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Chapter 8. State Indicators

Higher Education

Science and engineering degrees as a percentage of higher education degrees conferred



Findings

  • In 2009, nearly 668,000 S&E bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees were conferred nationwide, an increase of 30% since 2000.
  • Nationally, the proportion of S&E degrees as a share of total degrees conferred decreased by 3% between 2005 and 2009.
  • There are noteworthy differences in the proportions of S&E higher education degrees conferred in different states. In some states, only about 20% of higher education degrees were awarded in S&E fields. In others, nearly 40% of higher education degrees were awarded in S&E fields.
  • The District of Columbia has a high value because of the large number of programs in political science and public administration at several of its academic institutions.


Description

This indicator represents the extent to which a state's higher education programs are concentrated in S&E fields. S&E fields include the physical, life, earth, ocean, atmospheric, computer, and social sciences; mathematics; engineering; and psychology. Counts of both S&E degrees and higher education degrees conferred include bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees; associate's degrees are not included.

Degree data reflect the location of the degree-granting institution, not the state where degree-earning students permanently reside. The year indicates the end date of the academic year. For example, data for 2009 represent degrees conferred during the 2008–09 academic year. All degree data are actual counts.

Data Table

Table 8-19
Science and engineering degrees as a percentage of higher education degrees conferred, by state: 2000, 2005, and 2009
 
  All S&E degrees   All higher education degrees   All S&E degrees/all higher education degrees (%)
State 2000 2005 2009   2000 2005 2009   2000 2005 2009
 
United States 515,298 614,694 667,790   1,739,739 2,066,513 2,322,054   29.6 29.7 28.8
Alabama 7,512 8,038 8,899   29,848 32,180 35,725   25.2 25.0 24.9
Alaska 578 676 802   1,901 2,107 2,267   30.4 32.1 35.4
Arizona 6,890 9,613 13,432   31,863 49,921 72,140   21.6 19.3 18.6
Arkansas 2,828 3,306 3,390   11,916 14,291 16,089   23.7 23.1 21.1
California 61,903 77,557 84,579   171,337 207,416 230,605   36.1 37.4 36.7
Colorado 11,733 13,745 14,280   31,689 38,125 43,834   37.0 36.1 32.6
Connecticut 6,887 8,154 9,615   23,703 26,359 29,078   29.1 30.9 33.1
Delaware 1,940 2,163 2,241   6,296 7,512 8,118   30.8 28.8 27.6
District of Columbia 5,740 7,490 8,469   14,433 18,348 22,525   39.8 40.8 37.6
Florida 18,293 24,845 29,004   71,408 92,917 112,165   25.6 26.7 25.9
Georgia 11,754 14,807 15,775   40,661 49,851 57,165   28.9 29.7 27.6
Hawaii 2,235 2,412 2,656   6,986 7,497 8,001   32.0 32.2 33.2
Idaho 1,823 2,384 2,797   5,943 9,057 10,816   30.7 26.3 25.9
Illinois 22,464 27,237 28,725   84,112 102,657 111,875   26.7 26.5 25.7
Indiana 11,404 13,317 13,251   41,655 49,048 54,032   27.4 27.2 24.5
Iowa 6,611 7,378 9,079   23,165 25,774 33,315   28.5 28.6 27.3
Kansas 5,317 6,068 5,920   19,617 22,348 24,284   27.1 27.2 24.4
Kentucky 5,091 6,088 6,481   20,865 24,937 28,070   24.4 24.4 23.1
Louisiana 6,998 7,849 7,199   26,338 28,930 28,256   26.6 27.1 25.5
Maine 2,302 2,550 2,749   6,916 8,188 8,717   33.3 31.1 31.5
Maryland 12,235 15,675 16,514   33,753 40,381 44,369   36.2 38.8 37.2
Massachusetts 22,662 25,251 26,712   69,410 76,108 83,467   32.6 33.2 32.0
Michigan 18,430 21,335 22,804   67,567 75,675 78,332   27.3 28.2 29.1
Minnesota 9,043 11,915 13,887   31,839 42,566 52,323   28.4 28.0 26.5
Mississippi 3,397 3,577 3,937   14,598 15,931 17,023   23.3 22.5 23.1
Missouri 10,965 12,984 13,464   43,783 52,849 59,466   25.0 24.6 22.6
Montana 2,102 2,254 2,298   6,187 6,416 6,559   34.0 35.1 35.0
Nebraska 3,304 3,847 4,193   14,008 16,427 17,411   23.6 23.4 24.1
Nevada 1,365 1,963 2,585   5,813 7,776 9,884   23.5 25.2 26.2
New Hampshire 3,342 3,460 3,684   10,330 11,025 12,375   32.4 31.4 29.8
New Jersey 13,940 15,667 16,535   37,278 45,515 49,544   37.4 34.4 33.4
New Mexico 2,636 3,065 3,255   9,664 10,874 11,366   27.3 28.2 28.6
New York 42,901 51,470 54,412   146,896 176,054 193,777   29.2 29.2 28.1
North Carolina 14,651 16,665 18,671   46,045 52,192 60,854   31.8 31.9 30.7
North Dakota 1,519 1,539 1,610   5,798 6,454 7,128   26.2 23.8 22.6
Ohio 18,123 20,287 21,129   68,854 79,349 83,813   26.3 25.6 25.2
Oklahoma 5,982 6,342 6,384   21,374 24,398 25,995   28.0 26.0 24.6
Oregon 6,608 7,805 7,975   19,647 23,492 24,858   33.6 33.2 32.1
Pennsylvania 26,563 31,478 34,537   90,495 107,174 119,761   29.4 29.4 28.8
Rhode Island 3,012 3,447 3,783   10,524 11,883 13,002   28.6 29.0 29.1
South Carolina 5,953 6,855 7,279   20,995 24,268 26,666   28.4 28.2 27.3
South Dakota 1,813 1,966 1,990   5,456 6,077 6,377   33.2 32.4 31.2
Tennessee 8,029 8,749 9,601   31,502 35,453 40,553   25.5 24.7 23.7
Texas 27,962 34,612 38,196   103,283 124,122 142,321   27.1 27.9 26.8
Utah 6,289 8,153 8,339   20,866 25,382 27,003   30.1 32.1 30.9
Vermont 2,230 2,508 3,144   6,350 6,638 8,031   35.1 37.8 39.1
Virginia 16,299 17,810 20,822   45,870 51,210 60,840   35.5 34.8 34.2
Washington 9,720 12,449 13,215   32,085 37,831 40,136   30.3 32.9 32.9
West Virginia 2,750 2,945 3,772   11,144 12,522 15,787   24.7 23.5 23.9
Wisconsin 10,260 12,187 12,881   35,426 40,806 43,694   29.0 29.9 29.5
Wyoming 910 757 839   2,247 2,202 2,262   40.5 34.4 37.1
                       
Puerto Rico 4,807 4,817 5,293   19,261 21,111 23,501   25.0 22.8 22.5
 

NOTES: All S&E degrees include bachelor's, master's, and doctorate. All S&E degrees include physical, computer, agricultural, biological, earth, atmospheric, ocean, and social sciences; psychology; mathematics; and engineering. All higher education degrees include bachelor's, master's, and doctorate.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (various years).

Science and Engineering Indicators 2012
Source Data

State Data Tool

The state data tool allows interactive exploration of the 58 indicators in this chapter. Users have the ability to choose and explore a single indicator in-depth, compare multiple indicators for preselected groups, customize their own graphics, or download data tables. Click the button below to get started.

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