Chapter 8. State Indicators
Higher Education
Natural sciences and engineering degrees as a percentage of higher education degrees conferred
Findings
- In 2009, nearly 354,000 NS&E bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees were conferred nationwide, an increase of 25% since 2000.
- The proportion of NS&E degrees as a share of total degrees conferred showed a decline of 5% between 2005 and 2009.
- There are noteworthy differences in the proportions of natural sciences and engineering higher education degrees conferred in different states. In 2009, the proportions ranged between 9.7% and 24.4%.
- Nationally, over half, 53%, of all S&E degrees were in NS&E fields in 2009, down from 55% of all S&E degrees in 2000.
- States with the highest percentage of higher education degrees in natural science or engineering fields tended to be located in the western United States, and four of the top five are EPSCoR states.
Description
This indicator represents the extent to which a state's higher education programs are concentrated in natural sciences and engineering (NS&E) fields. The indicator is expressed as the percentage of higher education degrees that were conferred in NS&E fields.
NS&E fields include the physical, life, earth, ocean, atmospheric, and computer sciences; mathematics; and engineering. Social sciences such as anthropology, economics, political science and public administration; psychology; and sociology are not included. Counts of both NS&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 in which degree-earning students permanently reside. The year reflects 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 8-20 | |||||||||||
| Natural sciences and engineering degrees as a percentage of higher education degrees conferred, by state: 2000, 2005, and 2009 | |||||||||||
| NS&E degrees | All higher education degrees | NS&E/higher education degrees (%) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | ||
| United States | 283,371 | 331,247 | 353,509 | 1,739,739 | 2,066,513 | 2,322,054 | 16.3 | 16.0 | 15.2 | ||
| Alabama | 4,464 | 4,732 | 5,261 | 29,848 | 32,180 | 35,725 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | ||
| Alaska | 360 | 419 | 475 | 1,901 | 2,107 | 2,267 | 18.9 | 19.9 | 21.0 | ||
| Arizona | 4,063 | 6,343 | 6,989 | 31,863 | 49,921 | 72,140 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 9.7 | ||
| Arkansas | 1,734 | 2,022 | 1,970 | 11,916 | 14,291 | 16,089 | 14.6 | 14.1 | 12.2 | ||
| California | 30,833 | 38,181 | 40,990 | 171,337 | 207,416 | 230,605 | 18.0 | 18.4 | 17.8 | ||
| Colorado | 6,823 | 7,663 | 7,827 | 31,689 | 38,125 | 43,834 | 21.5 | 20.1 | 17.9 | ||
| Connecticut | 3,007 | 3,634 | 4,624 | 23,703 | 26,359 | 29,078 | 12.7 | 13.8 | 15.9 | ||
| Delaware | 917 | 980 | 1,069 | 6,296 | 7,512 | 8,118 | 14.6 | 13.0 | 13.2 | ||
| District of Columbia | 2,091 | 2,561 | 2,949 | 14,433 | 18,348 | 22,525 | 14.5 | 14.0 | 13.1 | ||
| Florida | 9,942 | 12,636 | 15,036 | 71,408 | 92,917 | 112,165 | 13.9 | 13.6 | 13.4 | ||
| Georgia | 7,099 | 8,354 | 9,025 | 40,661 | 49,851 | 57,165 | 17.5 | 16.8 | 15.8 | ||
| Hawaii | 1,004 | 1,011 | 1,109 | 6,986 | 7,497 | 8,001 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 13.9 | ||
| Idaho | 1,272 | 1,568 | 1,797 | 5,943 | 9,057 | 10,816 | 21.4 | 17.3 | 16.6 | ||
| Illinois | 13,053 | 16,027 | 15,937 | 84,112 | 102,657 | 111,875 | 15.5 | 15.6 | 14.2 | ||
| Indiana | 6,723 | 7,637 | 7,493 | 41,655 | 49,048 | 54,032 | 16.1 | 15.6 | 13.9 | ||
| Iowa | 3,939 | 4,205 | 4,633 | 23,165 | 25,774 | 33,315 | 17.0 | 16.3 | 13.9 | ||
| Kansas | 3,196 | 3,557 | 3,290 | 19,617 | 22,348 | 24,284 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 13.5 | ||
| Kentucky | 2,819 | 3,215 | 3,392 | 20,865 | 24,937 | 28,070 | 13.5 | 12.9 | 12.1 | ||
| Louisiana | 4,357 | 4,895 | 4,260 | 26,338 | 28,930 | 28,256 | 16.5 | 16.9 | 15.1 | ||
| Maine | 1,228 | 1,272 | 1,305 | 6,916 | 8,188 | 8,717 | 17.8 | 15.5 | 15.0 | ||
| Maryland | 6,854 | 9,110 | 9,142 | 33,753 | 40,381 | 44,369 | 20.3 | 22.6 | 20.6 | ||
| Massachusetts | 11,309 | 12,222 | 13,219 | 69,410 | 76,108 | 83,467 | 16.3 | 16.1 | 15.8 | ||
| Michigan | 11,873 | 13,474 | 13,861 | 67,567 | 75,675 | 78,332 | 17.6 | 17.8 | 17.7 | ||
| Minnesota | 5,056 | 6,333 | 6,873 | 31,839 | 42,566 | 52,323 | 15.9 | 14.9 | 13.1 | ||
| Mississippi | 2,195 | 2,225 | 2,427 | 14,598 | 15,931 | 17,023 | 15.0 | 14.0 | 14.3 | ||
| Missouri | 5,974 | 6,935 | 7,182 | 43,783 | 52,849 | 59,466 | 13.6 | 13.1 | 12.1 | ||
| Montana | 1,458 | 1,455 | 1,529 | 6,187 | 6,416 | 6,559 | 23.6 | 22.7 | 23.3 | ||
| Nebraska | 1,958 | 2,212 | 2,393 | 14,008 | 16,427 | 17,411 | 14.0 | 13.5 | 13.7 | ||
| Nevada | 756 | 1,035 | 1,326 | 5,813 | 7,776 | 9,884 | 13.0 | 13.3 | 13.4 | ||
| New Hampshire | 1,656 | 1,563 | 1,730 | 10,330 | 11,025 | 12,375 | 16.0 | 14.2 | 14.0 | ||
| New Jersey | 7,469 | 7,859 | 8,283 | 37,278 | 45,515 | 49,544 | 20.0 | 17.3 | 16.7 | ||
| New Mexico | 1,704 | 2,015 | 1,982 | 9,664 | 10,874 | 11,366 | 17.6 | 18.5 | 17.4 | ||
| New York | 20,638 | 24,534 | 25,832 | 146,896 | 176,054 | 193,777 | 14.0 | 13.9 | 13.3 | ||
| North Carolina | 8,070 | 9,084 | 10,110 | 46,045 | 52,192 | 60,854 | 17.5 | 17.4 | 16.6 | ||
| North Dakota | 1,026 | 1,087 | 1,147 | 5,798 | 6,454 | 7,128 | 17.7 | 16.8 | 16.1 | ||
| Ohio | 10,671 | 11,425 | 11,767 | 68,854 | 79,349 | 83,813 | 15.5 | 14.4 | 14.0 | ||
| Oklahoma | 3,366 | 3,821 | 3,740 | 21,374 | 24,398 | 25,995 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 14.4 | ||
| Oregon | 3,224 | 3,852 | 3,947 | 19,647 | 23,492 | 24,858 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 15.9 | ||
| Pennsylvania | 15,119 | 18,344 | 19,701 | 90,495 | 107,174 | 119,761 | 16.7 | 17.1 | 16.5 | ||
| Rhode Island | 1,589 | 1,914 | 1,988 | 10,524 | 11,883 | 13,002 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 15.3 | ||
| South Carolina | 3,417 | 3,971 | 3,967 | 20,995 | 24,268 | 26,666 | 16.3 | 16.4 | 14.9 | ||
| South Dakota | 1,142 | 1,324 | 1,253 | 5,456 | 6,077 | 6,377 | 20.9 | 21.8 | 19.6 | ||
| Tennessee | 4,430 | 4,560 | 5,083 | 31,502 | 35,453 | 40,553 | 14.1 | 12.9 | 12.5 | ||
| Texas | 17,004 | 20,489 | 22,601 | 103,283 | 124,122 | 142,321 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 15.9 | ||
| Utah | 3,541 | 4,327 | 4,699 | 20,866 | 25,382 | 27,003 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 17.4 | ||
| Vermont | 1,008 | 1,097 | 1,365 | 6,350 | 6,638 | 8,031 | 15.9 | 16.5 | 17.0 | ||
| Virginia | 8,627 | 8,689 | 10,456 | 45,870 | 51,210 | 60,840 | 18.8 | 17.0 | 17.2 | ||
| Washington | 5,009 | 5,981 | 6,415 | 32,085 | 37,831 | 40,136 | 15.6 | 15.8 | 16.0 | ||
| West Virginia | 1,571 | 1,764 | 2,042 | 11,144 | 12,522 | 15,787 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 12.9 | ||
| Wisconsin | 6,105 | 7,124 | 7,466 | 35,426 | 40,806 | 43,694 | 17.2 | 17.5 | 17.1 | ||
| Wyoming | 628 | 510 | 552 | 2,247 | 2,202 | 2,262 | 27.9 | 23.2 | 24.4 | ||
| Puerto Rico | 3,314 | 3,244 | 3,586 | 19,261 | 21,111 | 23,501 | 17.2 | 15.4 | 15.3 | ||
NS&E = natural sciences and engineering NOTES: NS&E degrees include bachelor's, master's, and doctorate. NS&E degrees include physical, computer, agricultural, biological, earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences; 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 |
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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.
