2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Understanding Career Choices of Engineering Students: A Study of Persistence in STEM Fields in Lebanon

Presented at International Division (INTL) Technical Session 5: Workforce Readiness, Employability, and Career Pathways (feat. INTL Best Paper Awards 2026)

Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and specifically in Lebanon, engineering majors continue to attract a large share of undergraduate students. Nevertheless, there are students with undergraduate engineering degrees in the region who transition to non‑STEM career paths after graduation, reflecting a notable shift away from STEM fields in the region. In Lebanon, students' pursuit of STEM career trajectories is influenced by both personal and institutional factors that shape the career decisions of engineering graduates. Therefore, this study examines how personal expectations and aspirations, as well as workplace and job market factors, shape engineering graduates' decisions to pursue careers in STEM fields. The data for this study were collected through a mixed-methods survey conducted among 2,490 respondents, female (32.6%) and male (67.3%), engineering alumni of the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, a consistently highly ranked and prominent University in the MENA, between 2019 and 2024. The survey included quantitative questions about student plans after graduation and experiences with the job search journey, as well as qualitative questions that explored the factors affecting decisions to pursue graduate studies and the impact of internships on career choices. Adopting a grounded theory building approach, the qualitative data were analyzed using open coding, followed by focused coding to reveal core themes and patterns. The analysis results were then examined in the context of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). Findings show that across 2019-2024, approximately half of the respondents pursued STEM-aligned early career pathways (Engineering or AI & Technology), highlighting both continued engagement with engineering and notable movement toward non-STEM fields. Job market conditions in Lebanon and opportunities abroad were frequently associated with persistence in STEM and with transitions to non-STEM pathways. Internships contributed to career decision-making for 89% of respondents, although only 16.8% reported that an internship directly led to employment. Finally, this study concludes by examining the dynamic interplay between personal interests and contextual factors to better understand engineering graduate students’ career choices and their persistence in STEM fields in Lebanon.

Authors

Jana Sabra American University of Beirut [biography]

Jana Sabra (she/her) is a Research Assistant at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Energy at the American University of Beirut. She works as part of the Pipeline Initiative team under the supervision of Dr. Elsa Maalouf, contributing to research and programs that support equitable access, mentorship, and representation in STEM fields. Jana holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut. She is also the Director of Communications at All Girls Code, where she leads efforts to promote STEM education and awareness among girls.
Elsa Maalouf http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5217-5628 American University of Beirut [biography]

Dr. Elsa Maalouf is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Energy at the American University of Beirut (AUB). She earned her doctorate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work focuses on sustainable subsurface energy applications and the use of sustainable materials. She is the lead of the Pipeline and Mentorship initiative at AUB that supports women in engineering and offers mentorship to university students until after they graduate. Her current research investigates enrollment trends in engineering programs in Lebanon and examines how parental influence, sociopolitical factors, and cultural perceptions shape students’ decisions to pursue engineering education.
Aya Mouallem http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9360-9971 Stanford University [biography]

Aya Mouallem (she/her) is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering and MA candidate in Education at Stanford University. She received a BEng in Computer and Communications Engineering from the American University of Beirut. Aya is a graduate research assistant with the Designing Education Lab at Stanford, led by Professor Sheri Sheppard. Her research designs, develops, and evaluates education technology and pedagogy to broaden the accessibility of engineering education and fundamentally transform how we prepare future engineers. She is supported by the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program and the DARE and RAISE doctoral fellowships.
Rasha Malaeb American University of Beirut [biography]

Rasha Malaeb (she/her) is a Computer and Computer Engineering student at the American University of Beirut (AUB), currently pursuing a Master’s in Engineering with a focus on Machine Learning and Cybersecurity. She is a research assistant and event coordinator for the Pipeline and Mentorship Initiative at AUB, where she works on student support projects such as Peer2Peer Mentorship. Her research focuses on Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, and supporting women in engineering.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on July 31, 2026

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