# Pre-STEM

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{{more refs|date=October 2016}}

A '''pre-STEM''' program is a course of study at any two-year college that prepares a student to transfer to a four-year school to earn a [bachelor's degree](/source/bachelor's_degree) in a [STEM field](/source/STEM_fields).{{fact|date=October 2016}}{{where|date=October 2016}}

==Overview==
The concept of a pre-STEM program is being developed to address [America's](/source/United_States) need for more college-trained professionals in [science](/source/science), [technology](/source/technology), [engineering](/source/engineering), and [mathematics](/source/mathematics) (STEM).<ref>National Academies of Science. [http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463 ''Rising Above the Gathering Storm''], [Washington, DC](/source/Washington%2C_DC), USA, 2007.</ref> It is an innovation meant to fill a gap at [community colleges](/source/community_colleges) that do not have 'major' degree paths that students identify with on their way to earning an [Associates degree](/source/Associates_degree). Students must complete a considerable amount of STEM coursework before transferring from a two-year school to a four-year school and earn a [baccalaureate degree](/source/baccalaureate_degree) in a STEM field. Schools with a pre-STEM program are able to identify those students and support them with STEM-specific [academic](/source/Academic_advising) and career advising, increasing the student's chances of going on to earn a STEM baccalaureate degree in a timely fashion.

With over 50% of America's college-bound students starting their college career at public or private two-year school, and with a very small proportion of students who start college at a two-year school matriculating to and earning STEM degrees from four-year schools, pre-STEM programs have great potential for broadening participation in baccalaureate STEM studies.

==Example programs==
The effectiveness of pre-STEM programs is being investigated by a consortium of schools in Missouri: [Moberly Area Community College](/source/Moberly_Area_Community_College), [St. Charles Community College](/source/St._Charles_Community_College), [Metropolitan Community College](/source/Metropolitan_Community_College_(Missouri)), and  [Truman State University](/source/Truman_State_University).{{fact|date=October 2016}}

A larger group of schools met at the Belknap Springs Meetings in October 2009 to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by STEM-focused partnerships between 2-year and 4-year schools.{{fact|date=October 2016}} Each program represented a two-year school and a four-year school that were trying to increase the number of people who earn a baccalaureate degree in a STEM area through various means, some of which were pre-STEM programs.  Other methods includes summer [research](/source/research) experiences for community college students, enhanced support for community college students once they transfer to a four-year school, or simply understanding the challenges STEM transfer students face.  This meeting was made possible by funding from the [National Science Foundation](/source/National_Science_Foundation).  All participants were funded by an NSF STEP grant<ref>{{cite web| title=Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program  (STEP) | url=https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5488 | publisher=[National Science Foundation](/source/National_Science_Foundation) | location=United States | accessdate=30 October 2016 }}</ref> at the time of the meeting.

==See also==
*[STEM pipeline](/source/STEM_pipeline)
*[STEM Academy](/source/STEM_Academy_(disambiguation))
*[STEAM fields](/source/STEAM_fields)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.pre-stem.org/ Missouri Pre-STEM Pathways Program]
* [http://step.truman.edu/spectra ''Scientists Prepared, Enriched and Challenged Through Research-based Activities''] (SPECTRA), an NSF PRISM-funded program at [http://www.truman.edu/ Truman State University]

Category:Science education in the United States
Category:Engineering education in the United States
Category:Mathematics education in the United States

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pre-STEM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-STEM) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-STEM?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.