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: 2020–21
Sex and year	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	790,752	3,158	92,217	90,930	1,287	59,848	101,761	385,194	28,389	120,185
Males	514,323	2,065	55,101	54,221	880	35,330	64,609	261,183	17,129	78,906
Females	276,429	1,093	37,116	36,709	407	24,518	37,152	124,011	11,260	41,279
Certificates below the associate’s degree level
Total	90,677	817	5,662	5,396	266	12,591	16,507	50,278	3,203	1,619
Males	70,372	614	3,932	3,717	215	9,096	12,757	40,586	2,346	1,041
Females	20,305	203	1,730	1,679	51	3,495	3,750	9,692	857	578
	Associate’s degrees
Total	87,382	665	9,220	9,008	212	8,897	17,859	44,348	3,400	2,993
Males	62,103	423	5,791	5,646	145	5,788	11,601	34,436	2,225	1,839
Females	25,279	242	3,429	3,362	67	3,109	6,258	9,912	1,175	1,154
	Bachelor’s degrees
Total	437,302	1,387	61,330	60,659	671	30,150	57,390	232,278	18,181	36,586
Males	270,160	847	35,943	35,504	439	15,903	34,132	148,298	10,460	24,577
Females	167,142	540	25,387	25,155	23,258	14,247	23,258	83,980	7,721	12,009
	Master’s degrees
Total	146,573	250	14,059	13,931	128	7,468	8,644	47,489	3,024	65,639
Males	92,965	156	8,316	8,242	74	4,149	5,341	31,160	1,777	42,066
Females	53,608	94	5,743	5,689	54	3,319	3,303	16,329	1,247	23,573
	Doctor’s degrees
Total	28,818	39	1,946	1,936	10	742	1,361	10,801	581	13,348
Males	18,723	25	1,119	1,112	7	394	778	6,703	321	9,383
Females	10,095	14	827	824	3	348	583	4,098	260	3,965

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. 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; certificate counts include both degree- and non-degree-granting institutions. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023, February). 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 2011–12 through 2020–21 [Data table]. In Digest of education statistics. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_318.45.asp

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 318.20. Bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by field of study: Selected years, 1970–71 through 2019–20
  
• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, 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 2019
  
• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 505.30. Percentage distribution of employed 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor's degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field, by STEM or non-STEM occupation, sex, race/ethnicity, & U.S. nativity & citizenship status: 2019
  
• 2022, The Condition of Education 2022: Graduate Degree Fields
  
• 2022, The Condition of Education 2022: 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
  
• 2016, The Condition of Education 2016, Employment of STEM College Graduates
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2022, 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
  
• 2017, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Graduates: Where Are They 4 Years After Receiving a Bachelor’s Degree?