本報告旨在為理解包括學(xué)士學(xué)位、副學(xué)士學(xué)位和副學(xué)士學(xué)位認證課程在內(nèi)的高等教育在滿足科學(xué)、技術(shù)、工程和數(shù)學(xué)（STEM）勞動力日益增長的需求方面所起的作用提供新的知識。目前，需要STEM技能和培訓(xùn)的工作占美國經(jīng)濟所有工作的20%（Rothwell，2013）。目前的預(yù)測預(yù)計，STEM經(jīng)濟在2014年至2024年間的增長率將比所有職業(yè)的預(yù)測增長率快9%（Noonan，2017）。隨著STEM經(jīng)濟的擴張和對工人填補STEM工作崗位的需求不斷增長，企業(yè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人正在對大學(xué)、社區(qū)學(xué)院和技術(shù)學(xué)校施加壓力，并在某些情況下投資，以制定針對特定STEM職業(yè)的計劃，著眼于培養(yǎng)學(xué)生在當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)從事高增長工作（Tai，2012）。

This report aims to contribute new knowledge to understanding the role that postsecondary education—including bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, and sub-baccalaureate credentialing programs—plays in meeting the increasing demands of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. At present, jobs that require STEM skills and training constitute 20 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy (Rothwell, 2013). Current projections anticipate that the STEM economy will grow about 9 percent between 2014 and 2024—faster than the growth rate projected for all occupations (Noonan, 2017). With an expansion in the STEM economy and the growing demand for workers to fill STEM jobs, business leaders are putting pressure on—and, in some cases, investing in—universities, community colleges, and technical schools to develop programs that are tailored to specific STEM occupations, with an eye toward preparing students for high-growth jobs in their local communities (Tai, 2012).