Boost Federal Grants for Science and Engineering Degrees

Providing grants to colleges and universities that expand the number of undergraduates that receive a bachelor’s degree in science and engineering could increase the size of our high-tech workforce. Stanford University professor Paul Romer has argued that such universities with a fixed investment in faculty that teach in areas outside of science and engineering may face “internal political pressures to maintain the relative sizes of different departments.”

As a result, they many respond to increased student demand for degrees in science and engineering by making it more difficult for students to complete a degree. Training grants that are linked to the number of undergraduates receiving degrees in science and engineering would increase the incentives for universities to hire additional faculty in science and engineering.

For more on CAP’s policies for increasing innovation in science and technology, please see:

• A National Innovation Agenda: Progressive Policies for Economic Growth and Opportunity Through Science and Technology by Tom Kalil and John Irons