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News Release 15-033

Six million graduates employed in S&E in 2013

Report details characteristics of college graduates and the S&E workforce

researchers with a microscope

Nearly half of employed college graduates with S&E degrees reported working in S&E or related jobs.


April 7, 2015

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The number of college graduates in the United States nearly doubled between 1993 and 2013, according to a new report from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES).

The report details that the number of graduates with degrees in science and engineering (S&E) fields grew faster than the number of those with other types of degrees. In 2013, 27 percent of graduates held degrees in S&E fields. Roughly 1 in 10 graduates were employed in S&E occupations, a proportion that has remained largely unchanged since 1993.

Although women accounted for more than half of the college graduate population in 2013, they constituted only 29 percent of those employed in S&E jobs.

Within the college graduate population, an S&E-related degree has a significant impact on salary, according to the report. The median salaries for degree holders in S&E and S&E-related occupations were $80,000 and $65,000, respectively, while the median annual salary for college graduates in other fields was $51,000. Those with advanced degrees working in the sciences generally earn higher salaries.

S&E skills are in demand across the U.S. economy, not just in occupations classified as S&E fields. Nearly half of the employed college graduates with degrees in S&E reported working in S&E or related jobs. But of those working in areas outside of S&E, 62 percent reported that their jobs were related to their degrees.

Although 6 million graduates were employed in S&E in 2013, 18 million reported that their jobs required at least a bachelor's degree in one or more S&E fields.

Data for the report are from the 2013 National Survey of College Graduates, which has gathered data on the nation's college graduates since the 1970s, with a particular focus on the S&E workforce.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Rob Margetta, NSF, (703) 292-8070, email: rmargett@nsf.gov

Program Contacts
John M. Finamore, NSF, (703) 292-2258, email: jfinamor@nsf.gov
Beethika Khan, NSF, (703) 292-4669, email: bkhan@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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