievers1,2,3, Katie A Goggins1,2, Marc Arsenault1
1School of Engineering and Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Plos One
|March 30, 2026
Summary
A study of Canadian mechanical engineering faculty reveals a prestige hierarchy among doctoral institutions. Most faculty (78%) come from a small fraction (22%) of universities, with limited movement to more prestigious institutions.
Area of Science:
- Engineering Education Research
- Academic Mobility and Prestige Analysis
- Faculty Demographics in STEM
Background:
- Academic faculty hiring is highly competitive, with prestige hierarchies concentrating opportunities.
- Previous research indicates 80% of faculty positions are filled by graduates from only 20% of institutions.
- The existence and extent of such a hierarchy in Canadian mechanical engineering are unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence of a prestige hierarchy within Canadian mechanical engineering doctoral programs.
- To analyze demographic differences, including gender representation, in Canadian mechanical engineering faculty.
- To develop analytical tools for quantifying institutional prestige in academia.
Main Methods:
- Collected data on over 1100 faculty members from 38 accredited Canadian mechanical engineering programs.
- Gathered information on doctoral training institution, graduation year, and faculty advisors.
- Employed PageRank analysis and k-means clustering to identify institutional prestige tiers.
Main Results:
- A small percentage of institutions (22%) produced the majority of faculty (78%).
- Four tiers of doctoral prestige were identified, with limited hiring of graduates from lower to higher tiers.
- Only 16.7% of faculty members were female-presenting, and 17.5% were 'self-hires'.
Conclusions:
- A significant prestige hierarchy exists in Canadian mechanical engineering doctoral training and faculty hiring.
- The study provides quantifiable metrics for institutional prestige and a demographic overview of the field.
- Findings can inform students pursuing academia and guide equitable hiring practices.
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