The STEM pipeline needs more Black professionals. FAMU shows the way.

FAMU is helping build the Black STEM pipeline, but the gap between earning a degree and reaching the highest levels of the technology economy remains wide.

Three Key Takeaways

• Only 3 percent of Black professionals hold executive roles in the technology C-suite, according to a recent Hechinger Report essay.

• HBCUs account for about 9 percent of four-year bachelor's degree-granting institutions but produce 28 percent of STEM bachelor's degrees earned by Black students.

• At FAMU, 47 percent of bachelor's degrees were awarded in STEM and health-related fields, putting the university at the center of the effort to expand Black representation in the nation's technical workforce.

America's technology economy is expanding rapidly, from artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to biotechnology and advanced engineering. Yet the people making decisions at the highest levels of those industries remain far less diverse than the workforce they serve.

Only 3 percent of Black professionals hold executive positions in the technology C-suite, according to a recent Hechinger Report essay examining the need for greater Black representation in STEM.

The statistic points to a problem that begins long before the boardroom: building a pipeline of Black students who have access to STEM education, persist through college and ultimately move into positions of influence.

Few institutions are more important to that pipeline than FAMU.

A STEM pipeline already in motion

FAMU's accountability data show that 47 percent of its bachelor's degrees in 2021-22 were in STEM and health-related disciplines, up from 36 percent in 2017-18. The university has set a goal of reaching 50 percent.

That translates into thousands of students pursuing fields such as engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, biological sciences, mathematics, pharmacy, nursing and other health professions.

FAMU has also expanded programs in areas with growing workforce demand. Its new cybersecurity programs, for example, prepare students for careers in information security and related technology fields, while the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering provides pathways into a broad range of engineering disciplines.

The university's College of Pharmacy adds another dimension to the STEM pipeline, connecting scientific education with health care, pharmaceutical research and biotechnology.

The result is a pipeline that extends well beyond the traditional image of STEM.

HBCUs carry an outsized share
FAMU's role reflects a larger national pattern.

According to The Hechinger Report, historically Black colleges and universities represent only about 9 percent of four-year bachelor's-degree-granting institutions but produce 28 percent of STEM bachelor's degrees earned by Black students.

That makes HBCUs disproportionately important to the nation's effort to diversify its scientific and technical workforce.

But producing graduates is only part of the challenge.

A previous Hechinger Report analysis found that Black students accounted for about 9 percent of science bachelor's degrees during the period studied, while their share of engineering degrees declined from 5 percent to 4 percent and their share of mathematics degrees fell from 7 percent to 4 percent.

The disparities become even more pronounced at the top of the professional ladder.

The gap between the degree and the boardroom

For FAMU, the challenge is no longer simply getting Black students into STEM classrooms. It is ensuring they have the experiences, connections and opportunities to turn those degrees into long-term careers and leadership.

The university is investing in that transition. FAMU's 2026 Accountability Plan identifies Engineering and Design, Health and Workforce Readiness, and Business Innovation as areas of focus, with planned investments in faculty recruitment, innovation laboratories, simulation training, industry partnerships and experiential learning. The university also supports nearly 90 undergraduate researchers each semester across more than 35 majors, giving students opportunities to conduct research, develop professional skills and prepare for graduate and professional study.

Those efforts matter because the economic stakes are significant. STEM occupations had a median annual wage of $106,360 in 2025, more than twice the $50,980 median for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. FAMU's 2026 plan reports a $46,700 median annual wage for its bachelor's graduates, while the university's latest accountability data show that 72.5 percent of bachelor's graduates were enrolled or employed after graduation.

Those figures show both the progress of the pipeline and the work that remains. Getting students into STEM programs matters. Helping them graduate matters. Connecting them to employers matters, too.

But the ultimate measure comes later.

From FAMU classrooms to the C-suite

FAMU is producing a growing pool of Black graduates prepared for careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health.

The larger question is what happens after they leave Tallahassee.

Do they become researchers who lead laboratories? Engineers who design new technologies? Entrepreneurs who build companies? Technology executives who make decisions about the future of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity? Scientists who direct pharmaceutical or biotechnology research?

Those outcomes will determine whether the STEM pipeline is simply producing more graduates or helping produce the next generation of Black leaders in industries that increasingly shape the economy.

For FAMU and other HBCUs, the mission does not end with a diploma.

The challenge is to make sure the pipeline that begins in the classroom continues through research, careers and professional advancement  all the way to the places where the industry's most consequential decisions are made.