Chapter: 2 Science & Engineering Indicators 93
Bachelors Degrees by Race/Ethnicity
Recent freshmen intentions data indicate growing interest in planned S& E majors among all minority groups, but degree data show that minority groups remain underrepresented in terms of S& E baccalaureate awards. (Click here for footnote 23.) Although 9 percent of the freshmen students who intended to major in S& E in 1986 were black, 4 years later only 6 percent of the bachelors degrees in S& E were obtained by this minority group. (See appendix tables 2-12 and 2-22.)

Blacks attained a 3.5-percent annual increase in engineering degrees and a 7-percent annual increase in mathematics/computer science degrees between 1977 and 1991. There has been no growth, however, in blacks' degree completions in the natural sciences. Hispanic students increased their engineering and computer science degrees at annual rates of 5 and 10 percent, respectively, between 1977 and 1991, and increased their natural science degrees at an annual rate of 2 percent. These increases in minority degrees (Click here for footnote 24.)have resulted in modest improvements in their participation rates in NS& E degrees between 1977 and 1991. (See figure 2-13.)

Foreign students are only 3 percent of the undergraduate population, but they obtain 7 percent of the engineering degrees because of their strong focus on this field.

Footnote 23:
Studies and research on the participation of minorities in s&e education are discussed in "Improving Minority Participation in S& E Education."

Footnote 24:
Degrees to Native Americans decreased in the same pattern as in the overall student population.

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