{"id":147,"date":"2014-12-21T13:19:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-21T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2014\/12\/the-number-of-non-americans-studying-stem-in-the-u-s-says-nothing-about-appropriate-immigration-policy.html"},"modified":"2015-02-24T23:28:05","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T05:28:05","slug":"the-number-of-non-americans-studying-stem-in-the-u-s-says-nothing-about-appropriate-immigration-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2014\/12\/the-number-of-non-americans-studying-stem-in-the-u-s-says-nothing-about-appropriate-immigration-policy.html","title":{"rendered":"The number of non-Americans studying STEM in the U.S. says nothing about appropriate immigration policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

You\u2019ve likely read this article<\/a>, or any of the multiple similar ones, articles promoting increased immigration of skilled workers based on data such as this:<\/p>\n

On the high-skill end of the spectrum, 56 percent of engineering doctoral degrees, 51 percent of computer science doctoral degrees, and 44 percent of physics doctoral degrees were awarded in 2011 to students who were neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents. National Science Foundation data show that 163,000 foreign graduate students studied science and engineering in U.S. universities in 2010, up from 152,000 in 2008.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Proposals have been made to give any STEM graduate of a U.S. university (or perhaps, specifically graduate programs there) automatic permanent residence here.<\/p>\n

But this is based on a false understanding of what this statistic means.<\/p>\n

To begin with, what we don\u2019t know is this: \u00a0are these spots in doctoral programs \u201cexcess\u201d spots that would otherwise go unfilled, or are qualified American students losing out to non-Americans who, by virtue of the fact that these universities attract the \u201ccream of the crop,\u201d best them in qualifications? \u00a0More generally speaking, is there a true \u201cshortage\u201d of American STEM graduates? \u00a0The fact that we have non-Americans studying here does not in any way \u201cprove\u201d any such shortage, any more than the fact that there are non-American tourists at the Grand Canyon proves that there are insufficient American tourists. \u00a0And, if there is a true shortage, should we not be growing our own? \u00a0Are we not at risk, if we rely on other countries, in the same way as \u201cdependence on foreign oil\u201d is a worry?<\/p>\n

Alternatively, one could say that we, as a country, should have a policy of admitting as a permanent resident anyone with a degree in a STEM field from a high-quality university, because technically-skilled immigrants are a plus for the country. \u00a0But in that case, what does it matter how many students get their credentials from, specifically, an American university?<\/p>\n

And, in the end, if what is happening is that we\u2019re pulling the best and the brightest from China, India, Africa, and elsewhere to attend our universities, in a very intentional brain drain, that doesn\u2019t really sit right with me. \u00a0Consider Africa specifically: \u00a0they sorely need talented graduates to develop their own countries. \u00a0On the other hand, if we\u2019re bringing the wealthiest students from these countries, those who have wealthy and often politically connected parents, are there unintended consequences there?<\/p>\n

The American university system, insofar as we\u2019re attracting significant students from abroad, who, in in many cases, are being actively recruited because they\u2019re full-pay and contribute to the bottom line, is a sort of export industry, even though it takes place on American soil. \u00a0Functionally, it\u2019s roughly the equivalent, in terms of its beneficial effect on the American economy, of universities setting up branches abroad \u2014 and should have just as much, or just as little, impact on debates over American immigration policy.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve likely read this article, or any of the multiple similar ones, articles promoting increased immigration of skilled workers based on data such as this: On the high-skill end of the spectrum, 56 percent of engineering doctoral degrees, 51 percent of computer science doctoral degrees, and 44 percent of physics doctoral degrees were awarded in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[46,105],"class_list":["post-147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-immigration","tag-stem"],"yoast_head":"\nThe number of non-Americans studying STEM in the U.S. says nothing about appropriate immigration policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You've likely read this article, or any of the multiple similar ones, articles promoting increased immigration of 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