Education Study Confirms U.S. Student Disinterest in Advanced Math and Science Degrees

NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- According to EducationDynamics' annual survey detailing students' online higher education degree trends, students were "following the jobs," searching for and pursuing degrees in health care and education, and showing dismal interest in the math and science fields.

According to the survey of students looking for degrees using EducationDynamics' site, eLearners.com, less than 1 percent of clicks were in search of information about obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, placing the field of study at the bottom of their eLearning Demand index.  Computer Science & Engineering was only slightly more desirable, receiving approximately 3 percent of clicks.

Conversely, Bachelor's degrees in Business received almost 10 percent of all clicks on the eLearners.com website and Bachelor's degrees in Health Professions received approximately 8 percent of all clicks.

"Students are following the demand in the job market when pursuing their advance degrees, while at the same time overlooking fields of study that are necessary to keep the U.S. competitive in the global market," said Steve Isaac, CEO of EducationDynamics. "It is disheartening to see the lack of enthusiasm in fields of study that have historically spurred innovation and led to a competitive differentiation for the United States in the global marketplace."

A similar trend extends to Master's degrees as well.  Less than 1 percent of clicks on the website were in search of a Master's degree in Engineering.  On the other hand, almost 12 percent of the searches were for Master's degree in Health Professions, and over 9 percent in search of a Master's degree in Education.

The survey also examined "eLearning Market Opportunity," which is a score based on how many clicks a site receives versus how many students sign up after viewing that program's offerings.  Bachelor's degrees in Engineering ranked number one in eLearning Market Opportunity index, suggesting that, of the students who clicked through this search, most did not find what they were looking for and decided abandon their search for the degree; this indicates room for growth and improvement in the Engineering program.  A Bachelor's degree in Engineering shows approximately 18 percent more room for growth than a Bachelor's degree in Education, and 20 percent more room for growth than a Bachelor's degree in Health Professions.

"There is great opportunity to enhance the offerings in the fields the United States really need students to take interest in, particularly engineering.  Program developers and businesses should focus on how to incentivize students to pursue advanced degrees in engineering and computer sciences.  We have always thought that improving access and affordability were the keys to regaining global competitiveness in the math and science fields, now we must generate interest and revamp the offerings and hopefully the students will follow," continued Isaac.

About the Survey

EducationDynamics is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll, and retain students.  The 2010 eLearning index is the latest research report featuring first-hand perspectives into supply-and-demand trends for online learning.  The survey contains proprietary data gathered from their portal eLearners.com in 2009.  The data is analyzed and organized to enhance research and create more successful programs.  

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research Services division, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.

SOURCE EducationDynamics