Hispanics and Science Education
The enterprise of science begins with the assumption that basically everything in the world follows a rule or fundamental law. Science is the organized and thorough way for investigations to gather evidence that reveals those rules. To know how to systematically collect and analyze evidence, and to accurately report what it reveals, scientists require specialized training. The education and training that students acquire as recipients of a doctoral degree, e.g., a Ph.D., provides them with the know-how and skills to conduct original scientific research.
Although Hispanic enrollment at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. has increased exponentially over the past 20 years, Hispanics still encounter problems unrelated to their intellectual ability that can make it difficult for them to obtain a doctoral degree. For example, many Hispanic students are unable to acquire adequate elementary and high school education that would prepare them for the rigors of post-secondary and graduate studies. Further, Hispanic families often lack the economic and social resources to afford graduate school. Finally, Hispanics frequently are disadvantaged due to their parents’ immigrant and socioeconomic status that limit their familiarity with the U.S. education system.
With the exception of indigenous Americans in 2022, Hispanics had the lowest percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who had completed a bachelor’s, Master’s, or higher degree. However, between 2000 and 2021, the number of Hispanics that earned advanced degrees increased faster than increases in any other racial/ethnic group. In 2021, approximately 2.5 million Hispanics in the U.S. held Master’s or doctorate degrees. Nonetheless, only 8 percent of all advanced degree holders in the U.S. in 2021 were Hispanics.
Seven percent of Hispanics ages 25 and older held a graduate degree as of 2021. Of these, a majority were U.S. born as opposed to immigrants. As of 2021, about 290,000 more Latinas than Latinos held a graduate degree. Master’s degrees are the most frequent advanced degree held by Hispanics: 72 percent have Master’s, 18 percent a professional degree (e.g., degrees such as Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Dental Surgery, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and Juris Doctor [law]), and 10 percent have a doctorate.
According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), of the doctorates awarded to Hispanics in 2019 [see Figure HED-19], biological sciences and psychology were the top fields (each at 22 percent), followed by medical and other health sciences (15 percent), and engineering (13 percent). Latinas earned about 53 percent of doctorates in 2019.
For America to remain competitive, and young Hispanics to be empowered in professional job markets, they must be encouraged to pursue more science and engineering (S&E) subjects than reported for the year 2019 (e.g., physical sciences [8.5 percent], mathematics and statistics [1.5 percent], computer science [1.5 percent], and earth, atmospheric and ocean sciences [1.6 percent]. Table SHED-7 of the NSF report offers evidence that this message has already been received by Hispanics. Although the portion of S&E doctorates earned in 2019 by Hispanics (56 percent) was less than Whites (60 percent) and Asians (76 percent), the percent increase since 2011 was higher for Hispanics (75 percent) than Whites (16 percent) or Asians (32 percent).