U.S. colleges and universities are graduating as many scientists and engineers as ever, according to a study released on Oct. 28 by a group of academics. But that finding comes with a big caveat: Many of the highest-performing students are choosing careers in other fields. The study by professors at Rutgers and Georgetown suggests that since the late 1990s, many of the top students have been lured to careers in finance and consulting.
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Despite decades of complaints that the United States does not have enough scientists and engineers, the data show our high schools and colleges are providing an ample supply of graduates, said study co-author Hal Salzman, a public policy professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. It is now up to science and technology firms to attract the best and the brightest graduates to come work for them.
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The onus for improving the stock of scientists and mathematicians thus falls more on employers than students, the report’s authors say. If a 12th grader asks us for advice about whether to pursue a career in physics, math, or engineering, what would our advice be? says co-author Lindsay Lowell, a professor at Georgetown University. It’s difficult to say. There is such a surplus of talent.
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The study, entitled Steady as She Goes? Three Generations of Students through the Science and Engineering Pipeline, was conducted with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit that focuses on science education. The report analyzes longitudinal data to examine the transition of American students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] from high school into the labor force.
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Is It Just About Money?
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The 1990s marked a turning point in longer-term trends for the best students in high school and college, according to the study. The top quintile SAT/ACT and GPA performers appear to…