Highlights ...2-4 Undergraduate Education, Enrollment, and Degrees ...2-4 Graduate Education, Enrollment, and Degrees ...2-4 Postdoctoral Education ...2-5 International S&E Higher Education ...2-5 Introduction ...2-7 Chapter Overview ...2-7 Chapter Organization ...2-7 The U.S. Higher Education System ...2-7 Institutions Providing S&E Education ...2-7 Online and Distance Education ...2-9 For-Profit Institutions ...2-10 Cost of Higher Education ...2-10 Undergraduate Education, Enrollment, and Degrees in the United States ...2-11 Curricular Reform ...2-11 Remedial Education ...2-11 Undergraduate Enrollment in the United States ...2-12 Undergraduate Degree Awards ...2-15 Graduate Education, Enrollment, and Degrees in the United States ...2-17 Graduate Enrollment in S&E ...2-17 Financial Support for S&E Graduate Education ...2-19 Interdisciplinary Education ...2-21 S&E Master’s Degrees ...2-21 S&E Doctoral Degrees ...2-24 Postdoctoral Education ...2-30 International S&E Higher Education ...2-31 Higher Education Expenditures ...2-31 Educational Attainment ...2-33 First University Degrees in S&E Fields ...2-33 Global Comparison of S&E Doctoral Degrees ...2-35 Global Student Mobility ...2-36 Conclusion ...2-37 Notes ...2-38 Glossary ...2-38 References ...2-39
List of Sidebars
Carnegie Classification of Academic Institutions ...2-8 Baccalaureate Origins of S&E Doctorate Recipients ...2-9 Interdisciplinary Dissertation Research ...2-22 Professional Science Master’s Degrees ...2-22 Doctoral Completion and Attrition ...2-25 Globalization and Doctoral Education ...2-32
Higher Education in
Science and Engineering
International Changes in the Ratio of Natural Science and Engineering Degrees to the
College-Age Population ...2-34 Changes in European Higher Education Since the Bologna Process ...2-35
List of Tables
Table 2-1. Postsecondary 2- and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering distance education courses and enrollments in college-level credit-granting distance
education courses, by level of education and institution type: 2006–07...2-10 Table 2-2. Top 10 colleges and universities awarding degrees in computer sciences and
psychology, by level of degree: 2007 ...2-11 Table 2-3. Primary support mechanisms for S&E doctorate recipients, by Carnegie
classification of doctorate-granting institution: 2007 ...2-21 Table 2-4. Median number of years from S&E doctorate recipients’ entry to graduate
school to receipt of doctorate, by Carnegie classification of doctorate-granting
institution: 1993–2007 ...2-26 Table 2-5. Foreign recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates, by country/economy of origin:
1987–2007 ...2-27 Table 2-6. Asian recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates, by field and country/economy of
origin: 1987–2007 ...2-27 Table 2-7. European and North American recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates, by field
and region/country of origin: 1987–2007 ...2-28 Table 2-8. Source of funding of S&E postdoctoral students: 1993–2006 ...2-32
List of Figures
Figure 2-1. Enrollment and degrees per thousand population and per billion dollars
GDP: 1970–2006 ...2-12 Figure 2-2. Freshmen intending S&E major, by race/ethnicity: 1993–2008 ...2-14 Figure 2-3. Foreign undergraduate student enrollment in U.S. universities, by top 10
places of origin and field: April 2009 ...2-14 Figure 2-4. Engineering enrollment, by level: 1979–2007 ...2-15 Figure 2-5. S&E bachelor’s degrees, by field: 1993–2007 ...2-16 Figure 2-6. Female share of S&E bachelor’s degrees, by field: 1993–2007 ...2-16 Figure 2-7. Minority share of S&E bachelor’s degrees, by race/ethnicity: 1995–2007 ...2-17 Figure 2-8. S&E graduate enrollment, by citizenship and race/ethnicity: 1993–2006 ...2-18 Figure 2-9. Full-time S&E graduate students, by field and mechanism of primary
support: 2006 ...2-19 Figure 2-10. Full-time S&E graduate students with primary support from federal
government, by field: 1996 and 2006 ...2-20 Figure 2-11. S&E master’s degrees, by field: 1993–2007 ...2-23 Figure 2-12. S&E master’s degrees, by sex: 1993–2007 ...2-23 Figure 2-13. S&E master’s degrees, by race/ethnicity and citizenship: 1995–2007 ...2-23 Figure 2-14. S&E doctoral degrees earned in U.S. universities, by field: 1993–2007 ...2-24 Figure 2-15. S&E doctoral degrees earned by U.S. citizen and permanent resident
underrepresented minorities, by race/ethnicity: 1995–2007 ...2-26 Figure 2-16. S&E doctoral degrees, by sex, race/ethnicity, and citizenship: 1995–2007 ...2-26 Figure 2-17. U.S. S&E doctoral degree recipients, by selected Asian country/economy
of origin: 1987–2007 ...2-28 Figure 2-18. U.S. S&E doctoral degree recipients, by selected Western European
country: 1987–2007 ...2-29 Figure 2-19. U.S. S&E doctoral degree recipients from Europe, by region: 1987–2007 ...2-29 Figure 2-20. U.S. S&E doctoral degree recipients from Canada and Mexico: 1987–2007 ...2-29 Figure 2-21. Plans of foreign recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates to stay in United
States: 1987–2007 ...2-30 Figure 2-22. Short-term stay rates of foreign recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates,
Figure 2-23. Postdoctoral students at U.S. universities, by field: 1993–2006 ...2-31 Figure 2-24. Postdoctoral students at U.S. universities, by field and citizenship status:
1993–2006 ...2-31 Figure 2-25. Attainment of tertiary-type A and advanced research programs, by
country and age group: 2006 ...2-33 Figure 2-26. First university natural sciences and engineering degrees, by selected
countries: 1998–2006 ...2-34 Figure 2-27. Natural sciences and engineering doctoral degrees, by selected country:
1993–2006 ...2-35 Figure 2-28. Foreign students enrolled in tertiary education, by country: 2006 ...2-36
Undergraduate Education, Enrollment, and
Degrees
Enrollment in U.S. higher education is projected to con-tinue rising because of increases in the U.S. college-age population.
Reflecting changes in the population of 18-year-olds, the number of high school graduates is expected to in-crease 6% between 2004–05 and 2017–18, a slower rate of growth than between 1992–93 and 2004–05 (25%). Postsecondary enrollment rose from 14.5 million in fall
1993 to 18.7 million in fall 2006, and is projected to in-crease to 20.1 million students in 2017.
Postsecondary enrollment of all racial/ethnic groups is projected to increase, but the percentage that is white is projected to decrease to 61% in 2017, whereas the percent-ages that are black and Hispanic are projected to increase. The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees has risen steadi-ly over the past 15 years.
The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees awarded reached a new peak of 485,800 in 2007.
Most S&E fields (except computer sciences) experienced increases in the number of degrees awarded in 2007. In computer sciences, the number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees increased sharply from 1998 to 2004 but has de-creased since then.
S&E bachelor’s degrees have consistently accounted for roughly one-third of all bachelor’s degrees for the past 15 years.
The share of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in-creased in many major S&E fields from 1993 to 2007. Women have earned 58% of all bachelor’s degrees since
2002; they have earned about half of all S&E bachelor’s degrees since 2000, but major variations persist among fields.
In 2007, men earned a majority of bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering, computer sciences, and phys-ics (81%, 81%, and 79%, respectively). Women earned half or more of bachelor’s degrees in psychology (77%), biological sciences (60%), social sciences (54%), agricul-tural sciences (50%), and chemistry (50%).
Among fields with notable increases in the proportion of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women are earth, atmo-spheric, and ocean sciences (from 30% to 41%); agricul-tural sciences (from 37% to 50%); and chemistry (from 41% to 50%).
Women’s share of bachelor’s degrees in computer scienc-es, mathematics, and engineering has declined in recent years.
The racial/ethnic composition of those earning S&E bachelor’s degrees is changing, reflecting both popula-tion change and increasing college attendance by mem-bers of minority groups.
For all racial/ethnic groups except white, the total number of bachelor’s degrees, the number of S&E bachelor’s de-grees, and the number of bachelor’s degrees in most S&E fields has generally increased since 1995.
Between 1995 and 2007, the proportion of S&E bach-elor’s degrees awarded to Asians/Pacific Islanders in-creased from 8% to 9%; to black students, from 7% to 8%; to Hispanic students, from 6% to 8%; and to Ameri-can Indian/Alaska Native students, from 0.5% to 0.7%, although the shares to black and American Indian/Alaska Native students have remained fairly flat since 2000. The proportion of S&E degrees awarded to white students de-clined from 73% to 64%.
For white students, the total number of bachelor’s degrees, the number of S&E bachelor’s degrees, and the number of bachelor’s degrees in most S&E fields remained fairly flat from 1995 through 2001 as their numbers in the college-age population dropped but rose again through 2007. Students in the United States on temporary visas earned only a small share (4%) of S&E bachelor’s degrees in 2007.
The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees awarded to stu-dents on temporary visas increased from about 14,700 in 1995 to 18,800 in 2004 before declining to 17,400 in 2007.
Students on temporary visas earned larger shares of bachelor’s degrees in certain fields in 2007: 9% of those awarded in economics and about 10% of those awarded in electrical and industrial engineering.
Graduate Education, Enrollment, and Degrees
S&E graduate enrollment in the United States contin-ued to rise, reaching a new peak of almost 600,000 in fall 2006.
Following a long period of growth, graduate enrollment in S&E declined in the latter half of the 1990s but has increased steadily since 1999. First-time full-time enroll-ment, an indicator of future trends in enrollenroll-ment, has also increased since the late 1990s.
Graduate enrollment in computer sciences and engineer-ing has decreased in recent years, although first-time full-time enrollment in these fields increased in 2005 and 2006.
Foreign S&E graduate students in U.S. institutions in-creased in fall 2006 after 2 years of decline.
S&E graduate students on temporary visas increased from 22% to 25% of all S&E graduate students from 1993 to 2006.
The number of first-time full-time S&E graduate students with temporary visas increased in fall 2005 and fall 2006 after declining 18% from 2001 to 2004. The increases (and previous declines) were mainly in computer sciences and engineering.
Master’s degrees awarded in S&E fields increased from 86,400 in 1993 to 121,000 in 2006 but declined in 2007. Increases occurred in most major science fields, although
the number of master’s degrees awarded in engineering and computer sciences has dropped since 2004.
The number and percentage of master’s degrees awarded to women in most major S&E fields have increased since 1993.
The number of S&E master’s degrees awarded increased for all racial/ethnic groups from 1995 to 2007, and the percentage awarded to Asians/Pacific Islanders, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives in-creased during that time period.
The number of S&E doctorates awarded by U.S. aca-demic institutions reached a new peak of almost 41,000 in 2007.
After rising from the mid-1980s through 1998, the num-ber of S&E doctorates declined through 2002 but has increased in recent years. The largest increases were in engineering and biological/agricultural and medical/other life sciences.
The recent growth through 2007 occurred among both U.S. citizens/permanent residents and temporary residents. Foreign students make up a much higher proportion of S&E master’s and doctoral degree recipients than of bachelor’s degree recipients.
Foreign students received 24% of S&E master’s degrees, 33% of S&E doctoral degrees, and 4% of S&E bachelor’s degrees in 2007.
The number of S&E master’s degrees earned by tempo-rary residents rose from 1995 to 2004 and then dropped through 2007.
The number of S&E doctorates earned by temporary resi-dents rose to a new peak of 13,700 in 2007.
Most foreign recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates plan to stay in the United States after graduation.
Among 2004–07 graduates, more than three-quarters of foreign S&E doctorate recipients with known plans
re-ported they planned to stay in the United States and about half had accepted firm offers of employment.
More than 90% of 2004–07 U.S. S&E doctorate recipi-ents from China and 89% of those from India reported plans to stay in the United States, and 59% and 62%, re-spectively, reported accepting firm offers of employment or postdoctoral research in the United States.
Between 2000–03 and 2004–07, the percentage report-ing definite plans to stay in the United States decreased among U.S. S&E doctorate recipients from all of the top five countries/economies of origin (China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Canada). However, for all but Taiwan, increases in the number of doctorate recipients more than offset declines in the percentage staying.
Postdoctoral Education
The number of doctorate recipients with S&E postdoc-toral appointments at U.S. universities increased to al-most 50,000 in fall 2006.
More than two-thirds of academic postdoctoral appoint-ments were in biological and medical/other life sciences. Temporary visa holders accounted for 57% of S&E post-docs in 2006. They accounted for much of the increase in the number of S&E postdocs, especially in biological and medical sciences.
The number of U.S. citizen and permanent resident S&E postdocs at these institutions increased more modestly, from approximately 16,700 in 1993 to 21,100 in 2006. An increasing share of academic S&E postdocs are
fund-ed through ffund-ederal research grants. In fall 2006, 56% of S&E postdocs at U.S. universities were funded through this mechanism, up from 52% in 1993. Federal fellow-ships and traineefellow-ships funded a declining share of S&E postdocs.
International S&E Higher Education
Students in China earned about 21%, those in the European Union earned about 19%, and those in the United States earned about 11% of the more than 4 million first university degrees awarded in S&E in 2006. The number of S&E first university degrees awarded in
China, Poland, and Taiwan more than doubled between 1998 and 2006, and those in the United States and many other countries generally increased. Those awarded in Ja-pan decreased in recent years.
In China, the number of first university degrees awarded in natural sciences and engineering has risen particular-ly sharpparticular-ly since 2002. In comparison, those awarded in Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States have remained relatively flat.
In the United States, S&E degrees are about one-third of bachelor’s degrees and have been for a long time. More than half of first degrees were awarded in S&E fields in Japan (63%), China (53%), and Singapore (51%). In the United States, about 5% of all bachelor’s degrees
are in engineering. In Asia about 20% are in engineering, and in China about one-third are in engineering (although the percentage has declined in recent years).
In 2006, the United States awarded the largest number of S&E doctoral degrees of any individual country, followed by China, Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The numbers of S&E doctoral degrees awarded in
Chi-na, Italy, and the United States have risen substantially in recent years. The numbers of S&E doctoral degrees in India, Japan, South Korea, and many European countries have risen more modestly.
Women earned 40% of S&E doctoral degrees awarded in the United States in 2006, about the same as the percent-ages earned by women in Australia, Canada, the Europe-an Union, Europe-and Mexico. The percentage of S&E doctoral degrees earned by women ranged from less than 20% in some countries to 50% or more in others.
International migration of students and highly skilled workers expanded over the past two decades, and coun-tries are increasingly competing for foreign students. In particular, migration of students occurred from develop-ing countries to the more developed countries and from Europe and Asia to the United States.
Some countries expanded recruitment of foreign stu-dents as their own populations of college-age stustu-dents decreased, both to attract highly skilled workers and in-crease revenue for colleges and universities.
The United States remains the destination of the larg-est number of foreign students worldwide (undergradu-ate and gradu(undergradu-ate), although its share of foreign students worldwide decreased from 25% in 2000 to 20% in 2006. In addition to the United States, other countries that are
among the top destinations for foreign students include the United Kingdom (11%), Germany (9%), and France (8%).
Introduction
Chapter Overview
Higher education performs a number of societal func-tions, including developing human capital, building the knowledge base (through research and knowledge develop-ment), and disseminating, using, and maintaining knowledge (OECD 2008). S&E higher education provides the advanced skills needed for a competitive workforce and, particularly in the case of graduate S&E education, the research capa-bility necessary for innovation. This chapter focuses on the development of human capital by higher education; chapter 5 focuses on S&E research.
Indicators presented in this chapter are discussed in the context of national and global events, including changing demographics, increasing foreign student mobility, and global competition in higher education. After declining in the 1990s, the U.S. college-age population is currently in-creasing and is projected to increase for the next decade. The composition of the college-age population is also changing, with Asians and Hispanics becoming an increasing share of the population. Recent enrollment and degree trends, to some extent, reflect these changes. Increases in foreign students contributed to most of the growth in overall S&E graduate enrollment in recent years, but after 11 September 2001, the number of foreign students coming to the United States for graduate education dropped. In 2006 the number of foreign S&E graduate students increased (although they have not yet regained earlier levels). Finally, although the United States has historically been a world leader in providing broad ac-cess to higher education and in attracting foreign students, many other countries are expanding their own higher educa-tion systems, providing expanded educaeduca-tional access to their own population, and attracting growing numbers of foreign students. The effects of these trends, as well as the effects of the recent global financial crisis on domestic and foreign student enrollment in U.S. institutions, remain to be seen.
This chapter does not address the issues of quality of higher education or demand for S&E-educated personnel. Although the quality of higher education and especially the quality of learning outcomes are important, adequate national quantitative measures of quality do not yet exist. This chapter makes no attempt to determine whether cur-rent or future trends in degrees are adequate for the expected short- or long-term needs of the labor market. For informa-tion on labor market condiinforma-tions for recent S&E graduates, see chapter 3, “Labor Market Conditions for Recent S&E Graduates,” particularly the sidebar “Projected Growth of Employment in S&E Occupations.” Chapter 5, “Trends in Academic Employment of Doctoral Scientists and Engi-neers,” contains information on academic employment.
Chapter Organization
This chapter describes characteristics of the U.S. higher education system and trends in higher education worldwide. It begins with characteristics of U.S. higher educational in-stitutions providing S&E education, followed by character-istics of undergraduate education, enrollment, and degrees; graduate education, enrollment, and degrees; and postdoc-toral education. Trends are discussed by field and demo-graphic group. The chapter highlights the flow of foreign students into the United States by country and their inten-tions to remain in this country. The chapter then presents various international higher education indicators, includ-ing comparative S&E degree production in several world regions and the growing dependence of all industrialized countries on foreign S&E students.
The data in this chapter come from a variety of federal and nonfederal sources, primarily from surveys conducted by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Division of Science Resources Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics. Most of the data in the chapter are from censuses of the population—for example, all students re-ceiving degrees from U.S. academic institutions—and are not subject to sampling variability. When sample data are used, differences are discussed only if they are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
The U.S. Higher Education System
Higher education in S&E is important, because it produc-es an educated S&E workforce and an informed citizenry. It has also been receiving increased attention as an impor-tant component of U.S. economic competitiveness. In his 24 February 2009 address to a joint session of Congress, Presi-dent Obama called for every American to commit to at least 1 year of postsecondary education. This section discusses the characteristics of U.S. higher education institutions pro-viding S&E education as well as trends in and the character-istics of students and degree recipients.
Institutions Providing S&E Education
The U.S. higher education system consists of a large number of diverse academic institutions that vary in their missions, learning environments, selectivity, religious affili-ation, types of students served, types of degrees offered, and whether public or private and for-profit or nonprofit (NCES 2008a). The number of these degree-granting institutions (including branch campuses) has increased from about 3,000 in 1975 to about 4,300 in 2007, with most of the growth in the 1970s and 1980s, and again from 2000 to 2007. The lat-ter growth occurred largely because of growth in the num-ber of for-profit institutions (NCES 2009b). In 2007, U.S. academic institutions awarded more than 2.9 million asso-ciate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees; 23% of these degrees were in S&E (appendix table 2-1).
Research institutions are the leading producers of S&E degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. In 2007, research institutions (i.e., doctorate-granting insti-tutions with very high research activity) awarded 70% of S&E doctoral degrees, 40% of master’s degrees, and 36% of bachelor’s degrees in S&E fields. (See sidebar “Carnegie Classification of Academic Institutions.”) Master’s colleges and universities awarded another 28% of S&E bachelor’s degrees and 25% of S&E master’s degrees in 2007. Bac-calaureate colleges were the source of relatively few S&E bachelor’s degrees (13%) (appendix table 2-1). (See sidebar “Baccalaureate-Origins of S&E Doctorate Recipients.”)
Community colleges (also known as 2-year colleges or associate’s colleges) are important in preparing students to enter the workforce with certificates or associate’s degrees and in preparing students to transition to 4-year colleges or universities (Karp 2008). Thus, they provide the education needed for S&E or S&E-related occupations that require less than a bachelor’s degree, and they provide the first 2 years of many students’ education before they transfer to an S&E program at a 4-year college or university. Community col-leges serve diverse groups of students and offer a more af-fordable means of participating in postsecondary education. Compared with 4-year colleges, community colleges enroll greater concentrations of low-income, first-generation, mi-nority, immigrant, part-time, older, and academically un-derprepared students. The more than 1,000 U.S. community colleges enrolled more than 6 million students, or about a third of all postsecondary students in the 2006–07 academ-ic year, more than half of whom were enrolled part time (NCES 2008a).
Community colleges also act as a bridge between high school and college. Dual enrollment programs, which enable high school students to take courses that can earn them col-lege credit, are one way to make this link. In 2002–03, 71% of U.S. public high schools offered dual credit courses, and 57% of U.S. postsecondary institutions had high school stu-dents taking courses for college credit (NCES 2005a, b). In 2006, 42 states had dual enrollment policies (WICHE 2006).
Historically, dual enrollment opportunities were offered to high-achieving, academically oriented students. How-ever, dual enrollment programs are increasingly viewed as means to support postsecondary achievement by average-achieving students and students in career and technical education programs. Students enrolled in dual enrollment programs can take college courses on a college campus or courses taught by high school teachers certified as college adjuncts. Courses vary in their eligibility requirements and target populations. Dual enrollment programs are presumed to have many positive outcomes, including early acclimation to postsecondary education, increased high school gradua-tion, decreased need for remediagradua-tion, and success in postsec-ondary education. Dual enrollment helps to upgrade career and technical education curricula with high-level academic and technical experiences (Karp et al. 2008).
Carnegie Classification of
Academic Institutions
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is widely used in higher education research to characterize and control for differences in academic institutions. The 2005 version of the Carn-egie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s basic classification scheme for colleges and universi-ties is more complex than previous versions and in-cludes subcategories, new names, and new criteria for categories. Academic institutions are categorized pri-marily on the basis of highest degree conferred, level of degree production, and research activity.* In this report, several categories have been aggregated for statistical purposes. The characteristics of those ag-gregated groups are as follows:
Doctorate-granting universities include institutions that award at least 20 doctoral degrees per year. They include three subgroups based on level of re-search activity: very high rere-search activity (96 in-stitutions), high research activity (103 inin-stitutions), and doctoral/research universities (84 institutions). Master’s colleges and universities include the 663
institutions that award at least 50 master’s degrees and fewer than 20 doctoral degrees per year. Baccalaureate colleges include the 767 institutions
for which baccalaureate degrees represent at least 10% of all undergraduate degrees and that award fewer than 50 master’s degrees or 20 doctoral de-grees per year.
Associate’s colleges include the 1,814 institutions in which all degrees are associate’s degrees or bach-elor’s degrees account for less than 10% of all un-dergraduate degrees.
Special-focus institutions are the 806 institutions in which at least 75% of degrees are concentrated in a single field or a set of related fields.
Tribal colleges are the 32 colleges and universities that are members of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.
* Research activity is based on two indices (aggregate level of research and per capita research activity) derived from a principal components analysis of data on R&D expenditures, S&E research staff, and field of doctoral degree. See http://www.carnegiefounda-tion.org/classifications/ for more information on the classification system and on the methodology used in defining the categories.
Online and Distance Education
Online education and distance education enable institu-tions of higher education to reach a wider audience by ex-panding access to students in remote geographic locations and providing greater flexibility for students who have time constraints. Online education is a relatively new phenom-enon and online enrollment has grown substantially over the past 5 years. Institutions believe that higher fuel costs and rising unemployment will drive increased demand for online courses in coming years (Allen and Seaman 2008).
About two-thirds of 2-year and 4-year colleges and uni-versities offer distance education courses (table 2-1). Dis-tance education is prevalent in public 2-year colleges (97%) and public 4-year colleges and universities (88%). A little more than half of private not-for-profit 4-year institutions offered online courses. Public 2-year colleges account for most of the enrollment (4.8 million), followed by public 4-year colleges (3.5 million). Private not-for-profit and
private for-profit 4-year institutions both accounted for a little more than 1.8 million enrollments in 2006–07. Most (more than 80%) of the 3.9 million students who took at least one online course in fall 2007 were undergraduates (Allen and Seaman 2008).
Colleges and universities’ most prevalent reasons for of-fering online courses are meeting students’ need for flexible schedules (68%); offering courses to those who would not have access because of geographic, family, or work-related reasons (about two thirds); making more courses available (46%); and seeking to increase student enrollment (45%) (NCES 2009b). A smaller percentage of institutions of-fering programs in engineering (16%) than those ofof-fering programs in other major disciplines (psychology; social sciences and history; computer and information sciences; education; health and related sciences; business; and liberal arts and sciences, general studies, humanities) (from 24% to 33%) offered fully online programs in 2007 (Allen and Seaman 2008).
Although baccalaureate colleges produce relatively small numbers of undergraduate S&E degree holders compared with doctorate- and master’s-granting institu-tions, they are important contributors to producing future S&E doctorate recipients (NSF/SRS 2008). When ad-justed by the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in all fields, baccalaureate colleges as a group yield more future S&E doctorates per hundred bachelor’s degrees awarded than other types of institutions, except research universities. Private institutions, whether research uni-versities or baccalaureate colleges, outperform public institutions in the proportion of their bachelor’s degree recipients who go on to receive S&E doctorates. The number of 1997–2006 S&E doctorate recipients per hundred bachelor’s degrees awarded in all fields 9 years earlier is higher among private research universities and a subset of baccalaureate schools, the Oberlin 50 liber-al arts schools.* The Oberlin 50 colleges have a higher yield in the social and behavioral sciences and about the same yield in the natural sciences but a far lower yield in engineering than the private research universities. In engineering, the research universities, both public and private, yield more future doctorates than either public or private baccalaureate colleges. The yield of future doctorate recipients is only partly related to the range of fields that the various types of institutions offer. Research institutions (both public and private) and the Oberlin 50 schools award more than half of their bachelor’s degrees in S&E fields. Baccalaureate and master’s institutions (both public and private) award approximately one-third of their bachelor’s degrees in S&E fields.
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are important baccalaureate-origin institutions of black S&E doctorate recipients. In 2006, about one-third of black S&E doctorate recipients received their baccalau-reate degrees from HBCUs. When the data were adjusted for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded, HBCUs as a group yielded about as many future S&E doctorates per thousand bachelor’s degrees awarded as non-HBCU institutions. The Oberlin 50 colleges and the private research universities yielded the most S&E doctorate recipients per thousand black recipients of bachelor’s de-grees, but private HBCUs as a group have a yield simi-lar to private baccalaureate colleges and public research universities. Similarly, Hispanic-serving institutions are important baccalaureate-origin institutions of Hispanic S&E doctorate-recipients. Because few tribal colleges or universities award bachelor’s degrees in S&E, tribal col-leges are not a major source of American Indian S&E doctorate recipients (NSF/SRS 2009d).
* The Oberlin 50 institutions are Albion College, Alma College, Amherst College, Antioch University, Barnard College, Bates College, Beloit College, Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell Uni-versity, Carleton College, Colgate UniUni-versity, Colorado College, David-son College, DeniDavid-son University, DePauw University, Earlham College, Franklin and Marshall College, Grinnell College, Hamilton College, Hampton University, Harvey Mudd College, Haverford College, Col-lege of the Holy Cross, Hope ColCol-lege, Kalamazoo ColCol-lege, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Macalester College, Manhattan College, Middlebury College, Mount Holyoke College, Oberlin College, Oc-cidental College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Pomona College, Reed College, Smith College, St. Olaf College, Swarthmore College, Trin-ity College (CT), Union College (NY), Vassar College, Wabash Col-lege, Wellesley ColCol-lege, Wesleyan University, Wheaton College (IL), Whitman College, Williams College, and College of Wooster. Two of these institutions (Hampton University and Manhattan College) are now Carnegie master’s-granting institutions.
For-Profit Institutions
The rapid growth of for-profit institutions has been seen by some as a competitive threat to public and nonprofit col-leges and universities in the United States (Bailey, Badway, and Gumport 2001). Over the past 10 years, the number of for-profit institutions has grown and the number of de-grees that they have awarded has more than doubled (NCES 2009a; appendix table 2-2). In 2007, about 2,800 academic institutions in the United States operated on a for-profit ba-sis. More than half of these institutions offer less-than-2-year programs and less than half are degree-granting institutions. Of the degree-granting institutions, close to half award asso-ciate’s degrees as their highest degree (NCES 2008b).
For-profit academic institutions awarded 2%–3% of S&E degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels and 29% of those at the associate’s level in 2007. Computer sci-ences accounted for 97% of the associate’s degrees and 86% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded by for-profit institutions in science and engineering fields in 2007 (appendix table 2-3). For-profit institutions award relatively few S&E mas-ter’s and doctoral degrees; those they do award are mainly in psychology. For-profit institutions are among the top insti-tutions awarding master’s and doctoral degrees in psychol-ogy. In addition, a for-profit institution, the University of Phoenix Online Campus, awarded more computer sciences bachelor’s degrees than any other academic institution in the United States in 2007 (table 2-2).
Cost of Higher Education
Affordability and access to U.S. higher education institu-tions are perennial concerns (NCPPHE 2008; NSB 2003). In the 2008–09 academic year, average tuition and fees at 4-year colleges rose at a rate greater than inflation. Com-pared with the previous academic year, average tuition and fees rose 6.4% for in-state students at public 4-year colleges, 5.9% for students in private 4-year colleges, and 4.7% for students at public 2-year colleges, while the Consumer Price Index increased by 5.6% between July 2007 and July 2008 (College Board 2008). Another inflation index, the Higher Education Price Index, which measures the average relative level in the price of a fixed-market basket of goods and ser-vices purchased by colleges and universities each year, rose 3.6% in that year (Commonfund Institute 2008). For students at public 4-year colleges, tuition and fee increases over the past decade have been larger than in previous decades and the net price (that is, the published price minus grant aid and tax benefits) has risen since 2003–04 (College Board 2008). In the coming years, greater tuition increases may occur in response to state reductions in higher education funding as a result of the financial downturn that began in 2008.
Table 2-1
Postsecondary 2- and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering distance education courses and enrollments in college-level credit-granting distance education courses, by level of education and institution type: 2006–07
Institutions offering college-level credit- granting distance education courses (%)
Enrollments in college-level credit- granting distance education courses
Institution type Institutions (n) Either level Undergraduatea
Graduate/ first
professionala Either level Undergraduate
Graduate/ first professional All institutions ... 4,200 65 66 60 12,153,000 9,803,000 2,349,900
Public 2-year ... 1,000 97 97 na 4,844,000 4,840,000 3,700
Private for-profit 2-year ... 500 16 16 na 72,000 72,000 na
Public 4-year ... 600 88 87 82 3,502,000 2,611,000 890,900 Private not-for-profit
4-year ... 1,500 53 51 46 1,854,000 1,124,000 730,400 Private for-profit 4-year ... 300 70 70 S 1,869,000 1,144,000 724,800 na = not applicable, 2-year institutions do not offer graduate degrees, although they sometimes offer individual graduate courses; S = suppressed, reporting standards not met
aBased on number of institutions that had undergraduate or graduate/first professional programs in 2006–07.
NOTES: Total includes private not-for-profit 2-year institutions not reported separately. Institutions may offer both undergraduate and graduate/first professional courses. Figures rounded to nearest 100. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. Standard errors for data available in source publication.
SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics, Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2006-07, NCES 2009-044 (2009). Science and Engineering Indicators 2010
Undergraduate Education, Enrollment,
and Degrees in the United States
Undergraduate education in S&E courses prepares stu-dents majoring in S&E for the workforce. It also prepares nonmajors to become knowledgeable citizens with a basic understanding of science and mathematics concepts. This section includes indicators related to enrollment and inten-tions to major in S&E fields, the need for remediation at the college level, and recent trends in the number of earned degrees in S&E fields.
Curricular Reform
Research on how students learn, as well as concern for the number of young people entering S&E, have driven nu-merous efforts to improve instructional materials and prac-tices and to assess the effectiveness of curricular reforms (Fortenberry et al. 2007; Lewis and Lewis 2008; Quitadamo et al. 2008). Education innovators in all S&E fields are ex-amining problems in student learning and designing ways to address them through integration of disciplinary knowledge and education research.
Many of these newer methods involve more interac-tion between students and faculty, improved technology,
teamwork, and applications to real-world problems (Brain-ard 2007). Although research indicates that many of the newer methods are effective in improving student under-standing of the scientific process and fundamental concepts, they are not widely adopted. Universities and departments are often unaware of or resistant to new models of instruc-tion, and strong incentives to improve teaching are often lacking (Brainard 2007).
Remedial Education
Remedial education (also known as developmental edu-cation) offers below-college-level courses or instruction to students who enter college without skills in reading, writ-ing, or mathematics adequate for college-level courses. In recent years, state university systems have moved remedial education out of 4-year colleges and universities and into community colleges. In the 2003–04 academic year, about 29% of community college students had taken at least one remedial course in their first year of study (NCES 2008a), and nearly 60% of students take at least one remedial course at some point during their college education (Attewell et al. 2006). Mathematics was the most common remedial course taken in 2004 (NCES 2008a). Although more than half of students pass remedial writing and reading courses, less
Table 2-2
Top 10 colleges and universities awarding degrees in computer sciences and psychology, by level of degree: 2007
Degree/academic institution Degrees (n) Degree/academic institution Degrees (n) Computer sciences associate’s Computer sciences bachelor’s
All institutions ... 27,680 All institutions ... 42,596 ECPI College of Technology ... 769 University of Phoenix Online Campus ... 1,993
Full Sail Real World Education ... 333 American Intercontinental University Online ... 867
American Intercontinental University Online ... 300 Strayer University ... 668
Kaplan University ... 226 University of Maryland University College ... 646
Anthem College ... 222 Pennsylvania State University (main campus) ... 486
Keiser University (Ft. Lauderdale campus)... 214 Colorado Technical University Online ... 468
ECPI Technical College (Richmond, VA) ... 209 DeVry University–Illinois ... 362
Western International University ... 187 Rochester Institute of Technology ... 355
Technical Career Institutes... 177 University of Maryland Baltimore County ... 351
Coleman College ... 162 Full Sail Real World Education ... 330
Psychology master’s Psychology doctorates All institutions ... 18,594 All institutions ... 4,696 Webster University ... 622 Alliant International University (San Diego, CA) ... 249
Teachers College at Columbia University ... 365 Capella University ... 131
Troy University ... 316 Nova Southeastern University ... 91
Pepperdine University ... 313 Carlos Albizu University ... 85
Chicago School of Professional Psychology ... 303 Pacific Graduate School of Psychology ... 67
Prairie View A&M University ... 279 Argosy University Chicago ... 59
Nova Southeastern University ... 258 Chicago School of Professional Psychology ... 58
National University ... 246 Argosy University Sarasota ... 56
Alliant International University (San Diego, CA) .... 239 Rutgers University New Brunswick ... 55
Capella University ... 220 California Institute of Integral Studies ... 54 SOURCES: National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey; and National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Integrated Science and Engineering Resources Data System (WebCASPAR), http://webcaspar.nsf.gov.
than half pass their remedial mathematics courses (Attewell et al. 2006). (For information on the relationship between achievement in science and mathematics courses and post-secondary remediation rates, see chapter 1, “Relationship of High School Courses Taken to Postsecondary Success.”)
Some have recently begun to question the effectiveness of remedial education (Bailey 2009; Calcagno and Long 2008). Fewer than half of students in all remedial classes complete the required sequence of remedial courses and few of these students go on to college-level courses (Bailey 2009). States and individual colleges and universities lack consensus on the criteria and cutoff points used for assessing college read-iness and on the best strategies to address poor skills. Efforts in some colleges are more effective than others. Although some students may make progress, they still may not reach college-level skills and knowledge. Various efforts have at-tempted to bridge the gaps in expectations between K–12 and higher education expectations for achievement (Cohen et al. 2006), and several states are currently developing ini-tiatives to improve remedial education. Chapter 1, “Transi-tion to Higher Educa“Transi-tion,” provides more informa“Transi-tion on the transition from high school to college as well as information specifically on states’ efforts to establish standards for tran-sitioning into higher education.
Undergraduate Enrollment in the
United States
Recent trends in higher education enrollment reflect the expanding U.S. college-age population. This section exam-ines trends in undergraduate enrollment by type of institu-tion, field, and demographic characteristics. For information on enrollment rates of high school seniors, see chapter 1, “Transition to Higher Education.”
Trends in Enrollment and Degrees in Light of Population and Economic Trends and World Events
Trends in the college-age population, economic trends, and world events have influenced recent trends in college enrollment and degrees. Population trends and, to a lesser ex-tent, economic factors are also used in projections of future enrollment and degree trends. Undergraduate enrollment, S&E bachelor’s degrees, and graduate S&E enrollment have generally risen over time at a faster rate than popu-lation growth, reflecting increases in the percentage of the population participating in higher education. The greatest gains in higher education relative to the population occurred in the 1980s (figure 2-1). The college-age (20–24-year-old) population in the United States declined through the mid-1990s, especially for whites (NSF/SRS 2007). Undergradu-ate enrollment in all fields and bachelor’s degrees in some fields declined in that period, and graduate S&E enrollment and S&E doctoral degrees declined a few years later. In con-trast to population trends, the economy has generally grown faster than higher education enrollment and degrees. That is, enrollment and degrees have generally declined over time
Thousands
Ratio
Undergraduate enrollment (thousands)
Graduate enrollment and bachelor’s degrees (thousands)
Population ages 20–24 and 25–29 years
Figure 2-1
Enrollment and degrees per thousand population and per billion dollars GDP: 1970–2006
GDP = gross domestic product
NOTES: Data on graduate enrollment not available before 1975. Data on undergraduate enrollment and bachelor's degrees not available for 1999.
SOURCES: Population: Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Series P-25, Nos. 1000, 1022, 1045, 1057, 1059, 1092, and 1095, and 2000 through 2008 Population Estimates; and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Digest of Education Statistics 2008 (NCES 2009-020), http://www.nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d08/ tables/dt08_015.asp, accessed 19 May 2009; Undergraduate enrollment and S&E bachelor’s degrees: NCES, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey; and National Science Foundation/Division of Science Resources Statistics, WebCASPAR database, http://webcaspar.nsf.gov; Graduate S&E enrollment: NSF/SRS, Survey of Graduate Students and Post- doctorates in Science and Engineering, and WebCASPAR database, http://webcaspar.nsf.gov. See appendix tables 2-12, 2-14, and 4-1.
Science and Engineering Indicators 2010 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 0 5 10 15 20 25
20–24 years old 25–29 years old
Enrollment and degrees
1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 0 20 40 60 80 100
Undergraduate enrollment (all fields) per hundred 20–24 year-olds
Graduate S&E enrollment per thousand 25–29-year-olds
S&E bachelor’s degrees per thousand 20–24-year-olds
Enrollment and degrees per billion dollars GDP
1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 0 50 100 150 200 250 Undergraduate enrollment (all fields) 20 0 40 60 80 Graduate S&E enrollment S&E bachelor’s degrees
relative to the U.S. economy as measured by gross domestic product (GDP). This pattern reverses, however, in economic recessions. Upturns in enrollment and degrees relative to GDP occurred during recession periods in 1973–75, 1980– 82, 1990–91, and 2001 (figure 2-1). Finally, higher educa-tion enrollment and degrees are affected by world events in very specific ways. For example the dot-com bust in the early 2000s was followed by a precipitous decline in enroll-ment and degrees in computer sciences, and the 9/11 attacks on the United States were followed by a steep drop in inter-national student enrollment through 2004. (See “S&E Bach-elor’s Degrees” and “Foreign Undergraduate Enrollment.”) Overall Enrollment
Enrollment in U.S. institutions of higher education at all levels rose from 14.5 million students in fall 1993 to 18.5 million in fall 2007 (appendix table 2-4). More than 7 million students (about 38% of all students enrolled in higher education institutions in the United States) were en-rolled in associate’s colleges in 2007. Research universities (doctorate-granting universities with very high research ac-tivity) accounted for 13% and master’s-granting universities accounted for 22% of all students enrolled (appendix table 2-4). (See sidebar “Carnegie Classification of Academic Institutions” for definitions of the types of academic insti-tutions.) These trends are expected to continue in the near future.
Projections of High School Graduation and College Enrollment Trends
Because of increases in the population of 18-year-olds (rather than changes in graduation rates), the number of high school graduates is expected to increase through 2017, al-though at a lower rate than in the recent past. The number of high school graduates is projected to increase 6% be-tween 2004–05 and 2017–18 to 3.3 million graduates. From 1992–93 to 2004–05, the number of high school graduates increased 25% (NCES 2008c). (See chapter 1 for more in-formation on high school graduation rates, course taking, and transition from secondary to postsecondary education.)
Among public schools, the number of high school gradu-ates is projected to increase 8% nationally, but large varia-tions exist among the states, with increases projected in 27 states (mainly in the South and West) and the District of Columbia and decreases projected in 23 states (mainly in the Midwest and Northeast) (NCES 2008c). Arizona, Geor-gia, Nevada, Texas, and Utah are projected to have the larg-est percentage increases. Louisiana, Maine, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont are projected to have the largest percentage decreases in public high school graduates.
Similarly, enrollment in higher education is projected to increase through 2017. These projections are based primar-ily on population projections but also incorporate informa-tion about household income (a measure of ability to pay) and age-specific unemployment rates (a measure of oppor-tunity costs).1 According to Census Bureau projections, the
number of college-age (ages 20–24) individuals is expected
to grow from 21.8 million in 2010 to 28.2 million by 2050 (appendix table 2-5). From 2010 to 2050, Asians are project-ed to increase from 4% to 6% and Hispanics are projectproject-ed to increase from 18% to 37% of the college-age population, whereas blacks are projected to decrease from 15% to 12% and whites are projected to decrease from 60% to 40% of the college-age population (NCES 2008c).
Largely because of these demographic changes, post-secondary enrollment is expected to increase 13%, to 20.1 million students, in 2017 (NCES 2008c). Increased enroll-ment in higher education is projected to come mainly from minority groups, particularly Hispanics. Enrollment of all racial/ethnic groups is projected to increase, but the per-centage that is white is projected to decrease from 65% in 2006 to 61% in 2017, whereas the percentages that are black and Hispanic are projected to increase from 13% and 11%, respectively, to 14% for both groups. (For further information on assumptions underlying these projections, see “Projection Methodology” in Projections of Education Statistics to 2017 [NCES 2008c], http://nces.ed.gov/ programs/projections/projections2017/app_a.asp, accessed 23 June 2009.)
Undergraduate Enrollment in S&E
Freshmen Intentions to Major in S&E. Since 1972, the annual Survey of the American Freshman, National Norms, administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, has asked freshmen at a large number of universities and colleges about their intended majors.2 The data provided a broadly
accurate picture of degree fields several years later.3 For at
least the past two decades, about one-third of all freshmen planned to study S&E. In 2008, about one-third of white, black, Hispanic, and American Indian freshmen and 47% of Asian freshmen reported that they intended to major in S&E (figure 2-2). The proportions planning to major in S&E were higher for men than for women in every racial/ethnic group, with the exception of blacks. In 2007 and 2008, similar per-centages of black men and black women planned to major in S&E (appendix table 2-6). For most racial/ethnic groups, about 10%–16% planned to major in social/behavioral sci-ences, about 6%–10% in engineering, about 8%–10% in bio-logical/agricultural sciences, 1%–2% in computer sciences, 2%–3% in physical sciences,4 and 1% in mathematics or
sta-tistics. Higher proportions of Asian freshmen than of those from other racial/ethnic groups planned to major in biologi-cal/agricultural sciences (18%) and engineering (14%). The percentage of all freshmen intending to major in computer sciences has dropped in recent years, whereas the percent-age intending to major in biological/agricultural sciences has increased. (See appendix table 2-13 and “S&E Bachelor’s Degrees” for trends in bachelor’s degrees.) Generally, the percentages earning bachelor’s degrees in particular S&E fields are similar to the percentages planning to major in those fields, with the exception of engineering and social/ behavioral sciences. The percentage earning bachelor’s degrees in engineering is smaller than, and the percentage
earning bachelor’s degrees in social/behavioral sciences is larger than, previous years’ percentages planning to major in those fields. (See NSB 2008, pages 2-24 and 2-25, for a discussion of longitudinal data on undergraduate attrition in S&E.)
The demographic composition of students planning S&E majors has become more diverse over time. Women increased from 44% of freshmen planning S&E majors in 1993 to 47% in 2008. White students declined from 79% in 1993 to 69% in 2008. On the other hand, the proportion of Asian students increased from 6% to 12% and the proportion of Hispanic students increased from 4% to 12%. American Indian students were roughly 2% and black students were roughly 11% of freshmen intending to major in S&E in both 1993 and 2008 (appendix table 2-7).
Foreign Undergraduate Enrollment. The number of foreign students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs in U.S. academic institutions rose 5% in the 2007–08 academic year to approximately 178,000 (IIE 2008). The increase was the second in a row after 4 years of decline, but the number of foreign undergraduates in 2007–08 was still 7% below the peak in 2001–02. Among new foreign undergraduates, enrollment increased 7% in 2007–08, the fourth increase in a row, suggesting that enrollment increases are likely to con-tinue. South Korea (almost 33,000), Japan (almost 21,000), China (16,500), Canada (13,600), and India (13,600) ac-counted for the largest numbers of foreign undergraduates in the United States in 2007–08. The number of Chinese undergraduates increased 65% over the previous year and the numbers of South Korean and Indian undergraduates
increased 17% and 8%, respectively. Among all foreign stu-dents (undergraduate and graduate) in 2007–08, the number of those studying the physical and life sciences increased 2%; agricultural sciences, 20%; engineering, 7%; and com-puter sciences, 4%, compared with the preceding year (IIE 2008). The number of foreign students studying mathemat-ics decreased 9%.
More recent data from the Bureau of Citizenship and Im-migration Services show an 11% increase in undergraduate enrollment of foreign students in science and engineering from April 2008 to April 2009, mostly in engineering. South Korea, China, Japan, Canada, and India were among the top countries sending foreign undergraduates in spring 2009 and were also among the top countries sending foreign S&E undergraduates (figure 2-3; appendix table 2-8). Nepal and Saudi Arabia, which accounted for fewer total undergradu-ates in the United Stundergradu-ates, were also among the top countries sending foreign undergraduates in S&E fields, sending more than Canada and Japan.
Engineering Enrollment. For the most part, undergrad-uate enrollment data are not available by field. Students of-ten do not declare majors until their sophomore year; thus,
-PN\YL -VYLPNU\UKLYNYHK\H[LZ[\KLU[LUYVSSTLU[PU<: \UP]LYZP[PLZI`[VWWSHJLZVMVYPNPUHUKMPLSK! (WYPS :6<9*,!)\YLH\VM*P[PaLUZOPWHUK0TTPNYH[PVU:LY]PJLZ:[\KLU[ HUK,_JOHUNL=PZP[VY0UMVYTH[PVU:`Z[LTKH[HIHZLZWLJPHS [HI\SH[PVUZ :LLHWWLUKP_[HISL :JPLUJLHUK,UNPULLYPUN0UKPJH[VYZ ;OV\ZHUKZ 5PNLYPH =PL[UHT 4HSH`ZPH *HUHKH 1HWHU 5LWHS :H\KP(YHIPH 0UKPH *OPUH :V\[O2VYLH (SSMPLSKZ :, -PN\YL -YLZOTLUPU[LUKPUN:,THQVYI`YHJLL[OUPJP[`! ¶ 7LYJLU[ :6<9*,!/PNOLY,K\JH[PVU9LZLHYJO0UZ[P[\[L<UP]LYZP[`VM *HSPMVYUPHH[3VZ(UNLSLZ:\Y]L`VM[OL(TLYPJHU-YLZOTHU! 5H[PVUHS5VYTZZWLJPHS[HI\SH[PVUZ :JPLUJLHUK,UNPULLYPUN0UKPJH[VYZ >OP[L (ZPHU(TLYPJHU Black
Mexican American/Chicano/Puerto Rican/ other Latino
data by field would include a large proportion of missing data. However, because engineering programs generally re-quire students to declare a major in the first year of college, engineering enrollment data can serve as early indicators of both future undergraduate engineering degrees and student interest in engineering careers. The Engineering Workforce Commission administers an annual fall survey that tracks enrollment in undergraduate and graduate engineering pro-grams (EWC 2008).
Undergraduate engineering enrollment declined through most of the 1980s and 1990s, rose from 2000 to 2003, de-clined slightly through 2006, and rose to 431,900 in 2007 (figure 2-4; appendix table 2-9). The number of undergradu-ate engineering students in 2007 was the highest it has been since the early 1980s. Full-time freshman enrollment fol-lowed a similar pattern, reaching 110,600 in 2007, the high-est since 1982. These trends correspond with declines in the college-age population through the mid-1990s, particularly the drop in white 20–24-year-olds, who account for the ma-jority of engineering enrollment (NSF/SRS 2007). Similar trends in undergraduate engineering enrollment are reported by the American Society for Engineering Education (Gib-bons 2008).
Undergraduate Degree Awards
The number of degrees awarded by U.S. academic insti-tutions has been increasing over the past two decades both in S&E and non-S&E fields. These trends are expected to continue at least through 2017 (NCES 2008c).
S&E Associate’s Degrees
Community colleges often are an important and relatively inexpensive gateway for students entering higher education. Associate’s degrees, largely offered by 2-year programs at community colleges, are the terminal degree for some people, but others continue their education at 4-year colleges or uni-versities and subsequently earn higher degrees.5 Many who
transfer to baccalaureate granting institutions do not earn as-sociate’s degrees before transferring. Asas-sociate’s degrees in S&E and engineering technology accounted for about 11% of all associate’s degrees in 2007 (appendix table 2-10).
S&E associate’s degrees from all types of academic insti-tutions rose from 23,400 in 1993 to 62,800 in 2003, before declining to 47,500 in 2007. Most of the increase through 2003, and the subsequent decrease, are attributable to com-puter sciences, which peaked in 2003. Associate’s degrees earned in engineering technology (not included in S&E degree totals because of their applied focus) declined from more than 40,000 in the early 1990s to 30,100 in 2007 (ap-pendix table 2-10).
Women earned 62% of all associate’s degrees in 2007, up from 59% in 1993. They earned a smaller and decreasing share of associate’s degrees in S&E: 39% in 2007, down from 48% in 1993. Most of the decline is attributable to a decrease in women’s share of computer sciences degrees, from 51% in 1993 to 26% in 2007 (appendix table 2-10).
Students from underrepresented groups (blacks, His-panics, and American Indians) earn a higher proportion of associate’s degrees than of bachelor’s or more advanced de-grees.6 (See “S&E Bachelor’s Degrees by Race/Ethnicity”
and “Doctoral Degrees by Race/Ethnicity.”) In 2007, they earned 27% of S&E associate’s degrees, more than one-third of all associate’s degrees in social and behavioral sci-ences, and more than one-quarter of all associate’s degrees in biological sciences, computer sciences, and mathematics (appendix table 2-11). Since 1995, the number of S&E as-sociate’s degrees earned by these students doubled. S&E Bachelor’s Degrees
The baccalaureate is the most prevalent S&E degree, ac-counting for more than 70% of all S&E degrees awarded. S&E bachelor’s degrees have consistently accounted for roughly one-third of all bachelor’s degrees for the past 15 years. The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees rose steadi-ly from 366,000 in 1993 to 485,800 in 2007 (appendix table 2-12).
Trends in the number of S&E bachelor’s degrees vary widely among fields (figure 2-5). The number of bachelor’s degrees earned in social and behavioral sciences plateaued for much of the 1990s, before rising again through 2007. In engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences, the number of bachelor’s degrees dropped in the late 1990s, but
-PN\YL ,UNPULLYPUNLUYVSSTLU[I`SL]LS! ¶ ;OV\ZHUKZ 56;,!,UYVSSTLU[KH[HPUJS\KLM\SSHUKWHY[[PTLZ[\KLU[Z :6<9*,!,UNPULLYPUN>VYRMVYJL*VTTPZZPVU,UNPULLYPUN ;LJOUVSVN`,UYVSSTLU[Z]HYPV\Z`LHYZ(TLYPJHU(ZZVJPH[PVUVM ,UNPULLYPUN:VJPL[PLZ:LLHWWLUKP_[HISL :JPLUJLHUK,UNPULLYPUN0UKPJH[VYZ <UKLYNYHK\H[L .YHK\H[L
then rose through 2007. In computer sciences, the number of bachelor’s degrees increased sharply from 1998 to 2004, then dropped sharply through 2007. Except for declines from 2000 to 2002, bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences have been generally increasing, reaching a new peak in 2007 (appendix table 2-12).
S&E Bachelor’s Degrees by Sex. Since 1982, women have outnumbered men in undergraduate education and have earned relatively constant fractions of all bachelor’s and S&E bachelor’s degrees for several years. Since 2002, wom-en have earned about 58% of all bachelor’s degrees; since 2000, they have earned about half of all S&E bachelor’s de-grees. Within S&E, men and women tend to study different fields. In 2007, men earned a majority of bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering, computer sciences, and physics (81%, 81%, and 79%, respectively). Women earned half or more of bachelor’s degrees in psychology (77%), agricul-tural sciences (50%), biological sciences (60%), chemistry (50%), and social sciences (54%) (appendix table 2-12).
Although gains in recent years have been more modest or nonexistent, the share of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in many major S&E fields has increased (ex-cept computer sciences and mathematics) over the past 15 years (figure 2-6). Among fields with notable increases in the proportion of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women are earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences (from 30% to 41%);
agricultural sciences (from 37% to 50%); and chemistry (from 41% to 50%) (appendix table 2-12).
The number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in S&E and in all fields rose from 1993 through 2007. In con-trast, the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to men in S&E and in all fields remained fairly flat in the 1990s but increased from 2001 through 2007.7
S&E Bachelor’s Degrees by Race/Ethnicity. The ra-cial/ethnic composition of S&E bachelor’s degree recipi-ents has changed over time, reflecting population changes and increasing college attendance by members of minority groups.8 Between 1995 and 2007, the proportion of S&E
de-grees awarded to white students declined from 73% to 64% (appendix table 2-13). The proportion awarded to Asians/ Pacific Islanders increased from 8% to 9%; to black stu-dents, from 7% to 8%; to Hispanic stustu-dents, from 6% to 8%; and to American Indian/Alaska Native students, from 0.5% to 0.7%, although the shares to black and American Indian/ Alaska Native students have remained fairly flat since 2000 (figure 2-7). The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees earned by white students decreased in the 1990s as their numbers in the college-age population dropped but then rose again through 2007. The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees earned by students of unknown race/ethnicity also increased (appendix table 2-13). (See sidebar “Increase in Student Nonreporting of Race/Ethnicity” in Science and Engineer-ing Indicators 2008 [NSB 2008].) -PN\YL :,IHJOLSVY»ZKLNYLLZI`MPLSK! ¶ ;OV\ZHUKZ 56;,:!7O`ZPJHSZJPLUJLZPUJS\KLLHY[OH[TVZWOLYPJHUKVJLHU ZJPLUJLZ+H[HUV[H]HPSHISLMVY :6<9*,:!5H[PVUHS*LU[LYMVY,K\JH[PVU:[H[PZ[PJZ0U[LNYH[LK 7VZ[ZLJVUKHY`,K\JH[PVU+H[H:`Z[LT*VTWSL[PVUZ:\Y]L`"HUK 5H[PVUHS:JPLUJL-V\UKH[PVU+P]PZPVUVM:JPLUJL9LZV\YJLZ :[H[PZ[PJZ>LI*(:7(9KH[HIHZLO[[W!^LIJHZWHYUZMNV]:LL HWWLUKP_[HISL :JPLUJLHUK,UNPULLYPUN0UKPJH[VYZ :VJPHSILOH]PVYHSZJPLUJLZ )PVSVNPJHSHNYPJ\S[\YHSZJPLUJLZ ,UNPULLYPUN *VTW\[LYZJPLUJLZ 7O`ZPJHSZJPLUJLZ 4H[OLTH[PJZ -PN\YL -LTHSLZOHYLVM:,IHJOLSVY»ZKLNYLLZI`MPLSK! ¶ 7LYJLU[ 56;,:!7O`ZPJHSZJPLUJLZPUJS\KLLHY[OH[TVZWOLYPJHUKVJLHU ZJPLUJLZ+H[HUV[H]HPSHISLMVY :6<9*,:!5H[PVUHS*LU[LYMVY,K\JH[PVU:[H[PZ[PJZ0U[LNYH[LK 7VZ[ZLJVUKHY`,K\JH[PVU+H[H:`Z[LT*VTWSL[PVUZ:\Y]L`"HUK 5H[PVUHS:JPLUJL-V\UKH[PVU+P]PZPVUVM:JPLUJL9LZV\YJLZ :[H[PZ[PJZ>LI*(:7(9KH[HIHZLO[[W!^LIJHZWHYUZMNV]:LL HWWLUKP_[HISL :JPLUJLHUK,UNPULLYPUN0UKPJH[VYZ 7O`ZPJHSZJPLUJLZ )PVSVNPJHSHNYPJ\S[\YHSZJPLUJLZ 4H[OLTH[PJZ *VTW\[LYZJPLUJLZ 7Z`JOVSVN` :VJPHSZJPLUJLZ ,UNPULLYPUN
Despite considerable progress over the past couple of de-cades for underrepresented minority groups earning bach-elor’s degrees in any field, the gap in educational attainment between young minorities and whites continues to be wide. The percentage of the population ages 25–29 with bache-lor’s or higher degrees was 20% for blacks, 12% for Hispan-ics, and 36% for whites in 2007, up from 12%, 9%, and 25%, respectively, in 1987 (NCES 2008a). Differences in comple-tion of bachelor’s degrees in S&E by race/ethnicity reflect differences in high school completion rates, college enroll-ment rates, and college persistence and attainenroll-ment rates. In general, blacks and Hispanics are less likely than whites and Asians/Pacific Islanders to graduate from high school, to en-roll in college, and to graduate from college. (For informa-tion on immediate post-high school college enrollment rates, see chapter 1, “Transition to Higher Education.”) Among those who do enroll in or graduate from college, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives are about as likely as whites to choose S&E fields; Asians/Pacific Is-landers are more likely than members of other racial/ethnic groups to choose these fields. For Asians/Pacific Islanders, almost half of all bachelor’s degrees received are in S&E, compared with about one-third of all bachelor’s degrees earned by each of the other racial/ethnic groups (appendix table 2-13).
The contrast in field distribution among whites, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives on the one hand and Asians/Pacific Islanders on the other is apparent
within S&E fields as well. White, black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native S&E baccalaureate recipi-ents share a similar distribution across broad S&E fields. In 2007, between 9% and 11% of all baccalaureate recipients in each of these racial/ethnic groups earned their degrees in the natural sciences,9 2% to 4% in engineering, and 15% to 18%
in the social and behavioral sciences. Asian/Pacific Islander baccalaureate recipients earned 19% of their bachelor’s de-grees in natural sciences and 9% in engineering (appendix table 2-13).
For all racial/ethnic groups (except white), the total num-ber of bachelor’s degrees, the numnum-ber of S&E bachelor’s degrees, and the number of bachelor’s degrees in most S&E fields (except computer sciences) has generally increased since 1995. For white students, the total number of bach-elor’s degrees, the number of S&E bachbach-elor’s degrees, and the number of bachelor’s degrees in most S&E fields remained fairly flat from 1995 through 2001 but have in-creased since then (appendix table 2-13).
Bachelor’s Degrees by Citizenship. Since 1995, stu-dents on temporary visas in the United States have con-sistently earned a small share (4%) of S&E degrees at the bachelor’s level. These students earned 9% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in economics in 2007 and about 10% of degrees awarded in electrical and industrial engineering. The number of S&E bachelor’s degrees awarded to students on temporary visas increased from about 14,700 in 1995 to about 18,800 in 2004 before declining to 17,400 in 2007 (ap-pendix table 2-13).
Graduate Education, Enrollment, and
Degrees in the United States
Graduate S&E educational institutions are a major source of both the highly skilled workers of the future and the re-search needed for a knowledge-based economy. This section includes indicators related to graduate enrollment, financial support for graduate education, recent trends in the number of earned degrees in S&E fields, and participation by wom-en, minorities, and foreign students in graduate education in U.S. academic institutions.
Graduate Enrollment in S&E
S&E graduate enrollment in the United States reached a new peak of 597,600 in fall 2006. Following a long period of growth that began in the 1970s (NSB 2008), graduate enrollment in S&E declined in the latter half of the 1990s, then increased steadily through 2006 (appendix table 2-14). Growth occurred through 2006 in most major science and engineering fields except agricultural sciences (which re-mained fairly flat) and computer sciences (which has been declining for several years). In engineering, enrollment dropped in recent years but rose in 2006. According to more recent data from the Engineering Workforce Commission
7LYJLU[ -PN\YL 4PUVYP[`ZOHYLVM:,IHJOLSVY»ZKLNYLLZI`YHJL L[OUPJP[`! ¶ 56;,:!+H[HUV[H]HPSHISLMVY +H[HI`KL[HPSLKMPLSKHUK YHJLL[OUPJP[`UV[H]HPSHISLILMVYL :6<9*,:!5H[PVUHS*LU[LYMVY,K\JH[PVU:[H[PZ[PJZ0U[LNYH[LK 7VZ[ZLJVUKHY`,K\JH[PVU+H[H:`Z[LT*VTWSL[PVUZ:\Y]L`"HUK 5H[PVUHS:JPLUJL-V\UKH[PVU+P]PZPVUVM:JPLUJL9LZV\YJLZ :[H[PZ[PJZ>LI*(:7(9KH[HIHZLO[[W!^LIJHZWHYUZMNV]:LL HWWLUKP_[HISL :JPLUJLHUK,UNPULLYPUN0UKPJH[VYZ (ZPHU7HJPMPJ0ZSHUKLY )SHJR /PZWHUPJ (TLYPJHU0UKPHU(SHZRH5H[P]L
and the American Society for Engineering Education (Gib-bons 2008), graduate engineering enrollment continued to rise in 2007. Moreover, the number of full-time engineering students reached a new peak in 2007 of 104,900 (figure 2-4; appendix table 2-15).
The number of full-time students enrolled for the first time in S&E graduate departments offers a good indicator of developing trends. The number of first-time full-time S&E graduate students also reached a new peak (116,500) in 2006. It declined in the mid-1990s in all major S&E fields but increased in most fields through 2006 (appendix table 2-16). Growth was greatest in biological sciences, medi-cal/other life sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. After declines in recent years, first-time full-time graduate enrollment in engineering and computer sciences increased in 2005 and 2006.
Enrollment by Sex
The increase in S&E graduate enrollment occurred across all major U.S. citizen and permanent resident demographic groups. The number of women enrolled in S&E graduate programs has increased steadily since 1993. In contrast, the number of men enrolled in S&E graduate programs declined from 1993 through the end of that decade before increas-ing through 2003 and remainincreas-ing more or less at that level through 2006 (appendix table 2-14).
Women’s rising percentages in S&E fields also contin-ued. Women made up 42% of S&E graduate students in 1993 and 50% in 2006, although large variations among fields persist. In 2006, women constituted the majority of graduate students in psychology (76%), medical/other life sciences (78%), biological sciences (56%), and social sci-ences (54%). They constituted close to half of graduate stu-dents in earth, atmospheric, and ocean scie
