Mismeasuring STEM?: Assessing STEM Course Taking Among US Bachelor’s Degree Graduates

Abstract STEM refers to four fields of study and occupation: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But STEM has taken on social and political meaning far beyond the sum of its component parts. Public and policy discussions of STEM, whether in education or employment, rest on a startling lack of clarity about what counts as STEM. Most studies of postsecondary STEM education focus on students’ programs of study as the measure of STEM education, but we find this metric leads to substantial mismeasurement. Instead, we argue that examining STEM course taking is a more accurate measure of STEM preparation among college students. This descriptive study establishes conceptual and operational definitions of STEM coursework and uses nationally representative college student transcript data to develop a more accurate measure STEM course taking. Finally, we analyze the extent of potential mismeasurement and estimate STEM course taking using this revised classification system. Among bachelor’s degree students, we find wide variation in the number of STEM courses completed by students both within and between programs of study. Moreover, we find that many students in non-STEM programs of study complete substantial amounts of STEM coursework at levels comparable to that of many STEM students.