Field of degree: Women, men, and racial and ethnic groups

Underrepresented minorities

In 2016, underrepresented minority women received more associate’s degrees in science and in S&E technologies than did their male counterparts. Men, however, received more associate’s degrees in engineering. S&E technologies—science, engineering, health, and other technologies that prepare students for skilled technical jobs—are an important part of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce.

At each degree level, underrepresented minority women earned a higher share of S&E degrees than did underrepresented minority men in 2016. Over the past two decades, the share of both underrepresented minority women and men receiving S&E degrees has steadily increased at all degree levels. The share of both underrepresented minority women and men receiving S&E master’s degrees declined slightly in 2015 and 2016 because of an increase in master’s degrees earned by temporary visa holders. However, despite this share decrease, the number of master’s degrees earned by underrepresented minorities increased over this period.

American Indians or Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders

Two smaller minority groups that are not always presented in detail are American Indians or Alaska Natives as well as Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders. A total of 4,366 bachelor’s degrees in S&E fields were awarded to individuals in these two groups in 2016. Social sciences, psychology, and biological sciences had the most female bachelor’s degree recipients, while men most frequently studied social sciences, biological sciences, engineering, and computer sciences. In 2016, more American Indian or Alaska Native women received bachelor’s degrees than did men in this group, as did Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander women, who received slightly more bachelor’s degrees than their male counterparts.