The recent report (Physics Today, December, p. 26) that bachelor's degrees in physics have been trending downward, has been concerning to say the least. While the B.Sc. (or B.A.) in Physics are generally not recognized as the province of the academic researcher, they are important nonetheless given they often are the primary qualification for high school teachers, technical writers in physics-related businesses and in the industrial engineering sphere. But that may in fact be the core reason for fewer bachelor's grads.
As noted in a recent (December 31) NBC News segment a much larger number of young adults are opting to go into trade schools as opposed to saddling themselves with an average of$29,000 in debt and not much to show for it. Why lay out up to $25,000- 30,000 a year for a physics B.Sc. to teach high school physics at say $45,000/year when one can earn $60,000-75,000 as an HVAC mechanic or electrician?
A number of the young males interviewed for the piece, indeed, admitted they had been accepted to four-year universities but instead opted to get an education in one of the trades, ranging from HVAC mechanics (one of the most popular because the remuneration is so high) to welding, construction and plumbing. Their investment? About $6k a year compared to a 4-year state university that may require 4-5 times more.
They have also followed the fortunes - or misfortunes - of peers who did go the 4-year university route but ended up in debt and are still waiting to afford a first home or apartment - while the HVAC mechanics and plumbers already have theirs - as well as plush bank accounts.
What we do know from the Phys. Today report is that the number of U.S. bachelor’s degrees awarded in the broader physical sciences declined about 10% from 2018 to 2022, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. And about 30% of those degrees were in physics. According to Patrick Mulvey, research manager for the American Institute of Physics statistics group the reason for the decrease is not clear.
However, it is interesting that the span of affected years includes the inception of the Covid 19 pandemic - which also saw universities closing their doors to in situ classes in favor of Zooms and digital access. For many parents - and students - the notion of their sitting at home taking Zoom classes (and courses) while still shelling out thousands of bucks per year didn't sit well. No surprise then from the end of 2020 one beheld a collapse in support of the value of higher education in general. In addition, grades tended to collapse and many thousands left their studies and had only debt to show for it.
As long as ten years ago in a blog post that drew plenty of attention:
Brane Space: Four Year Colleges Aren't The Only (or Best) Solution for High School Grads!
I wrote:
"The
natural route now to craftsman status and good future work in the U.S., as
noted by Dick Hilker an op-ed piece in the Denver Post is the community college. Hilker quotes Rhonda
Bentz (the state system's media and government relations director) that :
"the Voc-Technical route is the educational system's best kept
secret. Students come for two year degrees and then get real jobs."
As Hilker goes on to note:
"In other words there are solid alternatives to spending big bucks at
Big State U. to major in Tibetan Culture or Music Appreciation before winding
up as a clerk at Mega-Mart."
So the trend toward trade school apprenticeships and schooling was germinating even ten years ago, but it took a pandemic to kick it into high gear. Meanwhile, Physics departments are scratching heads wondering where are all the incoming freshmen. Well, they're now finishing their trade educations and ready to make more money than their B.Sc. Physics grad peers.
Additional data on the recent decline in physics bachelor’s degrees awarded by department type and on the number of physics degrees awarded in the 2022–23 academic year by institution can be found in the report at:
https://ww2.aip.org/statistics/roster-of-physics-department-with-enrollment-and-degree-data-2023
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