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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

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