Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, by gender

Question:
What information do you have on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. by gender?

Response:

Postsecondary education: STEM degrees

The following table depicts the numbers of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics degrees/certificates at varying award levels.

Number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees/certificates conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity, level of degree/certificate, and sex of student: 2021–22
Sex	Total	American Indian/Alaska Native	Asian/Pacific Islander			Black	Hispanic	White	Two or more races	U.S. nonresident
			Total	Asian	Pacific Islander
Total, all levels of degrees/certificates
Total	789,264	3,035	98,926	97,622	1,304	61,074	106,892	385,048	30,111	104,178
Males	509,064	1,987	58,794	57,909	885	35,961	67,668	258,635	18,346	67,673
Females	280,200	1,048	40,132	39,713	419	25,113	39,224	126,413	11,765	36,505
Certificates below the baccalaureate level1
Total	96,637	833	6,601	6,334	267	13,354	18,475	51,956	3,776	1,642
Males	74,252	611	4,512	4,307	205	9,680	14,159	41,574	2,730	986
Females	22,385	222	2,089	2,027	62	3,674	4,316	10,382	1,046	656
	Associate’s degrees
Total	84,856	647	9,034	8,800	234	8,827	18,024	42,523	3,446	2,355
Males	60,288	413	5,755	5,591	164	5,664	11,899	32,798	2,326	1,433
Females	24,568	234	3,279	3,209	70	3,163	6,125	9,725	1,120	922
	Bachelor’s degrees
Total	435,506	1,228	64,947	64,289	658	29,917	58,616	227,752	18,721	34,325
Males	266,449	760	37,667	37,245	422	15,807	34,465	144,295	10,842	22,613
Females	169,057	468	27,280	27,044	236	14,110	24,151	83,457	7,879	11,712
	Master’s degrees
Total	139,944	288	16,064	15,930	134	8,100	10,170	50,799	3,466	51,057
Males	87,360	179	9,516	9,429	87	4,325	6,230	32,732	2,016	32,362
Females	52,584	109	6,548	6,501	47	3,775	3,940	18,067	1,450	18,695
	Doctor’s degrees
Total	32,321	39	2,280	2,269	11	876	1,607	12,018	702	14,799
Males	20,715	24	1,344	1,337	7	485	915	7,236	432	10,279
Females	11,606	15	936	932	4	391	692	4,782	270	4,520

¹ Includes certificates of less than 2 years as well as those of at least 2 years but less than 4 years. This was previously reported as “Certificates below the associate’s degree level"; however, the data are comparable over time.

NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs and U.S. service academies. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Reported racial/ethnic distributions of students by level of degree, field of study, and sex were used to estimate race/ethnicity for students whose race/ethnicity was not reported. STEM fields include biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, mathematics and statistics, and physical sciences and science technologies. Degree counts are limited to degree-granting institutions as classified in the fall following the reported data year. A small number of current non-degree-granting institutions could have awarded associate’s degrees to students in the prior year, but these counts are excluded from this table. Certificate counts include both degree- and non-degree-granting institutions. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Table 318.45. Number and percentage distribution of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees/certificates conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity, level of degree/certificate, and sex of student: Academic years 2012–13 through 2021–22 [Data table]. In Digest of education statistics. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_318.45.asp

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2023, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 318.20. Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by field of study: Selected academic years, 1970–71 through 2020–21
  
• 2023, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 505.10. Number, percentage distribution, unemployment rates, and median earnings of 25- to 29-year-old bachelor's degree holders and percentage of degree holders among all 25- to 29-year-olds, by field of study and STEM status of field: 2010 and 2021
  
• 2023, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 505.30. Percentage distribution of employed 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor's degree in a STEM field, by STEM or non-STEM occupation, sex, race/ethnicity, and U.S. nativity and citizenship status: 2021
  
• 2023, The Condition of Education 2023: Graduate Degree Fields
  
• 2023, The Condition of Education 2023: Undergraduate Degree Fields
  
• 2020, The Condition of Education 2020: Employment Outcomes of Bachelor's Degree Holders
  
• 2019, Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups, Indicator 26: STEM Degrees
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2024, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.
  
• 2020, Health and STEM Career Expectations and Science Literacy Achievement of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students
  
• 2020, STEM Occupational Intentions: Stability and Change Through High School