At a meeting of the Educational Policy Committee on Jan. 25, members of the Board of Trustees approved the addition of a new degree program: a Bachelor of Science in women’s leadership.

The program was proposed by the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, which already offers a Bachelor of Arts in women’s leadership. The current B.A. program allows students of other Bachelor of Arts degrees to easily add women’s leadership as a double major. Graduates of the program have a 95% job placement rate and have gone on to be very successful, attending prestigious graduate schools and becoming CEOs.

With the establishment of the B.S. in women’s leadership, more STEM students will be able to add the program as a double major, according to the university.

Though women in the United States earn more undergraduate and graduate degrees than men, they fall behind in terms of leadership roles. According to the Center for American Progress, women make up just 22.7% of partners in law firms, 16% of permanent medical school deans, 32% of full professors, 30% of college presidents, and 12.5% of chief financial officers at Fortune 500 companies. In terms of politics, 21 of the world’s 195 countries have a female head of state, which falls at just over 10%.

However, women’s leadership appears to be growing marginally. Catalyst.org reported that in 2019, the percentage of women in senior management roles worldwide rose to an all-time high of 29%. This year, the U.S. Congress saw its female membership rise to 27%, the highest in U.S. history. 

The university has expressed hope that the addition of the B.S. in women’s leadership will create opportunities for more Clemson students to become successful women leaders in the workplace.