Analyzing Factors Related to STEM Career Persistence Among Recent College Graduates

• In Event: STEM in and Before the Classroom

Abstract

Recent policy debates have drawn increasing attention to the need for more STEM graduates in the U.S. However, contradictory research highlights student attrition from STEM fields after college. This study explores this debate, finding 60 percent of recent STEM graduates from a longitudinal study expect to remain in the field at age thirty. Quantitative analyses of survey results show that desiring to be an expert in one’s field and attending inclusive-selectivity institutions result in increased likelihood of STEM career persistence, while lower socioeconomic status or studying abroad correlates to alternate career paths. The study also supports emerging evidence that women and men fare equally well in terms of STEM career persistence after completing a bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Authors

• Samantha Marie Rogers, University of Georgia

• Andrew Crain, University of Georgia - Athens