Engineers in the United States: An Overview of the Profession

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Abt Associates Inc. 55 Wheeler Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Engineers in the United States: An Overview of the Profession

Engineering Workforce Project Report # 2

Contract Number EEC-9413151

June 2004

Prepared for Linda Parker Project Coordinator Division of Engineering Education and Centers, National Science Foundation

Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. Center for Science and Technology Policy Statistics Quantum Research Corp. Inc

ENGINEERING WORKFORCE PROJECT

Engineers in the United States: An Overview of the Profession

June 2004 Linda Parker Project Coordinator Division of Engineering Education and Centers

National Science Foundation

With a foreword by Robert Weatherall

14687.604.7094.03

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ix

FOREWORD

xii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

xviii

INTRODUCTION

1

SECTION 1. WHO ARE AMERICA'S ENGINEERS?

5

Age

6

Gender

10

Underrepresented Minorities

12

Immigrants

13

SECTION 2. WHERE DO ENGINEERS WORK?

23

Employment Sectors and Engineering Occupations

24

Employment Sectors, by Age

28

Employment Sectors, by Degree Background

32

Employment Sectors, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity,

and Citizenship Status

39

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SECTION 3. ABOUT ENGINEERING OCCUPATIONS

43

Overall Trends in Engineering Occupations

44

Engineering Occupations, by Age

46

Engineering Occupations, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity,

and Citizenship Status

47

SECTION 4. DEGREE BACKGROUNDS

AND QUALIFICATIONS OF ENGINEERS

53

Engineers Without Degrees in Engineering

55

Mobility Among Degree Fields and Engineering Occupations

60

Licensing and Certification

66

BIBLIOGRAPHY

68

APPENDIX A. SUMMARY TABLE

69

APPENDIX B. TECHNICAL NOTES

73

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FIGURES AND TABLES

Figures

1. Employed engineering graduates and U.S. engineers: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. U.S. engineers, by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3. Women as a percentage of all U.S. engineers, by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . 10 4. Gender of U.S. engineers, by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5. Underrepresented minorities as a percentage

of all U.S. engineers, by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 6. U.S. engineers, by citizenship status: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 7. Citizenship status of U.S. engineers, by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 8. Number of non-native-born U.S. engineers, by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . 17 9. Percentage of U.S. engineers with at least one parent with

a bachelor's degree or higher, by age and native-born status: 1999 . . . . 21 10. Employment sector of U.S. engineers, by selected

engineering occupation: 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 11. Employment sector of U.S. engineers, by age: 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 12. Employment sector of U.S. engineers with doctorates,

by age: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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