Who earns S&E master’s degrees in the United States?

The total number of master's degrees awarded in S&E fields rose from 96,230 in 2000 to 161,371 in 2012, an increase of 68%. Although men continued to outnumber women among recipients of S&E master’s degrees, the growth between 2000 and 2012 was faster for women (77%) than for men (61%).

In 2012, 161,371 master’s degrees were awarded in S&E fields. U.S. citizens and permanent residents received three-fourths of these degrees, while students on temporary visas received one-fourth. Since 2000, the annual number of S&E master’s degrees earned has increased for both citizenship groups, and in every racial/ethnic group among U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

• Women earned 73,561 S&E master’s degrees in 2012, compared to 87,810 degrees for men. Although their share of all S&E master’s degrees conferred rose from 43% in 2000 to 46% in 2012, women remain somewhat underrepresented relative to their percentage of the U.S. college-age population in 2012 (49%).
• Women increased their number and share of master's degrees in most S&E fields, although there is notable variation by field. In 2012, they earned 79% of all master's degrees awarded in psychology but only 22% in physics, 23% in engineering, and 28% in computer sciences.
• Women earned smaller majorities of master’s degrees in social, biological, agricultural, and ocean sciences in 2012. In addition, they received more than 2 of every 5 master’s degrees awarded in chemistry, earth sciences, and mathematics/statistics, and close to that proportion in both astronomy and atmospheric sciences.
• Compared to their 49% share of the college-age population in 2012, women remain underrepresented at the master’s level in computer sciences, mathematics/statistics, astronomy, physics, atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, engineering, and the social science subfield of economics.

• In 2012, whites earned 73,302 S&E master’s degrees, followed by blacks with 12,069 degrees, Asians/Pacific Islanders with 10,776, Hispanics with 9,459, and American Indians/Alaska Natives with 603.
• Although the number of S&E master’s degrees received by whites has grown since 2000, whites’ share of degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents decreased from 70% in 2000 to 61% in 2012 as the shares for blacks and Hispanics increased.
• Blacks’ share of S&E master’s degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents increased from 8% in 2000 to 10% in 2012, and Hispanics’ share increased from 5% to 8%. The share for Asians/Pacific Islanders declined from 10% in 2000 to 9% in 2012. The share for American Indians/Alaska Natives (0.5%) was the same in both years.
• Despite the increased shares for blacks and Hispanics since 2000, these groups remain underrepresented among S&E master’s degree recipients relative to their proportions in the U.S. college-age population in 2012 (blacks 15%, Hispanics 21%). The same is true for American Indians/Alaska Natives, who made up 0.9% of 18-24 year-olds in 2012.
• Both Asians/Pacific Islanders and whites are overrepresented among S&E master’s degree recipients compared to their respective 5% and 56% shares of the U.S. college-age population.