Field of degree: Minorities
The share of science and engineering (S&E) bachelor’s and doctorate degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities—Hispanics or Latinos, blacks or African Americans, and American Indians or Alaska Natives—has increased over the past two decades. Minority-serving institutions—historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs) and high-Hispanic-enrollment institutions (HHEs)—have played an important role in awarding bachelor’s degrees to students who later earn doctorate degrees in S&E fields, helping to advance representation in these fields by minorities. Despite this progress, these groups continue to be underrepresented among S&E degree recipients relative to their representation in the overall population.
Degrees earned by underrepresented minorities
Overall
In 2016, underrepresented minority students received 22% of all S&E bachelor’s degrees and 9% of all S&E doctorate degrees. Their share of master’s degrees has increased between 1996 and 2016, although there has been a slight decline over the past couple of years. It should be noted that the decline in the share of master's degrees was also seen among almost all racial and ethnic groups, as the number and share of temporary visa holders receiving a master's degree increased.
Science and engineering degrees earned by underrepresented minorities, as a percentage of degree type: 1996–2016
Note(s)
Data not available for 1999. Underrepresented minority groups include black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Data are for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.
Source(s)
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, unrevised provisional release data. Related detailed data: WMPD table 5-3, table 6-3, and table 7-4.
Bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering
About 56% of bachelor’s degrees in S&E fields were awarded to whites in 2016, and an additional 9% were awarded to Asians. The share of S&E degrees earned by Asians has been steady over the past 10 years. Temporary visa holders were awarded 5% of science and 9% of engineering bachelor’s degrees.
All three groups of underrepresented minorities earned a larger share of bachelor’s degrees in science than in engineering in 2016. Hispanics or Latinos earned 13.5% of science and 10% of engineering bachelor’s degrees; black or African American students, 9% and 4%; and American Indians or Alaska Natives, 0.5% and 0.3%.
Bachelor's degrees earned, by ethnicity, race, and citizenship: 2016
S&E = science and engineering.
Note(s)
Hispanic or Latino may be any race. Race and ethnicity breakouts are for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.
Source(s)
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, unrevised provisional release data. Related detailed data: WMPD table 5-3.
Hispanic or Latino graduates
Overall
The share of S&E bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics or Latinos has increased over the past 20 years. In 2016, the S&E fields with the largest Hispanic or Latino representation were psychology (17%), social sciences (15%), and biological sciences (11.5%).
Science and engineering bachelor's degrees earned by Hispanics or Latinos, as a percentage of degree field, by field: 1996–2016
Note(s)
Data not available for 1999. Hispanic or Latino may be any race. Data are for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. Biological sciences includes agricultural sciences. Physical sciences includes earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences.
Source(s)
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, unrevised provisional release data. Related detailed data: WMPD table 5-3.
Baccalaureate origins of Hispanic or Latino doctorate recipients
HHEs play an important role in educating Hispanic or Latino students. In 2016, 46% of Hispanic or Latino bachelor’s degree recipients earned their degree from an HHE. These institutions also are important in training Hispanic students for doctoral studies—37% of Hispanics or Latinos who received an S&E doctorate between 2013 and 2017 received their bachelor’s degree from an HHE institution. These institutions are the baccalaureate origins of an even larger share of Hispanic doctorate recipients in agricultural sciences, biological sciences, physical sciences, and psychology. (See appendix table A-1 for the top baccalaureate institutions of Hispanic or Latino S&E doctorate recipients.)
Hispanic or Latino doctorate recipients with HHE baccalaureate origins, by field: 2013–17
HHE = high-Hispanic-enrollment institution; S&E = science and engineering.
Note(s)
HHEs are public and private nonprofit academic institutions whose undergraduate, full-time equivalent student enrollment is at least 25% Hispanic. Hispanic or Latino may be any race.
Source(s)
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates. Related detailed data: table 5-9.
Blacks or African Americans
Overall
Like Hispanics or Latinos, blacks or African Americans have larger representation in psychology and social sciences than in other S&E fields. In addition, blacks or African Americans earn a larger share of bachelor’s degrees in computer science than in the other S&E fields. Over the past two decades, blacks or African Americans have seen increased shares of bachelor’s degrees in psychology, social sciences, and biological sciences, but their degree shares have declined slightly in the other fields. Most notably, the share of bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and statistics earned by blacks or African Americans declined from 7% to 4%.
Science and engineering bachelor's degrees earned by blacks or African Americans, as a percentage of degree field, by field: 1996–2016
Note(s)
Data not available for 1999. Biological sciences includes agricultural sciences. Physical sciences includes earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences. Data are for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.
Source(s)
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, unrevised provisional release data. Related detailed data: WMPD table 5-3.
Baccalaureate origins of black doctorate recipients
Black or African American S&E doctorate recipients from U.S. universities complete their undergraduate degrees at many types of institutions. HBCUs have an outsized impact on preparing students for S&E doctoral programs. Although 15% of blacks or African Americans who received a bachelor’s degree in 2016 did so from an HBCU, 25% of graduates who earned an S&E doctorate degree between 2013 and 2017 earned a bachelor’s degree from an HBCU. HBCUs produced large shares of baccalaureate recipients who later earned doctorate degrees in agricultural sciences; earth, atmospheric, and related sciences; and mathematics and statistics. (See appendix table A-1 for the top baccalaureate institutions of black or African American S&E doctorate recipients.)
Black or African American doctorate recipients with HBCU baccalaureate origins, by field: 2013–17
HBCU = historically black college or university; S&E = science and engineering.
Source(s)
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates. Related detailed data: WMPD table 5-8.
