ERIC Number: ED547610
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Apr
Pages: 10
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Physics Enrollments in Two-Year Colleges: Results from the 2012 Survey of Physics in Two-Year Colleges. Focus On
White, Susan; Chu, Raymond
Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics
This "Focus On" first considers the role two-year colleges (TYCs) play in post-secondary physics education. In their 2007 Survey of Undergraduate Seniors in degree-granting physics departments, the authors asked students if they had begun their post-secondary education at a TYC. Nine percent of the physics undergraduate seniors in 2007 had started their college education at a TYC. These physics majors differ significantly from those who did not start at a TYC. First, the physics seniors who started at a TYC are more racially diverse: about twenty percent of those who started at a TYC were Hispanic or a non-Asian minority. A second major difference between physics seniors who started at a TYC and those who did not is their high school physics experience. More than one-fourth of those who started at a TYC did not take physics in high school, and only 18% took AP physics. The 6% of those who did not start at a TYC and did not take physics is consistent with the 5% of high school seniors who attend a school where physics is not offered. After highlighting these findings, the authors of this "Focus On" determine how many two-year colleges might reasonably be expected to offer courses in physics and conclude with a discussion of the prevalence of physics offerings at two-year colleges.
Descriptors: Two Year Colleges, Postsecondary Education, Science Education, Physics, Student Surveys, College Seniors, Majors (Students), Student Characteristics, Racial Differences, Student Diversity, High School Students, Secondary School Science, White Students, Asian American Students, Hispanic American Students, Course Selection (Students), Enrollment Trends, College Science
Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3067; Fax: 301-209-0843; e-mail: stats@aip.org; Web site: http://www.aip.org/statistics
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Two Year Colleges; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A