CHICAGO, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The number of technology degrees issued by U.S. schools in the past decade fell 11 percent while technology jobs grew 13 percent, CareerBuilder said.
A study from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists released Thursday said the decline in tech-related degrees between 2003 and 2012 was especially drastic in larger metropolitan areas. The greatest decreases were in New York City (52 percent), San Francisco (55 percent), Atlanta (33 percent), Miami (32 percent) and Los Angeles (31 percent).
"The slowdown in IT degrees over the last decade may have been influenced, in part, by the dot-com bubble collapse and by more recent trends of tech workers being trained by employers or trained through informal programs outside of a traditional academic setting," said Matt Ferguson, chief executive officer of CareerBuilder. "The deficit in IT degree completions is concerning when you consider that there is already a considerable gap between the demand for and supply of IT labor in the U.S. today. Degrees in health professions, engineering, business, liberal arts and education are growing rapidly and we need IT degrees to keep pace."
While technology degrees declined over the past decade, health-related degrees -- most in nursing and allied health fields -- saw a boost of 112 percent. Liberal arts and humanities grew by 47 percent, engineering by 37 percent, management and marketing 33 percent and education by 18 percent, the study said.
