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Table 1 Average grade offset of students in different majors, as measured by the difference in the average observed and calibrated GPAs of each major

From: STEM courses are harder: evaluating inter-course grading disparities with a calibrated GPA model

Degree

n

Avg. Obs. GPA

Avg. Cal. GPA

Avg. Offset

Computer Engineering

1959

3.09

3.38

− 0.29

Electrical Engineering

2960

3.18

3.44

− 0.26

Chemical Engineering

1457

3.18

3.42

− 0.24

Engineering Mechanics

310

3.08

3.32

− 0.24

Engineering Physics

519

3.29

3.48

− 0.20

Physics

687

3.13

3.33

− 0.20

Math and Computer Science

374

3.05

3.24

− 0.19

Computer Science

2790

3.19

3.38

− 0.19

Materials Science and Engr

1004

3.23

3.40

− 0.18

Computer Sci and Astronomy

9

3.00

3.18

− 0.18

Aerospace Engineering

1174

3.12

3.30

− 0.18

Civil Engineering

2275

3.18

3.35

− 0.17

General Engineering

1197

3.11

3.27

− 0.16

Astronomy

120

2.77

2.92

− 0.16

Industrial Engineering

553

3.16

3.32

− 0.16

Statistics and Computer Science

107

3.15

3.30

− 0.15

Nuclear, Plasma, Radiolgc Engr

322

3.04

3.20

− 0.15

Computer Sci and Chemistry

13

3.17

3.31

− 0.14

Mechanical Engineering

2508

3.26

3.40

− 0.14

Nuclear Engineering

127

3.25

3.34

− 0.09

Computer Sci and Anthropology

9

2.95

3.03

− 0.08

Statistics

504

3.10

3.17

− 0.07

Actuarial Science

1112

3.34

3.41

− 0.07

Biochemistry

345

3.37

3.44

− 0.07

Agricultural Engineering

108

3.19

3.25

− 0.06

Bioengineering

467

3.47

3.53

− 0.06

Agricultural and Biological Engr

326

3.14

3.20

− 0.06

Chemistry

1707

3.14

3.20

− 0.06

Molecular and Cellular Biology

4654

3.38

3.41

− 0.03

Mathematics

1480

3.33

3.36

− 0.02

Teaching of Latin

2

3.47

3.49

− 0.01

Engineering Undeclared

10

2.90

2.87

0.03

Computer Sci and Linguistics

16

3.36

3.31

0.05

Integrative Biology

1713

3.22

3.16

0.06

Economics

3463

3.19

3.12

0.07

Geology

241

2.98

2.90

0.08

Finance

185

3.36

3.28

0.09

Agr Engineering and Agr Science

23

2.75

2.66

0.09

Atmospheric Sciences

205

3.07

2.96

0.11

Technical Systems Management

694

2.87

2.73

0.14

Biology

927

3.23

3.06

0.17

Philosophy

324

3.01

2.83

0.18

Classics

80

3.30

3.10

0.20

Earth, Soc, Env Sustainability

493

3.03

2.83

0.20

Russian Lang and Literature

8

3.21

3.00

0.21

Geography

141

3.03

2.81

0.22

Linguistics

205

3.27

3.05

0.22

Germanic Lang and Lit

74

3.18

2.96

0.22

Psychology

5211

3.34

3.10

0.23

Religious Studies

38

3.17

2.92

0.25

Teaching of German

10

3.46

3.21

0.25

Political Science

3081

3.16

2.90

0.26

Individual Plans of Study

85

3.39

3.13

0.26

Religion

30

3.21

2.94

0.27

Anthropology

558

3.15

2.86

0.28

E Asian Languages and Cultures

228

3.18

2.90

0.28

Italian

19

3.06

2.77

0.29

Global Studies

525

3.38

3.07

0.31

History

1552

3.28

2.97

0.31

Latin American Studies

19

3.09

2.78

0.31

International Studies

537

3.34

3.03

0.31

Spanish

658

3.22

2.92

0.31

Russian and E European Studies

9

3.21

2.89

0.32

Teaching of Spanish

127

3.69

3.36

0.33

French

155

3.31

2.98

0.33

Russian, E Eur, Eurasian St

11

3.44

3.11

0.33

Teaching of French

21

3.60

3.27

0.33

Comparative Literature

54

3.33

2.99

0.34

History of Art

124

3.24

2.90

0.34

Portuguese

6

2.61

2.25

0.36

English

2353

3.30

2.92

0.38

Interdisciplinary

98

3.01

2.60

0.41

Communication

2553

2.99

2.58

0.41

Slavic Studies

2

3.40

2.97

0.43

Sociology

1493

2.95

2.52

0.43

Speech Communication

1071

3.00

2.53

0.47

Creative Writing

80

3.20

2.72

0.48

Gender and Women’s Studies

47

2.93

2.43

0.50

Rhetoric

351

3.01

2.50

0.51

African American Studies

30

2.80

2.21

0.58

LAS—Undeclared

288

2.95

2.27

0.68

Latina/Latino Studies

18

2.47

1.79

0.68