Pathways of Master's Degree Recipients to and through the STEM Workforce

The Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS’s) Master’s Exit Survey, fielded by CGS and 12 partner institutions, captured a snapshot of master’s students who graduated in 2022 or 2023 from participating institutions in the study. Participating students had completed their master’s degrees during the height and waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and had navigated not only a changed academic landscape, but also a changed workforce upon graduation. The survey was part of a project that examines patterns of enrollment, career mobility, and pathways of students in and out of their master’s degrees and provides insight into the behaviors of students during the waning end of the COVID-19 recovery period. We found distinct patterns in STEM pathways and learned how students entered or exited STEM fields from their undergraduate field into their master’s field, based on gender and future career aspirations.

Key Takeaways

• The Council of Graduate Schools conducted a survey with 12 partner institutions to understand the experiences of master’s students graduating in 2022-2023 and their pathways into and through the STEM workforce during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The survey results pointed to there being systemic differences in the way that pathways in and out of STEM fields were chosen by students along their Master’s journey.
• There were differences in how students in different STEM fields reported how closely related their Master’s program was to their current occupation.