Global Undergraduate Degrees: From 2000 to 2014, there has been a steady increase across several countries in the number of bachelor’s degrees or equivalent (termed “first university degrees” for international statistical comparisons) in engineering awarded as seen in the National Science Board’s Science and Engineering Indicators (2018). While in 2014, the United States awarded 119,498 engineering degrees, China leads in awarding first university engineering degrees among selected countries with more than 1 million.
In 2019, overall, a greater share of male tertiary graduates (24.6%) than female tertiary graduates (6.6%) are from the fields of engineering, manufacturing, and construction. Moreover, among the countries presented in OECD’s (2019) Education at a Glance report, India had the highest proportion of women (28%) with a tertiary degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the total number of women with the same educational level. Countries that had the lowest proportion of women graduating with a tertiary STEM degree included Chile (6.9%) and Japan 7.4%)
The Science and Engineering Indicators (NSB, 2018) show that in 2014, across several countries, women represented less than half of first university engineering degree holders. For example, in the United States and in the United Kingdom, only about 20% of first university engineering degree holders were women. Australia and India had a higher proportion of women achieving the same feat, 27% and 32%, respectively, among first university engineering degree holders.
First University Degrees in Engineering of Selected Countries, 2014
Trends in First University Degrees in Engineering of Selected Countries, 2000-2014
Source: National Science Board. 2018. Science and Engineering Indicators 2018. NSB-2018-1. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. Available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/indicators/.
Percentage of Tertiary STEM Graduates, by Gender, 2019
First Engineering University Degree for Selected Countries, by Gender, 2014
Additional Resources
- Source: National Science Board. 2018. Science and Engineering Indicators 2018. NSB-2018-1.
- OECD (2021), Education at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators.
