STEM careers are growing, but traditional fields continue to lead university preference

Santo Domingo. – In a context in which the demand for professionals in science and technology is growing rapidly in the labor market, STEM careers They are beginning to gain greater relevance in the Dominican Republic. However, despite this impulse, student preference continues to lean towards traditional areas such as business administration and the legal and political sciences.

According to the data of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt)just the 17.5% of the total tuition universityequivalent to 91,163 students, were studying STEM careers, which encompass science, technologiesmathematics and engineering. Of them, men are the ones who have the greatest interest in these disciplines, with 64,893 registered, far surpassing women, who registered 26,270.

In contrast, about 24% of the country’s university students, that is, 123,448, concentrate on careers such as rightaccounting, financemarketing and advertising.

By 2024, the student enrollment in Higher Education Institutions (IES) amounted to 520 thousand 524 students, with a female majority in the classrooms with 343,873 enrolled, compared to 176,651 men.

High demand and quick job placement

The STEM careers are of high interest both for the Dominican Republic and for foreign nations, due to its high demand in the labor market. This is stated by the Minister of Higher Education, Franklin García Ferminwho has indicated that these areas have been prioritized for the granting of scholarships, with the aim of accelerating the development of the country.

“He market is demanding technical professionals who have training in STEM careers, all of these careers are in extraordinary demand,” says the academic.

According to the president of the Board of Directors of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), Guido Gómez Mazarathe job placement in the country for professionals in STEM areas is around 75%.

The official, who recommends young people study a STEM career, also highlights that these not only offer “a better salary and better living conditions”, but also respond to a reconfiguration of the labor market towards technology.

He Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mypimes (MICM) has also valued training in these disciplines, which include areas of knowing how data sciencescomputing, cybersecurity, environmental sciences and robotic engineering.

In his STEM report in the DR: “Education for Innovation and Growth”, he highlighted that these careers play a fundamental role in strengthening the Dominican productive sector and the economic development of the country.

However, he pointed out that there are still challenges that must be overcome to enhance your impactwhich is why it recommends greater investment in research and development and the expansion of academic offerings in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

Areas of preference

According to the data collected by Mescytin his interactive statistical platformin addition to business administration and legal and political sciences, other training camps with high demand among Dominican university students are health and well-beingwith 93,533 registered; he social sciences area, journalism and informationwith 63 thousand 679; and education, with 54,030 registered.

Also among the most preferred are the engineering, industry and constructionwith 43,483 students; as well as the Communication and Information Technologies (ICT)with 39,800 students; and the arts and humanitieswith a registration of 20 thousand 224.

In lower rank are the disciplines in the service area, such as hospitality and tourism, with 11,838 students; the agriculture, forestry, fishing and veterinary programswith only 6,974 registered; the natural sciences, mathematics and statistics with 3 thousand 584.