At first glance, a new federal report on STEM degree production looks like good news for Arizona.
From 2001 to 2009, the number of awards conferred in science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM fields) is up 95 percent.
However, the number of degrees awarded in all fields is up 109 percent.
So the good news is that more students are earning STEM degrees. The bad news is those students are a slightly smaller portion of all graduates -- at 9 percent, down from 9.5 percent.
Another interesting observation is that no other state comes close to Arizona's increase in degree productivity. The U.S. as a whole increased degrees awarded in all fields by 35.5 percent in the 2001-2009 period, and increased awards in the STEM fields by 12.4 percent.
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Arizona is producing nearly four times more degrees in the computer and information sciences. The state is also producing more than twice the number of degrees in the physical sciences than is was in 2001. But Arizona produced slightly fewer engineers in 2009 than in 2001.
The report includes all degree levels, from a certificate to a PhD. It also reports on women and minorities in the STEM fields.