Students walking on campus

Department Demographics

We are committed to increasing diversity in our department. The first step in our journey is to acknowledge and quantify the problem. To this end, below we show plots for students and faculty where the populations are split into female/male, and URM/non-URM groups.

The URM definitions are:

  • URM Faculty: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
  • URM Student: American Indian or Native Alaskan, Black (Non-Hispanic Origin), Hispanic, Multi-Racial Minority.

This data has been collected by Human Resources or Admissions and represents how individuals self-identified using the definitions given above. We acknowledge that the data is arranged according to a gender binary system. Future questionnaires will incorporate an inclusive range of gender choices. We recognize that the current economic, education, political, and social systems in the U.S discriminate against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals, the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) community, and individuals with disability statuses. We also recognize that the field of physics, including our department, is disproportionate in terms of race, ethnicity, and disability status compared to U.S. population demographics.

These plots serve as an internal check and as a constant reminder of our primary goal of increasing diversity and creating a working/learning environment where everybody can thrive.

Male and Female Undergraduate Students

Fall 2010: Male 77%, Female 23% 
Fall 2011: Male 84%, Female16%
Fall 2012: Male 82%, Female 18%
Fall 2013: Male 71%, Female 29%
Fall 2014: Male 72%, Female 28%
Fall 2015: Male 69%, Female 31%
Fall 2016: Male 73%, Female 27%
Fall 2017: Male 70%, Female 30%
Fall 2018: Male 65%, Female 35%
Fall 2019: Male 62%, Female 38%

Male and Female Graduate Students

Fall 2010: Male 74%, Female 26%
Fall 2011: Male 79%, Female 21%
Fall 2012: Male 79%, Female 21%
Fall 2013: Male 83%, Female 17%
Fall 2014: Male 81%, Female 19%
Fall 2015: Male 83%, Female 17%
Fall 2016: Male 79%, Female 21%
Fall 2017: Male 75%, Female 25%
Fall 2018: Male 75%, Female 25%
Fall 2019: Male 78%, Female 22%

Male and Female Faculty

Fall 2010: Male 85%, Female 15% 
Fall 2011: Male 86%, Female 14%
Fall 2012: Male 87%, Female 13%
Fall 2013: Male 85%, Female 15%
Fall 2014: Male 86%, Female 14%
Fall 2015: Male 88%, Female 12%
Fall 2016: Male 90%, Female 10%
Fall 2017: Male 89%, Female 11%
Fall 2018: Male 83%, Female 17%
Fall 2019: Male 83%, Female 17%

 

URM, Non-URM & International Undergraduate Students

Fall 2010: URM 6%, Non-URM 85%, International 10% 
Fall 2011: URM 2%, Non-URM 91%, International 7%
Fall 2012: URM 8%, Non-URM 89%, International 3%
Fall 2013: URM 7%, Non-URM 90%, International 3%
Fall 2014: URM 10%, Non-URM 84%, International 7%
Fall 2015: URM 11%, Non-URM 81%, International 7%
Fall 2016: URM 8%, Non-URM 86%, International 6%
Fall 2017: URM 10%, Non-URM 83%, International 6%
Fall 2018: URM 12%, Non-URM 79%, International 10%
Fall 2019: URM 16%, Non-URM 75%, International 9%

URM, Non-URM & International Graduate Students

Fall 2010: URM 1%, Non-URM 55%, International 44%
Fall 2011: URM 2%, Non-URM 52%, International 46%
Fall 2012: URM 2%, Non-URM 48%, International 49%
Fall 2013: URM 2%, Non-URM 46%, International 52%
Fall 2014: URM 2%, Non-URM 47%, International 51%
Fall 2015: URM 1%, Non-URM 46%, International 52%
Fall 2016: URM 1%, Non-URM 43%, International 56%
Fall 2017: URM 0%, Non-URM 43%, International 57%​​​​​​​
Fall 2018: URM 1%, Non-URM 41%, International 58%​​​​​​​
Fall 2019: URM 3%, Non-URM 42%, International 55%​​​​​​​

URM & Non-URM Faculty

Fall 2010: URM 5%, Non-URM 95%
Fall 2011: URM 4%, Non-URM 96%
Fall 2012: URM 4%, Non-URM 96%
Fall 2013: URM 5%, Non-URM 95%
Fall 2014: URM 5%, Non-URM 95%
Fall 2015: URM 5%, Non-URM 95%
Fall 2016: URM 2%, Non-URM 98%
Fall 2017: URM 3%, Non-URM 97%
Fall 2018: URM 3%, Non-URM 97%​​​​​​​
Fall 2019: URM 3%, Non-URM 97%