Geographic Accessibility to Postsecondary STEM Education

• In Event: 51.078 - MTCC Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 51.078-5 - Geographic and Geospatial Considerations and Contexts of Inequality

Abstract

Based on IPEDS and ACS data between 2012-2016, this study examines the relationship between STEM postsecondary education opportunities provided in a local community with local demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. We use a zero-inflated negative binomial model to fit counts of STEM degrees awarded in a local community. We find that STEM education opportunities are unevenly distributed in space. Communities with larger White population have more STEM education opportunities across all degree levels and institutional types. Communities with larger Asian population have considerably higher access to STEM bachelor’s degrees. In contrast, communities with larger Black and Hispanic populations tend to have more STEM education opportunities at the associate’s degree level but fewer STEM education opportunities at the bachelor’s degree level.

Authors

• Yi Meng, The Pennsylvania State University

• Qiong Zhu, The Pennsylvania State University

• Junghee Choi, The Pennsylvania State University