---
title: "Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics"
chunk: 4/8
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"
---

==== Immigration policy ====
Although many organizations in the United States follow the guidelines of the National Science Foundation on what constitutes a STEM field, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has its own functional definition used for immigration policy. In 2012, DHS or ICE announced an expanded list of STEM-designated degree programs that qualify eligible graduates on student visas for an optional practical training (OPT) extension. Under the OPT program, international students who graduate from colleges and universities in the United States can stay in the country and receive up to twelve months of training through work experience. Students who graduate from a designated STEM degree program can stay for an additional seventeen months on an OPT STEM extension.
As of 2023, the U.S. faces a shortage of high-skilled workers in STEM, and foreign talents must navigate difficult hurdles to immigrate. Meanwhile, some other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, have introduced programs to attract talent at the expense of the United States. In the case of China, the United States risks losing its edge over a strategic rival.

==== Education ====

By cultivating an interest in the natural and social sciences in preschool or immediately following school entry, the chances of STEM success in high school can be greatly improved. In his 2012 budget, President Barack Obama renamed and broadened the "Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP)" to award block grants to states for improving teacher education in those subjects. 
Calculus AB and Statistics are two of the most popular Advanced Placement (AP) exams, as of 2025.

Students with the highest standardized test scores commonly pick the STEM subjects as their majors while those with the lowest were more likely to choose education and agriculture.

During the 2010s, STEM has grown in popularity at the expense of the liberal arts and humanities.

STEM education often uses new technologies such as 3D printers to encourage interest in STEM fields. STEM education can also leverage the combination of new technologies, such as photovoltaics and environmental sensors, with old technologies such as composting systems and irrigation within land lab environments.
In 2006 the United States National Academies expressed their concern about the declining state of STEM education in the United States. Its Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy developed a list of 10 actions. Their top three recommendations were to:

Increase America's talent pool by improving K–12 science and mathematics education
Strengthen the skills of teachers through additional training in science, mathematics, and technology
Enlarge the pipeline of students prepared to enter college and graduate with STEM degrees
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also has implemented programs and curricula to advance STEM education to replenish the pool of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who will lead space exploration in the 21st century.
Individual states, such as California, have run pilot after-school STEM programs to learn what the most promising practices are and how to implement them to increase the chance of student success. Another state to invest in STEM education is Florida, where Florida Polytechnic University, Florida's first public university for engineering and technology dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), was established. During school, STEM programs have been established for many districts throughout the U.S. Some states include New Jersey, Arizona, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio.
Continuing STEM education has expanded to the post-secondary level through masters programs such as the University of Maryland's STEM Program as well as the University of Cincinnati.

==== Racial gap in STEM fields ====

In the United States, the National Science Foundation found that the average science score on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress was lower for black and Hispanic students than for white, Asian, and Pacific Islanders. In 2011, eleven percent of the U.S. workforce was black, while only six percent of STEM workers were black. Though STEM in the U.S. has typically been dominated by white males, there have been considerable efforts to create initiatives to make STEM a more racially and gender-diverse field. Some evidence suggests that all students, including black and Hispanic students, have a better chance of earning a STEM degree if they attend a college or university at which their entering academic credentials are at least as high as the average student's.

==== Gender gaps in STEM ====
Although women make up 47% of the workforce in the U.S., they hold only 24% of STEM jobs. Research suggests that exposing girls to female inventors at a young age has the potential to reduce the gender gap in technical STEM fields by half. Campaigns from organizations like the National Inventors Hall of Fame aimed to achieve a 50/50 gender balance in their youth STEM programs by 2020. 

==== Intersectionality in STEM ====
STEM fields have been recognized as areas where underrepresentation and exclusion of marginalized groups are prevalent. STEM poses unique challenges related to intersectionality due to rigid norms and stereotypes, both in higher education and professional settings. These norms often prioritize objectivity and meritocracy while overlooking structural inequities, creating environments where individuals with intersecting marginalized identities face compounded barriers.
For instance, individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups may experience a phenomenon known as "chilly climates" which refers to incidents of sexism, isolation, and pressure to prove themselves to peers and high level academics. For minority populations in STEM, loneliness is experienced due to lack of belonging and social isolation.