EDUCATION INDICATORS: An International Perspective

Indicator 14: Science and Engineering Degrees (As a Percentage of All Degrees)

The percentage of all university degrees* awarded that are in science and engineering fields reflects the relative emphasis an education system places on training scientists and engineers. Science and engineering degrees are conferred upon students with skills highly valued in commerce and business, especially in a time when technological superiority is increasingly related to international market competitiveness. Science graduates as a proportion of the labor force aged 25-34 provides a measure of the availability of scientific resources and technical skills available to a country.

In the United States, science and engineering degrees comprised a smaller percentage of all university degrees awarded than in most other countries with available data in 1992 (G-7 and other). Of the G-7 countries for which statistics on 1992 university degree awards were available, a smaller percentage of all university degrees in the United States, Canada, and Italy were granted in science and engineering fields (around 16 percent) than were awarded in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan (between 25 and 33 percent).
As far as individual categories of science degrees are concerned, among all the countries reported here, only Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Turkey awarded fewer physical science degrees as a percentage of all degrees than did the United States; and only Canada, Australia, and New Zealand awarded fewer engineering degrees as a percentage of all degrees than did the United States.
In all countries surveyed with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, engineering degrees comprised the largest share of scientific degrees awarded. A greater proportion of scientific degrees awarded were in the biological sciences in Australia and New Zealand.
Science graduates as a proportion of the labor force aged 25-34 varied significantly across the G-7 countries for which 1992 data were available. Italy had far fewer science graduates in 1992 per 100,000 25- to 34-year-olds in the labor force (187) than did the other G-7 countries, and Japan and the United Kingdom had far more (974 and 989, respectively).

*This indicator includes all university-level degrees, including the doctorate. It should be taken into consideration that some countries award two degrees prior to the doctorate, whereas others award only one. Moreover, some countries have a long initial degree and few possibilities for pursuing subsequent ones.

Table 14: Science and engineering degrees as a percentage of all university degrees awarded and science graduates as a proportion of the labor force, by country: 1992

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- per 100,000 persons Biological Physical Mathematics and All scientific aged 25-34 Country sciences sciences computer science Engineering degrees in the labor force -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G-71 Canada 3.9 2.6 3.5 6.1 16.2 668 West Germany (former) 3.3 6.2 4.2 19.2 32.9 650 Italy 3.4 2.7 3.4 7.1 16.6 187 Japan2 - 3.8 - 21.6 25.4 974 United Kingdom 4.1 5.8 6.1 13.0 29.0 989 United States 3.4 1.8 3.6 7.2 16.0 688 Other Australia 8.4 1.1 3.9 5.1 18.5 922 Czech Republic 2.0 0.7 0.8 32.5 36.0 - Denmark 3.7 0.2 1.5 15.8 21.2 683 Finland 1.6 3.4 6.7 23.2 35.0 792 Hungary3 3.2 - - 15.2 18.4 - Ireland 3.2 8.6 5.0 11.8 28.6 951 Netherlands 0.7 1.9 3.0 15.0 20.6 691 New Zealand 5.8 - 3.3 3.7 12.9 453 Norway 1.2 1.6 3.2 20.6 26.7 855 Spain 2.5 3.3 3.4 8.0 17.2 558 Sweden 2.1 3.2 5.4 15.9 26.6 458 Switzerland 6.5 6.9 3.1 7.4 23.9 302 Turkey 1.7 1.2 1.6 15.2 19.6 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Not available.
1/ No data available for France.
2/ Biological sciences included in physical sciences. Mathematics and computer science included in engineering.
3/ Physical science, mathematics, and computer science are included in biological sciences.

SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Center for Educational Research and Innovation, International Indicators Project, 1995.

Figure 14a: Science and engineering degrees as a percentage of all university degrees awarded, by G-7 country:1,2 1992

Figure 14a

1/ No data available for France.
2/ Countries are sorted in descending order by (the percentage of total) science and engineering degrees as a percentage of all university degrees awarded.
3/ Mathematics and computer science included in engineering and biological sciences included in physical sciences.

SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Center for Educational Research and Innovation, International Indicators Project, 1995.

Figure 14b: Science degrees awarded per 100,000 25- to 34-year-olds in the labor force by G-7 country:* 1992

Figure 14b
*No data available for France.

SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Center for Educational Research and Innovation, International Indicators Project, 1995.

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