STEM workforce needs of the U.S. Department of Defense: Background data Rolf Lehming NAE/NRC August 1, 2011 National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics

NS&E = natural sciences and engineering; underrepresented minorities = Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska native SOURCE: NSF?NCSES, WebCaspar data system.

Life sciences

DOD STEM employment DOD: major employer of STEM workers, especially IT both hard- and software DOD civilian workforce is getting more NS&E intensive Between 15% and 30% of physical scientists and IT specialists are retirement eligible

NS&E bachelor’s degrees Modest increases in engineering and physical sciences degrees over 15 years, big increases in life sciences, computer science degrees slipping broadly after “Y2K” peak Physical sciences and engineering bachelor’s degrees closely mirror college-age cohort size Blacks and Hispanics earn NS&E bachelor’s degree percentages well below their population share. Asians exceed it, as do Whites to a lesser extent

NS&E master’s degrees A quarter of U.S. NS&E master’s degrees are earned by temporary visa holders Nearly half in engineering, half in math/computer science, 60% in electrical/electronic engineering U.S. majority whites earn sharply lower shares of NS&E master’s degrees, 10 percentage points or more below 1995 levels Exception is physical sciences—stable share

NS&E doctorates More than one-third of U.S. NS&E doctorates are earned by temporary visa holders 57% of those in engineering and well above half in electrical engineering and computer science Recently the percentage of NS&E doctorates earned by temporary visa holders has declined More than half of temporary visa holders earning a U.S. doctorate choose to stay in the U.S., and many of them eventually remain here

Questions? Rolf Lehming Nirmala Kannankutty Jaquelina Falkenheim We are now the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics A new name. A broader mission.