Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 505.40. Percentage distribution of recipients of bachelor's degrees in various fields of study 1 year after graduation, by time to completion, enrollment and employment status, and occupation: 2001 and 2009
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Time to completion, enrollment and employment status, and occupation 1999-2000 graduates in 2001, total 2007-08 graduates in 2009
Total1 Engineering Biological and physical sciences Mathematics and computer science Social sciences History Humanities Health professions Business and management Education2 Psychology Public affairs and social services
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Total graduates 100.0   (†) 100.0 (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
Time between high school
    graduation and degree
    completion
                                                                           
4 years or less 32.7   (0.83) 40.3 (0.64) 35.5   (2.68) 56.2   (2.24) 36.3   (3.27) 53.4   (2.08) 44.1   (3.78) 50.4   (2.02) 28.9   (2.01) 37.5   (1.53) 32.5   (1.65) 48.9   (2.17) 29.1   (3.42)
More than 4, up to 5 years 22.9   (0.58) 20.7 (0.51) 31.0   (2.58) 17.8   (1.74) 16.9   (2.62) 19.2   (1.62) 20.4   (2.81) 20.7   (1.57) 18.1   (1.41) 17.4   (1.09) 25.5   (1.59) 19.5   (1.73) 16.0   (2.85)
More than 5, up to 6 years 10.8   (0.48) 9.5 (0.35) 11.2   (1.69) 9.8   (1.59) 8.4   (1.79) 7.6   (1.09) 12.2   (2.87) 7.9   (1.01) 8.9   (1.14) 8.0   (0.79) 13.2   (1.34) 7.7   (1.10) 10.4   (2.12)
More than 6, up to 10 years 14.8   (0.59) 13.4 (0.42) 11.1   (1.64) 8.9   (1.21) 13.8   (2.25) 11.9   (1.21) 12.4   (2.87) 12.6   (1.40) 16.3   (1.64) 14.1   (1.01) 13.8   (1.32) 11.8   (1.54) 19.0   (3.09)
More than 10 years 18.8   (0.59) 16.0 (0.52) 11.2   (1.89) 7.3   (1.24) 24.6   (2.58) 7.8   (1.05) 10.9   (2.55) 8.3   (1.02) 27.8   (2.13) 23.1   (1.25) 15.0   (1.41) 12.1   (1.61) 25.5   (2.74)
                                                                             
Enrollment status                                                                            
Enrolled 20.8   (0.51) 21.7 (0.47) 22.8   (1.98) 40.9   (2.33) 19.9   (2.58) 23.5   (1.65) 38.1   (3.99) 23.6   (1.48) 23.5   (1.93) 13.9   (1.01) 19.9   (1.36) 36.6   (2.15) 24.3   (3.28)
Not enrolled 79.2   (0.51) 78.3 (0.47) 77.2   (1.98) 59.1   (2.33) 80.1   (2.58) 76.5   (1.65) 61.9   (3.99) 76.4   (1.48) 76.5   (1.93) 86.1   (1.01) 80.1   (1.36) 63.4   (2.15) 75.7   (3.28)
                                                                             
Employment status                                                                            
Employed 87.4   (0.46) 83.8 (0.49) 88.4   (1.54) 69.6   (1.92) 88.9   (1.88) 78.9   (1.72) 74.9   (3.93) 79.4   (1.58) 86.6   (1.64) 88.1   (0.95) 90.2   (1.12) 79.7   (1.91) 81.2   (2.92)
Full time 76.5   (0.52) 65.0 (0.62) 76.1   (2.12) 49.0   (2.38) 75.1   (2.67) 61.2   (1.94) 46.1   (4.35) 47.6   (2.12) 68.5   (1.86) 76.7   (1.18) 70.7   (1.74) 46.6   (2.40) 69.8   (3.44)
Part time 10.9   (0.40) 18.8 (0.48) 12.3   (1.88) 20.7   (1.84) 13.8   (2.11) 17.6   (1.72) 28.8   (3.66) 31.9   (1.72) 18.0   (1.59) 11.4   (0.92) 19.4   (1.54) 33.1   (2.33) 11.4   (2.15)
Unemployed3 6.1   (0.33) 9.2 (0.38) 6.7   (1.15) 7.2   (1.06) 5.8   (1.28) 11.3   (1.32) 14.5   (3.24) 11.8   (1.32) 6.4   (1.07) 8.5   (0.83) 5.1   (0.76) 10.2   (1.42) 13.5   (2.63)
Not in labor force4 6.4   (0.35) 7.0 (0.31) 4.9   (1.08) 23.1   (1.99) 5.3   (1.51) 9.9   (1.32) 10.6   (2.39) 8.8   (1.03) 7.0   (1.27) 3.4   (0.51) 4.7   (0.91) 10.0   (1.44) 5.2   (1.52)
                                                                             
Unemployment rate (labor
     force participants only)5
6.5   (—) 9.9 (—) 7.0   (—) 9.4   (—) 6.1   (—) 12.5   (—) 16.2   (—) 12.9   (—) 6.9   (—) 8.8   (—) 5.4   (—) 11.3   (—) 14.3   (—)
                                                                             
Total employed 100.0   (†) 100.0 (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
Occupation                                                                            
Administrative/clerical 4.5   (0.28) 2.6 (0.21)   (†) 1.9 ! (0.61)   (†) 4.1   (0.88) 4.6 ! (2.17) 4.9   (1.01)   (†) 2.6   (0.51)   (†) 2.9   (0.65) 5.8 ! (2.10)
Arts/communications 4.2   (0.30) 4.5 (0.32) 2.3 ! (1.09)   (†) 1.6 ! (0.65) 3.0 ! (0.92)   (†) 14.4   (1.54)   (†) 1.3   (0.37) 1.0 ! (0.35)   (†) #   (†)
Business
   Management
12.5   (0.47) 8.4 (0.41) 10.8   (2.08) 3.2 ! (0.96) 3.4 ! (1.24) 9.5   (1.45) 5.0 ! (1.83) 4.8   (0.99) 5.1   (1.10) 14.5   (1.08) 1.6   (0.45) 6.9   (1.43) 11.1   (2.98)
Nonmanagement 15.1   (0.58) 21.1 (0.61) 7.0   (1.54) 10.5   (1.63) 17.0   (2.82) 26.3   (2.05) 19.5   (3.67) 15.8   (1.93) 6.4   (1.14) 43.5   (1.76) 4.0   (0.76) 16.8   (1.98) 11.6   (2.91)
Computer information
   systems/mathematics6
6.8   (0.34) 4.6 (0.27) 7.0   (1.19)   (†) 50.6   (3.28) 3.0   (0.89)   (†) 1.0 ! (0.39)   (†) 4.6   (0.69) 0.6 ! (0.27) 1.8 ! (0.77) #   (†)
Construction/trade/
   transportation
3.1   (0.26) 3.3 (0.23) 5.0   (1.22) 2.5   (0.72) 2.0 ! (0.70) 2.2   (0.61) 5.1 ! (2.51) 4.2   (1.01)   (†) 4.2   (0.59) 0.9 ! (0.31) 1.7   (0.50)   (†)
Education 18.1   (0.52) 15.6 (0.43) 5.2   (1.26) 16.3   (2.12) 12.5   (2.01) 11.4   (1.45) 27.9   (3.49) 19.1   (1.74) 3.5   (0.72) 3.1   (0.55) 78.7   (1.61) 12.7   (1.41) 13.1   (2.69)
Engineering/engineering
   technician/science
   professions
8.4   (0.33) 6.2 (0.30) 55.6   (3.02) 28.8   (2.39) 2.2 ! (0.93) 1.0 ! (0.38)   (†) 0.8 ! (0.32)   (†) 1.3   (0.35) 0.2 ! (0.09) 1.7 ! (0.74) #   (†)
Health professions 7.8   (0.26) 8.6 (0.30) 1.1 ! (0.53) 13.5   (1.62)   (†) 3.3   (0.84) 3.7 ! (1.68) 2.4 ! (0.78) 74.4   (2.00) 1.2   (0.32) 1.2 ! (0.48) 7.0   (1.38) 2.3 ! (1.06)
Military/protective service 2.4   (0.20) 2.9 (0.24) 1.6 ! (0.72) 2.9 ! (0.89) 2.3 ! (1.12) 6.3   (1.08) 6.5 ! (2.23) 0.9 ! (0.39)   (†) 1.9   (0.45) 0.8 ! (0.35) 1.8 ! (0.69) 7.0 ! (2.79)
Sales 6.8   (0.31) 7.9 (0.40) 2.1   (0.61) 7.4   (1.78) 1.6 ! (0.70) 7.4   (1.29) 8.9 ! (3.28) 9.8   (1.34) 1.9 ! (0.68) 12.9   (1.12) 1.7   (0.44) 7.4   (1.37) 5.5 ! (2.21)
Other occupations 10.2   (0.42) 14.3 (0.43) 2.0 ! (0.65) 10.9   (1.65) 4.3 ! (1.40) 22.4   (2.16) 13.0   (2.53) 21.8   (1.77) 4.6   (0.87) 8.8   (1.08) 9.2   (1.22) 38.5   (2.19) 42.4   (4.03)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater.
1 Includes graduates in other fields not separately shown.
2 Includes graduates who have not finished all requirements for teaching certification or were previously qualified to teach.
3 Percentage of all graduates who are not employed, but are looking for work.
4 Percentage of all graduates who are neither employed nor looking for work.
5 The labor force is made up of persons who are employed and persons who are not employed but are looking for work. (It does not include those who are neither employed nor looking for work.) The unemployment rate is the percentage of labor force participants who are not employed but are actively seeking work.
6 For 2001, does not include mathematics professions.
NOTE: Data exclude bachelor's degree recipients from U.S. Service Academies, deceased graduates, and graduates living at foreign addresses at the time of the survey. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000/01 and 2008/09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:2000/01 and B&B:08/09). (This table was prepared August 2011.)

2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest