History

SWE is a nonprofit educational service organization of graduate engineers and men and women with equivalent engineering experience. It was 1950 when small groups of women engineers started meeting in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The Society was incorporated in 1952.

In 1961, SWE established its headquarters office in the United Engineering Center in New York. SWE is a charter member of the engineering umbrella organization, the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES), and Engineers for Education. It is an affiliate of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and a sponsor of the National Engineers Week.

In 1976, SWE membership was opened to men. All SWE membership grades and qualifications are the same for men as they are for women.

The Society has an international membership of more than 15,000 women and men. SWE is located in 78 areas of the United States and Puerto Rico. SWE Student Sections have been chartered at more than 270 colleges, universities, and engineering institutes located throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.