More than two-thirds of college students in the US who initially express an interest in studying physics drop out to pursue another degree. That is according to a five-year-long survey by the American Institute of Physics, which found that students often quit due to a lack of confidence in mathematics or having poor experiences within physics departments and instructors. Most students, however, ended up in another science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field.
Carried out by AIP Statistical Research, the survey initially followed almost 4000 students in their first year of high school or college who were doing an introductory physics course at four large, predominantly white universities.
Students highlighted “learning about the universe”, “applying their problem-solving and maths skills”, “succeeding in a challenging subject” and “pursuing a satisfying career” as reasons why they choose to study physics.
Anne Marie Porter and her colleagues Raymond Chu and Rachel Ivie concentrated on the 745 students who had expressed interest in pursuing physics, following them for five academic years.
Over that period, only 31% graduated with a physics degree, with most of those switching to another degree during their first or second year. Under-represented groups, including women, African-American and Hispanic students, were the most likely to avoid physics degree courses.
Pull and push
While many who quit physics enjoyed their experience, they left due to “issues with poor teaching quality and large class sizes” as well as “negative perceptions that physics employment consists only of academic positions and desk jobs”. Self-appraisal played a role in the decision to leave too. “They may feel unable to succeed because they lack the necessary skills in physics,” Porter says. “That’s a reason for concern.”
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Porter adds that intervention early in college is essential to retain physicists with introductory physics courses being “incredibly important”. Indeed, the survey comes at a time when the number of bachelor’s degrees in physics offered by US universities is growing more slowly than in other STEM fields.
Meanwhile, a separate report published by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has called on the US government to adopt a new strategy to recruit and retain talent in STEM subjects. In particular, the report urges Congress to smooth the path to permanent residency and US citizenship for foreign-born individuals working in STEM fields.
