African-Americans gain more in CS MS but not CS Bachelors: Minorities Gain Some Ground in CS&E Degrees

We’re seeing this in the AP CS data, too — more minority students are entering CS, but at different levels.

For African Americans, the picture in computer science is mixed. The share of bachelor’s degrees they receive has fallen off since the high point of 2007, but new data suggest that their share of master’s degrees surged for almost a decade before retreating somewhat after 2013. African Americans are actually overrepresented among Americans who receive master’s degrees.[i] Why? A report in Science Magazine cited this trend in Master’s degrees as early as 2011 and speculated that efforts to attract more African Americans into computer science graduate degrees were bearing fruit. That may well be true, but disappointing trends in bachelor’s degrees will surely thwart further progress in advanced degrees.

Source: New Data: Minorities Gain Some Ground in Computer Science and Engineering Degrees | Change the Equation