%0 Journal Article %A Dinin, Alessandra %A Jaeger, Audrey J. %A Culpepper, Dawn K. %D 2017 %I Begell House %K engineering, women's colleges, agency, dual-degree program, case study %N 4 %P 339-363 %R 10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2017018758 %T THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN'S AGENCY IN AN ENGINEERING DUAL-DEGREE PROGRAM %U https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/00551c876cc2f027,40648be8069d9a95,7a081ea37fa4506a.html %V 23 %X The purpose of this case study is to understand the unique experiences of women participating in an engineering dual-degree program with a research institution, North Carolina State University, and a women's college, Meredith College. We use agency as a lens to highlight the perspectives and actions that students take to complete the program [O'Meara, Campbell, and Terosky, Living Agency in the Academy: A Conceptual Framework for Research and Action, Ann. Conf. Assoc. Study High. Educ., 2011]. Fifteen students and former students from a variety of backgrounds participated in an hour-long, semi-structured interview to discuss their experiences. The participants indicate that the dual-degree program affords them "the best of both worlds" where they can benefit from a small, friendly, single-gendered campus while also earning an engineering degree, which they enjoy and attribute to future success. Specifically, the dual-degree program is able to mitigate two challenges to women in engineering: a chilly climate and self-efficacy. This study is significant because it introduces a new theoretical lens to consider women in engineering and it highlights some practical implications for institutions trying to start or support similar programming. %8 2018-02-26