96,150
▼ 13% since the 2020 peak
bachelor's graduates in AI hardware-related fields at US institutions, 2024
20142024

What the chart shows

Bachelor’s degrees in AI hardware-related fields, which include electrical and electronics engineering and industrial engineering, peaked at 110,511 in 2020 and fell to 96,150 in 2024, a 13% drop. Associate’s degrees fell from 27,449 in 2014 to 18,748.

Graduate degrees are roughly flat: 43,373 master’s graduates in 2024, close to 2016’s 43,445, and 9,555 PhD graduates, below the 2022 high of 9,917. Across all four levels, 167,826 people graduated in 2024, 8% below the 2018 high of 182,252.

Key numbers

MeasureValue
Bachelor's, 2020 (peak)110,511
Bachelor's, 202496,150
Master's, 202443,373
Associate's, 201427,449
Associate's, 202418,748
PhD, 20249,555

How to read it

  • AI hardware-related majors follow the January 2025 White House AI Talent Report and include Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, and Industrial Engineering.
  • Degrees completed at US institutions (IPEDS), including by international students.
  • The all-level total is the sum of the four degree levels in the data file.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2024, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 7.2.1: New AI-related postsecondary graduates in the United States, 2014–24 (AI hardware–related). Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
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