GRADUATE
STEM EDUCATION
FOR THE
21ST CENTURY
Alan Leshner and Layne Scherer, Editors
Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education
for the 21st Century
Board on Higher Education and Workforce
Policy and Global Affairs
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
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This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation (1642408), the Institute of Education Sciences (R305U160001), the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (103932-4031), and the Spencer Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-47273-9
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-47273-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018941720
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25038
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Copyright 2018 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25038.
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COMMITTEE ON REVITALIZING GRADUATE STEM EDUCATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Members
ALAN LESHNER (Chair) [NAM], Chief Executive Officer, Emeritus, American Association for the Advancement of Science
SHERILYNN BLACK, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Medical Education; Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement; and Co-Principal Investigator, Duke University BioCoRE Program, Duke University
MARY SUE COLEMAN [NAM], President, Association of American Universities
JAIME CURTIS-FISK, Scientist and STEM Education Advocate, Dow Chemical Company
KENNETH GIBBS, JR., Program Director, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
MAUREEN GRASSO, Professor of Textile Sciences and Former Graduate School Dean, North Carolina State University
SALLY F. MASON, President Emerita, University of Iowa
MARY MAXON, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
SUZANNE ORTEGA, President, Council of Graduate Schools
CHRISTINE ORTIZ, Morris Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Founder, Station1
MELANIE ROBERTS, Director of State and Regional Affairs, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
HENRY SAUERMANN, Associate Professor of Strategy and Peter Pühringer Chair in Entrepreneurship, European School of Management and Technology, Berlin; Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research
BARBARA ANNA SCHAAL [NAS], Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
SUBHASH SINGHAL [NAE], Battelle Fellow and Fuel Cells Director, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
KATE STOLL, Senior Policy Advisor, MIT Washington Office
JAMES M. TIEN [NAE], Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of Miami College of Engineering
KEITH R. YAMAMOTO [NAM, NAS], Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy, Director of Precision Medicine, and Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco
Study Staff
LAYNE SCHERER, Study Director
THOMAS RUDIN, Director, Board on Higher Education and Workforce
ADRIANA NAVIA COUREMBIS, Financial Officer
TOM ARRISON, Program Director, Policy and Global Affairs
JAY LABOV, Senior Advisor for Education and Communication
BARBARA NATALIZIO, Program Officer, Board on Higher Education and Workforce
MARIA LUND DAHLBERG, Program Officer, Board on Higher Education and Workforce
YASMEEN HUSSAIN, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow and Associate Program Officer, Board on Higher Education and Workforce (January to July 2017)
ELIZABETH GARBEE, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Board on Higher Education and Workforce (January to April 2018)
IRENE NGUN, Research Associate
AUSTEN APPLEGATE, Senior Program Assistant
ALLISON L. BERGER, Senior Program Assistant
JAIME COLMAN, Senior Program Assistant (through November 2017)
FREDERIC LESTINA, Senior Program Assistant
Consultants
JOSEPH ALPER, Writer
MARGARET BLUME-KOHOUT, Visiting Professor in Economics, Colgate University
JENNIFER LEBRÓN, Doctoral Student, Higher Education and International Education, George Mason University
JESSICA ROBLES, Senior Research Associate, Research Triangle International
ROBIN WISNIEWSKI, Director of Education Systems Improvement, Research Triangle International
BOARD ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
Members
RICHARD K. MILLER (Chair) [NAE], President, Olin College of Engineering
LAWRENCE D. BOBO [NAS], W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, Harvard University
ANGELA BYARS-WINSTON, Professor of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
JAIME CURTIS-FISK, Scientist and STEM Education Advocate, Dow Chemical Company
APRILLE ERICSSON, Capture-Mission Manager, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
RICHARD FREEMAN, Herbert Ascherman Professor of Economics, Harvard University
PAUL J. LEBLANC, President, Southern New Hampshire University
SALLY F. MASON, President Emerita, University of Iowa
FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District
SUBHASH SINGHAL [NAE], Battelle Fellow Emeritus, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
KUMBLE R. SUBBASWAMY, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
SHELLEY WESTMAN, Senior Vice President, Alliances & Field Operations, Protegrity
MARY WOOLLEY [NAM], President and CEO, Research! America
Board Staff
AUSTEN APPLEGATE, Senior Program Assistant
ASHLEY BEAR, Program Officer
LIDA BENINSON, Program Officer
ALLISON BERGER, Senior Program Assistant
JAIME COLMAN, Senior Program Assistant (Until December 2017)
MARIA LUND DAHLBERG, Program Officer
YASMEEN HUSSAIN, Associate Program Officer (January to July 2017)
LEIGH JACKSON, Senior Program Officer
FREDERIC LESTINA, Senior Program Assistant
BARBARA NATALIZIO, Program Officer
IRENE NGUN, Research Associate
LAYNE SCHERER, Program Officer
THOMAS RUDIN, Director
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Acknowledgments
The Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century would like to acknowledge and thank the many people who made this study possible. First, we would like to acknowledge the support of the standing National Academies Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW), which offered oversight for this study. Second, we would like to acknowledge that this report was informed by the efforts of many people who shared their data, insights, ideas, enthusiasm, and expertise with the committee. We would especially like to thank the following people (in alphabetical order), who presented at the open sessions of the committee’s meetings:
DAVID ASAI, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
ELIZABETH BACA, California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
PATRICK BRENNWALD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
THOMAS BROCK, National Center for Education Research
AMY CHANG, American Society for Microbiology
DONA CHIKARAISHI, Duke University (Emerita)
EARNESTINE PSALMONDS EASTER, National Science Foundation
DAVID FELDON, Utah State University
JOAN FERRINI-MUNDY, National Science Foundation
CHRIS GOLDE, Stanford University
CHRISTINE GRANT, North Carolina State University
JOSEPH GRAVES, North Carolina A&T University
CLAUDIA GUNSCH, Duke University
DAVE HARWELL, American Geophysical Union
SAMANTHA HINDLE, University of California, San Francisco
THEODORE HODAPP, American Physical Society
STEVEN HUNTER, IBM Fellow at North Carolina State University
YASMEEN HUSSAIN, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
DANA (KEOKI) JACKSON, Lockheed Martin
NIMMI KANNANKUTTY, National Science Foundation
JONATHAN KERSHAW, Purdue University
TRISH LABOSKY, National Institutes of Health
JULIA LANE, New York University
MICHAEL LIPPS, LexisNexis
SEAN MCCONNELL, University of Chicago
VICTORIA MCGOVERN, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
THOMAS MILLER, North Carolina State University
BARBARA NATALIZIO, AAAS Fellow, National Science Foundation
HIRONAO OKAHANA, Council of Graduate Schools
JASON OWEN-SMITH, Institute for Research on Innovation in Science
MARINA RAMON, Cabrillo College
MICHAEL RICHEY, The Boeing Company
NANCY SCHWARTZ, University of Chicago
DAVID SHAFER, North Carolina State University
BASSAM SHAKHASHIRI, University of Wisconsin–Madison
DEBRA STEWART, NORC
LINDA STRAUSBAUGH, Professional Science Master’s Association
LE TANG, ABB
CORY VALENTE, The Dow Chemical Company
KIMBERLY WEEMS, North Carolina Central University
BRUCE WEINBERG, Ohio State University
AYANNA BOYD WILLIAMS, North Carolina A&T University
The committee would like to thank the sponsors that made this study possible: the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Institute of Education Sciences, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the Spencer Foundation. In addition, we would like to send our deep appreciation to our Program Officer Earnestine Easter (program director, NSF) and Joan Ferrini Mundy (assistant director for education and human resources, NSF, at the time of award and chief operating officer at time of publication).
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the generous hosts for the focus groups conducted by Research Triangle International: the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Florida A&M University, South Dakota State University, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University Kingsville, and University of Northern Colorado. Additionally, we would like to thank all of the current and former participants and directors of the Institute
of Education Sciences’ Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Program who contributed their responses to our researcher, Ms. Jennifer Lebrón.
The committee would also like to thank all of those who took time to provide valuable feedback to the project during the information-gathering period. This includes individuals who attended conference sessions or meetings on the topic, who hosted us at their institutions, or who responded to the committee’s “Discussion Document and Call for Community Input.”
We would like to send our thanks to the hosts of our two regional meetings at North Carolina State University and the University of California, San Francisco.
The committee would like to acknowledge the work of the consultants who have contributed to the report: Dr. Margaret Blume-Kohout, Ms. Jennifer Lebrón, Dr. Jessica Robles, and Dr. Robin Wisniewski. The committee would also like to thank Daniel Bearss, Senior Researcher at the National Academies, for his fact-checking and research assistance. We would like to send our deepest thanks to our report writer, Joseph Alper, for his tremendous work on this report.
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Dianne Chong, Boeing Research and Technology (Retired); Jingsheng Cong, University of California, Los Angeles; Peter Fiske, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Chris Golde, Stanford University; Beverly Hartline, Montana Tech; Kasia Grzebyk, University of North Carolina; Jonathan Kershaw, Purdue University; Philip Kutzko, University of Iowa; Deb Niemeier, University of California, Davis; Jennifer Pearl, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Julie Posselt, University of Southern California; Vassie Ware, Lehigh University; Hugh Welsh, DSM; and Carl Wieman, University of Colorado at Boulder.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by John Dowling, Harvard University, and Catherine Kling, Iowa State University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Finally, we thank the staff of this project for their valuable leadership, input, and support. Specifically, we would like to thank Program Officer and Study
Director, Layne Scherer; BHEW Director, Tom Rudin; Program Director, Tom Arrison; Senior Advisor, Jay Labov; Program Officer, Barbara Natalizio; Program Officer, Maria Dahlberg; Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Fellow and Associate Program Officer, Yasmeen Hussain; Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Fellow, Elizabeth Garbee; Research Associate, Irene Ngun; Senior Program Assistant, Austen Applegate; Senior Program Assistant, Allison Berger; Senior Program Assistant, Jaime Colman; and Senior Program Assistant, Frederic Lestina.
Contents
The Role of Graduate STEM Education
Catalyzing Cultural Change in Graduate STEM Education
2 TRENDS IN GRADUATE STEM DEGREES EARNED IN THE UNITED STATES
Enrollment, Degrees, and Trends in U.S. Graduate STEM Education
Data and Trends by Race and Ethnicity
Data and Trends by Citizenship
Data and Trends by Disability Status
3 CROSSCUTTING THEMES IN GRADUATE STEM EDUCATION
Adjusting Faculty Rewards and Incentives to Improve Graduate STEM Education
Increasing Data Collection, Research, and Transparency about Graduate STEM Education Outcomes
Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Responding to the Dynamic Nature of 21st-Century STEM
Optimizing the Graduate Student Experience
Core Educational Elements of Master’s Degrees
Career Outcomes of STEM Master’s Degree Holders
Flexible and Innovative Programs: Certificates and Microcredentials
Core Educational Elements of the Ph.D. Degree
Career Exploration and Preparation
Doctoral Curriculum, Coursework, and the Dissertation
Additional Factors Requiring Evolution of the System
An Ideal Graduate STEM Education
Federal and State Government Agencies
Private Foundations and Other Nongovernmental Organizations
Institutions of Higher Education
Graduate Schools, Departments, and Programs
Employers in Industry, Government, and Other Organizations
Tables and Figures
TABLES
2-1 Comparison of Master’s and Doctoral Degrees Awarded in STEM Disciplines in 2000 and 2015
2-2 Comparison of Master’s Degrees Awarded in STEM Disciplines in 2000 and 2015, by Gender
2-3 Comparison of Doctoral Degrees Awarded in STEM Disciplines in 2000 and 2015, by Gender
4-1 Percent Distribution of STEM Master’s Degree Holders in Broad Employment Sectors, by Field, 2015
5-1 Tenure Status of STEM Doctorate Holders Employed in Academia, by Age: 1995 and 2015
5-2 Employment Sector of STEM Doctoral Degree Holders, by Field of Highest Degree, 2015
FIGURES
2-1 Graduate degrees awarded in STEM fields, by degree level, 2000-2015 selected years
2-2 Graduate degrees awarded in STEM fields, by degree level and gender, 2000-2015, selected years
2-3 Proportion of U.S. resident population, by race and or ethnicity, across age groups, in 2014
2-4 Master’s degrees awarded in STEM fields, by race and ethnicity, 2000-2015, selected years
2-6 Doctoral degrees awarded in STEM fields, by race and ethnicity, 2000-2015, selected years
2-8 Graduate degrees awarded in STEM fields, by citizenship status, 2000-2015
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
AAAS | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
AAU | Association of American Universities |
AGEP | Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate |
AIAN | American Indian and Alaska Native |
BEST | Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training program |
BHEW | Board on Higher Education and Workforce |
BLS | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
CGS | Council of Graduate Schools |
COSEMPUP | Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy |
GRE | Graduate Record Examinations |
IES | Institute of Education Sciences |
IIE | Institute of International Education |
IoT | Internet of Things |
IRIS | Institute for Research on Innovation and Science |
LSAMP | Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program |
MARC U-STAR | Maximizing Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research |
NCES | National Center for Education Statistics |
NCSES | National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics |
NIGMS | National Institute of General Medical Sciences |
NIH | National Institutes of Health |
NRSA | National Research Service Award |
NSF | National Science Foundation |
OPT | Optional Practical Training Extension |
PREP | Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program |
PSM | Professional Science Master’s (degree) |
RTI | Research Triangle International |
S&E | science and engineering |
SDR | Survey of Doctorate Recipients |
SED | Survey of Earned Doctorates |
SEI | Science and Engineering Indicators |
STEM | science, technology, engineering, and mathematics |
URM | underrepresented minority |
USCIS | U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services |