Instead, researchers found, they've been flat, with many Americans holding STEM degrees unable to enter the field and a sharply higher share of foreign workers taking jobs in the information technology industry.
Although many individuals with STEM degrees do not work in STEM fields, they report that their STEM education is relevant, if not essential, in performing their job assignments.
Miller, who serves as program coordinator at UH, adds that H-LSAMP has been "worthwhile" for many minorities; it armed them with valuable skills in STEM and allowed many students to obtain STEM degrees.
Young girls are not encouraged to study these subjects in school and even if they receive STEM degrees, many are not pursuing careers in these fields or staying in STEM professions.
Few U.S. college students have the necessary academic background to transfer into a STEM field, experts say, and many women and minority students who want to pursue STEM degrees are said to be frozen out by a chilly climate.
The recent call for applications may have greatly benefited from this rise, since many of those recent graduates (during years with the most STEM degrees) weren't yet eligible for NASA's 2012 application round.
As with many Stem subjects, maths is now a common entry requirement for an economics degree.
The criteria of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), for example, implied that many STEM jobs require specialized knowledge, but they may not require a baccalaureate or graduate degree.
The criteria of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), for example, implied that many STEM jobs require specialized knowledge but might not require a baccalaureate or a graduate degree.
It compares to just 15% who have Stem degrees.
