STEM workforce needs of the U.S. Department of Defense: Background data

Rolf Lehming

NAE/NRCAugust 1, 2011

National Science FoundationNational Center for Science and Engineering Statistics

www.nsf.gov/statistics/

NS&E = natural sciences and engineering; underrepresented minorities = Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska nativeSOURCE: NSF?NCSES, WebCaspar data system.

Life sciences

DOD STEM employment

• DOD: major employer of STEM workers, especially IT both hard- and software

• DOD civilian workforce is getting more NS&E intensive

• Between 15% and 30% of physical scientists and IT specialists are retirement eligible

NS&E bachelor’s degrees

• Modest increases in engineering and physical sciences degrees over 15 years, big increases in life sciences, computer science degrees slipping broadly after “Y2K” peak

• Physical sciences and engineering bachelor’s degrees closely mirror college-age cohort size

• Blacks and Hispanics earn NS&E bachelor’s degree percentages well below their population share. Asians exceed it, as do Whites to a lesser extent

NS&E master’s degrees

• A quarter of U.S. NS&E master’s degrees are earned by temporary visa holders

• Nearly half in engineering, half in math/computer science, 60% in electrical/electronic engineering

• U.S. majority whites earn sharply lower shares of NS&E master’s degrees, 10 percentage points or more below 1995 levels

• Exception is physical sciences—stable share

NS&E doctorates

• More than one-third of U.S. NS&E doctorates are earned by temporary visa holders

• 57% of those in engineering and well above half in electrical engineering and computer science

• Recently the percentage of NS&E doctorates earned by temporary visa holders has declined

• More than half of temporary visa holders earning a U.S. doctorate choose to stay in the U.S., and many of them eventually remain here

Questions?

Rolf Lehmingrlehming@nsf.gov703-292-7810

Nirmala Kannankuttynkannank@naf.gov703-292-7797

Jaquelina Falkenheimjfalkenh@nsf.gov703-292-7798

We are now the National Center for Science and Engineering StatisticsA new name. A broader mission. www.nsf.gov/statistics