Retention of the Best Science and Engineering Graduates in Science and Engineering

摘要

Developing and maintaining students skills in science and engineering has long been an important priority in U.S. education. For example, the National Education Goals call for U.S. students to be first in the world in science and mathematics. The goal to develop science and engineering (S&E) skills has several motivations. Some reasons are specifically tied to the economy, based on the assumption that Americas competitive strength in the world economy depends in part on its science resources, while others are more general, such as the fact that voters may need information about science in order to develop informed positions about many important public policy issues (e.g., technology and the environment). At the same time, the U.S. economy and education system are facing a mixed situation with regard to the need for technical and scientific skills. Some skills are greatly in demand, to the point where businesses often choose to locate in areas where there will be trained personnel. In other areas, there has been concern over an oversupply of Ph.D. scientists. Identifying current and future supplies of scientists and engineers is extremely difficult: predictions of an oversupply in the 1970s did not come true, and predictions of shortages in the late 1980s also failed to occur. What is clear is that S&E positions are in a state of flux. The share of recent science and engineering graduates taking academic and government positions is decreasing, while there is great growth in business and industry. The proportion of science and engineering doctoral recipients who were employed in business and industry 5-8 years after graduation grew from 26 percent in 1973 to 45 percent in 1991. Among those without doctorates, the proportion employed in private for-profit companies is even greater; that is, for 1995 it was 72 percent of those with bachelors S&E degrees and 59 percent of those with masters S&E degrees.