Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 05/2014

Why so few students do maths and science

Ilaria Maselli, Miroslav BeblavĂ˝

January 2014

Centre for European Policy Studies

Abstract

Policy-makers often fret about the low number of university graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Proposed solutions often focus on providing better information for students and parents about the employability or average wages of different fields to emphasise that STEM professions pay. This paper argues that, from a personal point of view, students are actually making rational decisions, if all benefits and costs are factored into the equation. The authors conclude, therefore, that public policy needs to change the incentives to induce students to enter these fields and not just provide information about them.