Broadening Participation in STEM Graduate Degrees and the U.S. STEM Workforce: Understanding Application, Admissions, And Matriculation in STEM Graduate Education

保持美国在先进制造、先进无线、人工智能、生物技术、量子信息科学、半导体和微电子等领域的领导地位，取决于多元化STEM劳动力的人才。目前，关于学生进入STEM研究生教育和科学劳动力的途径的信息缺乏。该项目将收集国际和国内学生研究生学习的申请、录取和入学数据，并探讨进入研究生学习的途径如何因性别、种族/民族、公民身份、残疾状况、退伍军人身份、学习领域和学位水平而不同。通过研究不同群体在提交申请数量、录取人数以及被录取的潜在学生实际入学并攻读学位的可能性方面的差异，数据将有助于确定在哪些方面投入资源、改进招聘和录取做法，对增加高级STEM劳动力的规模、多样性和活力产生最大影响。该研究还将探讨国际学生在STEM研究生教育和职业生涯中发挥的重要作用，并探讨国际学生入学与美国国内学生入学之间的关系，特别是来自传统上在STEM领域代表性不足的群体。目前，关于研究生项目申请、录取和国内学生入学的趋势的资料很少。本项目将回答以下问题：根据学位水平和广泛而精细的STEM研究领域，国内和国际学生的研究生课程申请、录取和入学的主要趋势是什么？随着时间的推移，在广泛而精细的STEM领域，女性和种族和民族代表性不足的学生的比例是否发生了变化？社会人口统计学和性别群体在STEM的研究生申请、录取和入学总数方面是否存在差异？录取率和入学率是否因学习领域和国籍而异？在美国国内学生中，性别、种族/民族和学习领域的录取率和录取率是否存在差异？在可能的范围内，STEM研究领域还将探讨社会经济、第一代、退伍军人和残疾状况在录取率和入学率方面的差异。研究结果将为先进制造、人工智能、生物技术和量子信息科学等STEM领域学生的研究生申请、录取和入学率提供一个强有力的描述。该项目还将研究国际学生在STEM研究生教育中的作用，并探讨国际学生入学与美国国内学生入学之间的关系。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Maintaining US leadership in fields such as advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, and microelectronics depends on the talents of a diverse STEM workforce. Currently, there is a paucity of information about the pathways students follow into STEM graduate education and on to the scientific workforce. This project will collect data on applications, admissions, and matriculation in graduate study for both international and domestic students and explore how pathways into graduate study differ by gender, race/ethnicity, citizenship status, disability status, veteran status, field of study, and degree level. By examining differences between groups in the number of applications submitted, the number of acceptances offered, and the likelihood that if admitted a potential student will actually enroll and pursue a degree, data will help to identify where investments of resources and improvements in recruitment and admission practices can have the greatest effects on increasing the size, diversity, and vitality of the advanced STEM workforce. The study will also explore the important role international students play in STEM graduate education and careers and explore the relationship between enrollment of international students and those of U.S. domestic students, particularly from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.Little information exists today that documents trends in graduate program applications, admissions, and matriculation for domestic students. This project will answer the following questions: What are the key trends in graduate program applications, offers of admission, and matriculation for domestic and international students by degree level and broad and fine field of STEM study? Has the proportion of women and racially and ethnically underrepresented students changed over time by broad and fine STEM field? Are there differences in aggregated graduate applications, offers of admission, and matriculation in STEM by sociodemographic and gender groups? Do acceptance and matriculation rates differ by field of study and citizenship status? Among U.S. domestic students, are there differences in acceptance and matriculation rates by gender, race/ethnicity, and field of study? To the extent possible, differences in acceptance and matriculation rates by socioeconomic, first generation, veteran, and disability status will also be explored by fields of STEM study. The findings will provide a robust portrait of graduate application, admission, and matriculation rates of students in STEM fields such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum information science. This project will also examine the role that international students play in STEM graduate education and explore the relationship between enrollment of international students and those of U.S. domestic students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.