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The number of Latino students receiving bachelor’s degrees in the physical sciences and engineering is on the rise, according to a report from the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Statistical Research Center.
In 2012, for the first time ever, the number of Latinos earning physical science and engineering degrees surpassed 10,000/year.
Between 2002 to 2012, the number of Latinos earning bachelor’s degrees in the physical sciences and engineering rose by 78% and 64% respectively.
“While those numbers are encouraging, Hispanics are still underrepresented in many fields, including astronomy and earth sciences,” said Laura Merner, the research associate who authored the report. “More Hispanic students earning physical science degrees is a good thing, but it does not mean the representation gap has closed.”
For this analysis, Merner and her colleagues used data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
Other highlights from the AIP report include:
- An 85% increase in the number of Latinos earning any type of undergraduate degree;
- A total of 87,906 new bachelor’s degrees in the physical sciences and engineering earned by Latinos;
- An increase in the number of degrees earned by Latinos in all nine fields of engineering examined in the report;
- A two-fold increase the number of Latinos who earned bachelor’s degrees in physics over the last 10 years;
- Latino representation in the fields of engineering technology, civil, electrical and industrial engineering, is approximately the same as it is for the whole population.
Access the full report here.
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
