---
title: "Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics"
chunk: 1/8
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:21:26.781638+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It represents a broad and interconnected set of fields that are crucial for innovation and technological advancement. These disciplines are often grouped together because they share a common emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills. The term is typically used in the context of education policy or curriculum choices in schools. It has implications for workforce development, national security concerns (as a shortage of STEM-educated citizens can reduce effectiveness in this area), and immigration policy, with regard to admitting foreign students and tech workers.
There is no universal agreement on which disciplines are included in STEM; in particular, whether or not the science in STEM includes social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, economics, and political science. In the United States, these are typically included by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Labor's O*Net online database for job seekers, and the Department of Homeland Security. In the United Kingdom, the social sciences are categorized separately and are instead grouped with humanities and arts to form another counterpart acronym HASS (humanities, arts, and social sciences), rebranded in 2020 as SHAPE (social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy). Some sources also use HEAL (health, education, administration, and literacy) as a counterpart to STEM.

== Terminology ==

=== History ===
In the early 1990s the acronym STEM was used by a variety of educators. Beverly P. Schwartz developed a STEM mentoring program in the Capital District of New York State, and was using the acronym as early as November, 1991. Jane Silverstein, Founder of the STEM Academy at John F. Kennedy High School (Patterson, New Jersey) used the term “STEM” in the mid-1990s and claims to have created the first “STEM” curriculum. Charles E. Vela was the founder and director of the Center for the Advancement of Hispanics in Science and Engineering Education (CAHSEE) and started a summer program for talented under-represented students in the Washington, D.C. area called the STEM Institute. Based on the program's recognized success and his expertise in STEM education, Charles Vela was asked to serve on numerous NSF and Congressional panels in science, mathematics, and engineering education. Previously referred to as SMET by the NSF, it is through this manner that NSF was first introduced to the acronym STEM. One of the first NSF projects to use the acronym was STEMTEC, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Teacher Education Collaborative at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which was founded in 1998.
In 2001, at the urging of Dr. Peter Faletra, the Director of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists at the Office of Science, the acronym was adopted by Rita Colwell and other science administrators in the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Office of Science was also an early adopter of the STEM acronym.

=== Other variations ===
eSTEM (environmental STEM)
GEMS (girls in engineering, math, and science); used for programs to encourage women to enter these fields.
MINT (mathematics, informatics, natural sciences, and technology)
SHTEAM (science, humanities, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics)
SMET (science, mathematics, engineering, and technology); previous name
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics)
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics); add agriculture
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics); has more focus on applied mathematics
STEEM (science, technology, engineering, economics, and mathematics); adds economics as a field
STEMIE (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, invention, and entrepreneurship); adds inventing and entrepreneurship as a means to apply STEM to real-world problem-solving and markets.
STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine)
STM (scientific, technical, and mathematics or science, technology, and medicine)
STREAM (science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts, and mathematics); adds robotics and arts as fields
STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and mathematics); adds reading and arts
STREAM (science, technology, recreation, engineering, arts, and mathematics); adds recreation and arts

== Geographic distribution ==

By the mid-2000s, China surpassed the United States in the number of PhDs awarded and is expected to produce 77,000 PhDs in 2025, compared to 40,000 in the US.

== By country ==

=== Australia ===
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority 2015 report entitled, National STEM School Education Strategy, stated that "A renewed national focus on STEM in school education is critical to ensuring that all young Australians are equipped with the necessary STEM skills and knowledge that they must need to succeed." Its goals were to:

"Ensure all students finish school with strong foundational knowledge in STEM and related skills"
"Ensure that students are inspired to take on more challenging STEM subjects"
Events and programs meant to help develop STEM in Australian schools include the Victorian Model Solar Vehicle Challenge, the Maths Challenge (Australian Mathematics Trust), Go Girl Go Global and the Australian Informatics Olympiad.

=== Canada ===
Canada ranks 12th out of 16 peer countries in the percentage of its graduates who studied in STEM programs, with 21.2%, a number higher than the United States, but lower than France, Germany, and Austria. The peer country with the greatest proportion of STEM graduates, Finland, has over 30% of its university graduates coming from science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering programs.
SHAD is an annual Canadian summer enrichment program for high-achieving high school students in July. The program focuses on academic learning, particularly in STEAM fields.
Scouts Canada has taken similar measures to their American counterpart to promote STEM fields to youth. Their STEM program began in 2015.
In 2011 Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Seymour Schulich established the Schulich Leader Scholarships, $100 million in $60,000 scholarships for students beginning their university education in a STEM program at 20 institutions across Canada. Each year 40 Canadian students would be selected to receive the award, two at each institution, with the goal of attracting gifted youth into the STEM fields. The program also supplies STEM scholarships to five participating universities in Israel.

=== China ===