Post-Graduate Educational Attainment of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Majors.

The United States is experiencing a decline in science-related careers. Research suggests that attrition during college and post-graduate study accounts for the loss of talented students to other fields. The present study examines the pathways of baccalaureate recipients in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields after graduation. This preliminary study is the first step of a larger research agenda to study school to work transition of a cohort of Florida four-year college graduates. This analysis allows us to better understand demographic and academic factors associated with persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers post graduation. The examination of the school to work transition into STEM careers will provide higher education institutions and educational policy makers with the insight on how to attract and maintain STEM talent within the U.S., especially for underrepresented populations, like women and minorities. This study finds that women and men earn graduate degrees at the same rate, but women earn more non-STEM degrees. Engineering majors obtain their higher degrees more efficiently than students in Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]