Diversity of Graduates from Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Degree Neuroscience Programs in the United States

The demography of United States graduates from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree programs is well-understood; however, data particularly describing the gender and ethnic diversity of graduates of neuroscience programs has not been analyzed, limiting our knowledge of specific areas where diversity and fair representation are lacking. Using over 30 years of data from the National Center for Education Statistics, we documented the demography of neuroscience graduates from bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs. Recent graduation trends indicate greater numbers of female graduates from bachelor's and graduate degree programs. White (non-Hispanic) males and females represent the largest group of graduates while Asian/Pacific Islanders represent the largest non-White group of graduates. Although the number of underrepresented minorities graduating from neuroscience degree programs at every level has increased in recent years, they still lag compared to White (non-Hispanic) and Asian/Pacific Islanders. These data provide valuable information that can be used to promote greater diversity among neuroscience graduates by higher education faculty and administrators and federal funding agencies.