Features of Modern Higher Education in the USA: STEM Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2312-5829/2025.3.3Keywords:
STEM education, USA, Ukraine, education institutions, teacher, bachelor’s, master’sAbstract
Obtaining higher education in the United States of America is a key catalyst for social mobility of the population, public confidence, which provides many individual advantages in modern society. In 2023-2024, graduates of higher education institutions in the United States will make up a larger share of employees in both public and private enterprises, compared to those with a lower level of education. The economic and social development of Ukraine, as a world leader, requires investment in education. In this regard, it is relevant to study the implementation of STEM education in higher education institutions in the United States of America, since over the past three decades the importance of STEM education for the country's economic competitiveness has been recognized by the United States Government as a level of official resolutions, laws and regulations, as an area that supports the development of ideas and solutions necessary to solve the country's global problems. The article examines the impact of the decentralization of the US higher education sector on the strategy, oversight, and accreditation of higher education institutions in the United States. The presence of independent and autonomous accreditation agencies in the US that can assess the performance of US higher education institutions is analyzed. The procedure for assessing the performance of US higher education institutions, which is implemented through funding for needs-based research, innovative programs, and individual federal loans, is analyzed, and covers such university areas as student education, management, academic programs, faculty and staff qualifications, and finance. The specifics of the distribution of STEM degrees in the field of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in private and public institutions are considered. The concept of «conceptualizing culture» in undergraduate STEM education is investigated. The influence of curators and teachers of STEM disciplines on the ability of students to succeed in STEM education is investigated. It has been determined that STEM education in the United States is characterized by support from the Federal Government and is the national educational framework of the United States, which ensures the competitiveness of the state in the field of future employment.
Downloads
References
Avsheniuk, N. M. (2002). Problemy standartyzatsii profesiinoi pidhotovky vchyteliv Velykoi Brytanii ta SShA: porivnialnyi analiz. Suchasni informatsiini tekhnolohii ta innovatsiini metodyky navchannia u pidhotovtsi fakhivtsiv : metodolohiia, teoriia, dosvid, problemy. [Problems of standardization of professional training of teachers in Great Britain and the USA: comparative analysis. Modern information technologies and innovative teaching methods in the training of specialists: methodology, theory, experience, problems]. Сollection of scientific works, 2(2), 157–162. Kyiv - Vinnytsia: DOV “Vinnytsia”. (ukr).
Bakhov, I. S. (2017). Tendentsii rozvytku polikulturnoi osvity u profesiinii pidhotovtsi fakhivtsiv Kanady i SShA (druha polovyna KhKh – pochatok KhKhI st.) [Trends in the development of multicultural education in the professional training of specialists in Canada and the USA (second half of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century)] : dissertation ... Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.04. Kyiv, 616 p. (ukr).
Belmaz, Ya. M. (2011). Profesiinyi rozvytok vykladachiv vyshchoi shkoly U Velykii Brytanii ta SShA [Professional development of higher school teachers in Great Britain and the USA] : author's abstract of dissertation ... Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: special 13.00.01 Educational and pedagogical sciences. Lugansk, 40 p. (ukr).
Bidyuk, N. M. (2010). Teoriia i praktyka profesiinoho navchannia bezrobitnykh u SShA [Theory and practice of vocational training of the unemployed in the USA] : author's abstract. dissertation ... Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: special. 13.00.04 Theory and methodology of vocational education. Kyiv, 44 p. (ukr).
Boychenko, V. V. (2021). Orhanizatsiino-pedahohichni zasady STEM-osvity u starshii serednii shkoli SShA [Organizational and pedagogical principles of STEM education in senior secondary school in the USA] : dissertation ... Doctor of Philosophy: 011. Sumy, 236 p. (ukr).
Valko, N. V. (2020). Systema pidhotovky maibutnikh uchyteliv pryrodnycho matematychnykh dystsyplin do zastosuvannia STEM tekhnolohii u profesiinii diialnosti [System of training future teachers of natural and mathematical disciplines for the application of STEM technologies in professional activity] : dissertation … Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.04. Zaporizhzhia, 510 p. (ukr).
Huletska, Ya. G. (2006). Stanovlennia polikulturnoi osvity v amerykanskii pedahohitsi. Pedahohichnyi protses : teoriia i praktyka [Formation of multicultural education in American pedagogy. Pedagogical process: theory and practice]. Collection of scientific works of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of Professional Education of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 5, 38–47. (ukr).
Elbrecht, O. M. (2010). Pidhotovka menedzheriv u vyshchykh navchalnykh zakladakh Velykoi Brytanii, Kanady, SShA [Training of managers in higher educational institutions of Great Britain, Canada, the USA] : dissertation … Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.04. Kyiv, 510 p. (ukr).
Zhukovsky, V. M. (2002). Moralno-etychne vykhovannia v istorii amerykanskoi shkoly [Moral and ethical education in the history of the American school]. Monograph. Ostrog: [b. v.], 428 p. (ukr).
Zvarych, I. M. (2014). Teoretychni i metodychni zasady otsiniuvannia profesiinoi diialnosti vykladachiv u vyshchykh navchalnykh zakladakh SShA (druha polovyna XX - pochatok XXI stolittia) [Theoretical and methodological principles of evaluating the professional activities of teachers in higher educational institutions of the USA (second half of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century)] : dissertation ... Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.01. Kyiv, 400 p. (ukr).
Kabinet Ministriv Ukrainy. Rozporiadzhennia vid 13 sichnia 2021 roku № 131-r. Kyiv. Pro zatverdzhennia planu zakhodiv shchodo realizatsii Kontseptsii rozvytku pryrodnycho-matematychnoi osvity (STEM-osvity) do 2027 roku. Dokument 131-2021-r, aktualna, aktualna redaktsiia – Pryiniattia 13.01.2021 [Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Order of January 13, 2021 No. 131-r. Kyiv. On approval of the action plan for the implementation of the Concept for the Development of Science and Mathematics Education (STEM Education) until 2027. Document 131-2021-r, current, current edition – Adoption 01/13/2021]. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/131-2021-%D1%80#Text (date of access: 05/24/2025) (ukr).
Koshmanova, T. S. (2002). Rozvytok pedahohichnoi osvity u SShA (1960-2000 rr.) [Development of pedagogical education in the USA (1960-2000)] : dissertation … Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.04. Kyiv, 589 p. (ukr).
Kuzmenko, O. S. (2019). Teoretychni i metodychni zasady navchannia fizyky studentiv tekhnichnykh zakladiv vyshchoi osvity na osnovi tekhnolohii STEM osvity [Theoretical and methodological principles of teaching physics to students of technical institutions of higher education based on STEM education technologies] : dissertation ... Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.02. Kropyvnytskyi, 480 p. (ukr).
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Rozporiadzhennia vid 5 serpnia 2020 r. № 960-r. Kyiv. Pro skhvalennia Kontseptsii rozvytku pryrodnycho-matematychnoi osvity (STEM-osvity). Dokument 960-2020-r, chynnyi, potochna redaktsiia – Pryiniattia vid 05.08.2020 [Ministers of Ukraine. Order of August 5, 2020 No. 960-r. Kyiv. On approval of the Concept of the Development of Natural and Mathematical Education (STEM Education). Document 960-2020-r, current version - Adoption of 08/05/2020]. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/960-2020-%D1%80#Text (access date: 05/24/2025) (ukr).
Nagach, M. V. (2008). Pidhotovka maibutnikh uchyteliv u shkolakh profesiinoho rozvytku v SShA : [Training of future teachers in schools of professional development in the USA] : author's abstract of the dissertation ... Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences: special 13.00.04 Theory and methodology of professional education. Kyiv, 21 p. (ukr).
Pasynkova, I. V. (2005). Systema pidhotovky bakalavriv humanitarnykh nauk z inozemnoi movy v universytetakh SShA [System of training of bachelors of humanities in a foreign language at universities in the USA] : dissertation ... Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.04. Kyiv, 203 p. (ukr).
Pylypenko, O. S. (2023). Formuvannia STEM-kompetentnostei studentiv zakladiv fakhovoi peredvyshchoi osvity u navchanni matematyky [Formation of STEM-competences of students of institutions of professional higher education in teaching mathematics] : dissertation ... Doctor of Philosophy. : 015. Kryvyi Rih, 284 p. (ukr).
Pikalova, V. V. (2021). Vykorystannia paketu GeoGebra yak instrumenta realizatsii kontseptsii STEM-osvity u protsesi pidhotovky maibutnikh uchyteliv matematyky [Using the GeoGebra package as a tool for implementing the concept of STEM-education in the process of training future teachers of mathematics] : dissertation ... Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences: 13.00.10. Starobilsk, 193 p. (ukr).
Ponomarenko, O. V. (2012). Problema formuvannia liderskykh yakostei u pedahohichnii osviti SShA [The problem of forming leadership qualities in pedagogical education in the USA] : dissertation ...Candidate of Pedagogy: 13.00.01. Nizhyn, 221 p. (ukr).
Pro skhvalennia Stratehii rozvytku vyshchoi osvity v Ukraini na 2022-2032 roky: Rozporiadzhennia Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrainy vid 23 liutoho 2022 r. № 286-r. Dokument 286-2022-r, chynnyi, potochna redaktsiia. Baza danykh «Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy» / VR Ukrainy. [On approval of the Strategy for the development of higher education in Ukraine for 2022-2032: Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated February 23, 2022 No. 286-р. Document 286-2022-р, current, current edition. Database "Legislation of Ukraine" / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/286-2022-%D1%80#Text (date of access: 05/24/2025). (ukr).
Rakhmanina, A. S. (2024). Pidhotovka maibutnikh pedahohiv u zakladakh vyshchoi osvity Ukrainy zasobamy STEM-tekhnolohii [Training of future teachers in higher education institutions of Ukraine using STEM technologies] : dissertation ... Doctor of Philosophy. : 015. Kyiv, 205 p. (ukr).
Rybachuk, K. V. (2008). Pidhotovka maibutnikh pedahohiv do profesiinoi diialnosti v universytetakh SShA [Preparation of future teachers for professional activity in US universities] : author's abstract. dis…. PCandidate of pedagogical Sciences: special. 13.00.01 General pedagogy and history of pedagogy. Kirovograd, 20 p. (ukr).
Romanovsky, O. O. (2000). Osoblyvosti vyshchoi osvity SShA [Peculiarities of higher education in the USA]. Native school, 1, 31–50. (ukr).
Aikenhead, G. (1998). Many students cross cultural borders to learn science: Implications for teaching. Australian Science Teachers’ Journal, 44(4), 9–12.
Aikenhead, G., Ogawa, G. (2007). Ingenious knowledge and science revisited. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2(3), 539–620.
Batyuk, L. (2025). Major aspects of STEM education based on U.S. government initiatives. Educational Challenges, 30(1), 88–105. https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2025.30.1.06
Batyuk, L., Zhernovnykova, О. (2022). Modern educational digital competence of future doctors of Poland as a European state. New Collegium, 3, 55–65. https://doi.org/10.30837/nc.2022.3.55
Carleone, H. B., Johnson, A. (2007). Understanding the science experiences of women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1187–1218. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20237
Chemers, M.M., Zurbriggen, E.L., Syed, M., Goza, B.K., Bearman, S. (2011). The role of efficacy and identity in science career commitment among underrepresented minority students. Journal of Social Issues, 67(3), 469–491. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01710.x
Dai, T., Cromley, J.G. (2014). Changes in implicit theories of ability in biology and drop out from STEM majors: A latent growth curve approach. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(3), 233–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.06.003
Dweck, C.S., Leggett, E.L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256–273. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.95.2.256
Eagan, K., Hurtado, H, Figueroa, T., Hughes, B. (2014). Examining STEM Pathways among Students Who Begin College at Four-Year Institutions. Commissioned paper prepared for the Committee on Barriers and Opportunities in Completing 2- and 4-Year STEM Degrees, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. 27 p.
Eaton, J. S. (2015). An Overview of U.S. Accreditation. Washington, DC: Council for Higher Education Accreditation. 12 p.
Fleming, J. (1984). Blacks in College: A Comparative Study of Students’ Success in Black and White Institutions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 276 p.
Gapinski, A. J. (2010). Higher Education: Europe vs. USA. Eighth LACCEI Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology (LACCEI’2010). “Innovation and Development for the Americas”, June 1-4, 2010, Arequipa, Perú. 1–7.
Good, C. (2012). Why do women opt out? Sense of belonging and women’s representation in mathematics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(4), 700–717. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026659
Crimson Education. (2025). What Are the Top Liberal Arts Schools in 2025? Retrieved from https://www.crimsoneducation.org/zh/blog/what-is-the-top-liberal-arts-college-in-the-us/
Higher Education in Science and Engineering. Executive Summary.Science and Engineering Indicators U.S. National Science Foundation. National Science Board. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). 2025. Retrieved from https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb202332)
Hurtado, S., Eagan, M. K., Tran, M. C., Newman, C. B., Chang, M. J., Velasco, P. (2011). We do science here: Underrepresented students’ interactions with faculty in different college contexts. The Journal of Social Issues, 67(3), 553–579. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01714.x
Johnson, D. R. (2012). Campus racial climate perceptions and overall sense of belonging among racially diverse women in STEM majors. Journal of College Student Development, 53(2), 336–346. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2012.0028
Jurgens, J. C. (2010). The Evolution of Community Colleges. College Student. Affairs Journal, 28(2), 251–261.
Ko, L. T., Kachchaf, R. R., Hodari, A. K., Ong, M. (2014). Agency of women of color in physics and astronomy: Strategies for persistence and success. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 20(2), 171–195. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWOMENMINORSCIENENG.2014008198
Lee, L. A., Hansen, L. E., Wilson, D. M. (2006). The Impact of Affective and Relational Factors on Classroom Experience and Career Outlook among First-year Engineering Undergraduates. Presentation at the Frontiers in Education 36th Annual Conference, Oct. 27–31, San Diego, CA.
Locks, A. M., Hurtado, S., Bowman, N. A., Oseguera, L. (2008). Extending notions of campus climate and diversity to students’ transition to college. Review of Higher Education, 31(3), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2008.0011
Ma, J., Baum, S. (2019). Trends in Community Colleges: Enrollment, Prices, Student Debt, and Completion. New York: College Board. Retrieved from https://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/trends-in-community-colleges-research-brief.pdf
Ma, J. Matea, P. (2023). Education Pays 2023: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society. New York: College Board. 43 p.
Marder, M. (2022). UTeach’s First 25 Years: Preparing Teachers Is a Mission. Retrieved from https://uteachinstitute.medium.com/uteachs-first-25-years-preparing-teachers-is-a-mission-b8aef0b876fd
National Center for Education Statistics. (2025). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/8_21_2024.asp
National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2011). Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 286 p. https://doi.org/10.17226/12984.
National Center for Health Statistics. (2018). Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey, 2018, Table A-14. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/NHIS/ SHS/2018_SHS_Table_A-14.pdf.
National Center for Health Statistics. (2019). Health, United States, Table 018. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/data-finder.htm?year=2019&table=Table%20018.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). (2025). Retrieved from https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb202332
Partner with Us: Transform Your STEM Teacher Preparation Program. (2025). The University of Texas at Austin 2025. Retrieved from https://institute.uteach.utexas.edu/partner.
Perez, T., Cromley, J.G., Kaplan, A. (2014). The role of identity development, values, and costs in college STEM retention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(1), 315–329.
Smith, J., Lewis, K., Hawthorne, L, Hodges, S. (2013). When trying hard isn’t natural: Women’s belonging with and motivation for male-dominated STEM fields as a function of effort expenditure concerns. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212468332
Snipes, J., Fancsali, C., Stoker, G. (2012). Student Academic Mindset Interventions: A Review of the Current Landscape. Washington, DC: IMPAQ International.
Top Public Schools. (2025). U.S. News & World Report L.P. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc
UMBC: A University System of Maryland. (2025). https://meyerhoff.umbc.edu/
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2023a. (2025). Educational Attainment for Workers 25 Years and Older by Detailed Occupation, Employment Projections Program. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/ educational-attainment.htm.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2023b. (2025). Unemployment Rates for Persons 25 Years and Older by Educational Attainment. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/unemploymentrates-for-persons-25-years-and-older-by-educational-attainment.htm.
U.S. Census Bureau. 2021. (2025). “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020.” Current Population Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/voting-and-registration/ p20-585.html.
U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Key Data Highlights Focusing on Race and Ethnicity and Promising Practices. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education.
Van, N. M., Zeidenberg, M. (2014). Hidden STEM Knowledge Producers: Community Colleges’ Multiple Contributions to STEM Education and Workforce Development. Commissioned paper prepared for the Committee on Barriers and Opportunities in Completing 2- and 4-Year STEM Degrees, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://sites.nationalacademies.org/ cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_088831.pdf
Vespa, J. Medina, L., Armstrong, D. M. (2020). Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
Williams, M. M., George-Jackson, C. E. (2014). Using and doing science: Gender, self efficacy, and science identity of undergraduate students in STEM. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 20(2), 99–126. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2014004477
World Scientist and University Rankings 2025. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.adscientificindex.com/university-ranking/?funding=Private
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Educological discourse

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Автори зберігають за собою всі авторські права та одночасно надають журналу право першої публікації на умовах лізенції Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, що дозволяє розповсюджувати даний матеріал із зазначенням авторства та первинної публікації в даному журналі.