Students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are much less likely to participate in study abroad programs during their college years than students in other majors.
According to Open Doors 2018, the Institute of International Education’s most recent survey of U.S. study abroad, less than 2% of all college students studied abroad in 2016-17, and of that small number of participants, only 5.3% were engineering majors and 2.8% were math or CS majors. The report highlights that while the number STEM majors in programs has increased over the past decade, STEM fields continue to be the most underrepresented fields in study abroad.
Yet international experience is vital for STEM students, who will be creating technologies that may impact the entire world. U.S. scientists and engineers also must be able to collaborate on multicultural, international teams in order to be successful in their careers and to tackle global challenges together……readmore
