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Digest of Education Statistics
1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 247.Master's degrees conferred by institutions of higher education, by discipline division: 1970-71 to 1993-94

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            Discipline division                    | 1970-71  | 1975-76  | 1980-81  | 1981-82  | 1982-83  | 1983-84  | 1984-85  | 1985-86  | 1986-87  | 1987-88  | 1988-89  | 1989-90  | 1990-91  | 1991-92  | 1992-93  | 1993-94
---------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
                   1                               |    2     |    3     |    4     |    5     |    6     |    7     |    8     |    9     |    10    |    11    |    12    |    13    |    14    |    15    |    16    |    17
---------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
     Total ........................................|  230,509 |  311,771 |  295,739 |  295,546 |  289,921 |  284,263 |  286,251 |  288,567 |  289,349 |  299,317 |  310,621 |  324,301 |  337,168 |  352,838 |  369,585 |  387,070
                                                   |----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
Agriculture and natural resources .................|    2,457 |    3,340 |    4,003 |    4,163 |    4,254 |    4,178 |    3,928 |    3,801 |    3,522 |    3,479 |    3,245 |    3,382 |    3,295 |    3,735 |    3,965 |    4,119
Architecture and related programs .................|    1,705 |    3,215 |    3,153 |    3,327 |    3,357 |    3,223 |    3,275 |    3,260 |    3,163 |    3,159 |    3,383 |    3,499 |    3,490 |    3,640 |    3,808 |    3,943
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies ................|    1,032 |      995 |      804 |      809 |      845 |      897 |      904 |      945 |      864 |      911 |    1,016 |    1,212 |    1,263 |    1,385 |    1,523 |    1,633
Biological sciences/life sciences .................|    5,728 |    6,582 |    5,978 |    5,874 |    5,696 |    5,406 |    5,059 |    5,013 |    4,952 |    4,784 |    4,961 |    4,869 |    4,765 |    4,785 |    4,756 |    5,196
Business management and administrative services....|   25,977 |   42,054 |   57,391 |   60,763 |   64,758 |   66,150 |   66,996 |   66,689 |   67,093 |   69,230 |   73,065 |   76,676 |   78,255 |   84,642 |   89,615 |   93,437
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Communications ....................................|    1,770 |    2,961 |    2,896 |    3,104 |    3,502 |    3,513 |    3,460 |    3,500 |    3,622 |    3,678 |    3,940 |    4,063 |    4,123 |    4,180 |    4,754 |    5,005
Communications technologies .......................|       86 |      165 |      209 |      223 |      102 |      143 |      209 |      323 |      271 |      247 |      317 |      299 |      213 |      284 |      455 |      414
Computer and information sciences .................|    1,588 |    2,603 |    4,218 |    4,935 |    5,321 |    6,190 |    7,101 |    8,070 |    8,481 |    9,197 |    9,414 |    9,677 |    9,324 |    9,530 |   10,163 |   10,416
Education .........................................|   87,666 |  126,061 |   96,713 |   91,601 |   83,250 |   75,664 |   74,654 |   74,801 |   74,045 |   76,566 |   81,174 |   84,881 |   87,343 |   92,668 |   96,028 |   98,938
Engineering .......................................|   16,309 |   16,014 |   16,386 |   17,526 |   18,807 |   20,078 |   20,905 |   21,040 |   22,015 |   22,627 |   23,740 |   23,863 |   23,962 |   24,983 |   27,626 |   28,621
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Engineering-related technologies ..................|      134 |      328 |      323 |      413 |      537 |      577 |      650 |      617 |      639 |      758 |      828 |      909 |      996 |      994 |    1,100 |    1,133
English language and literature/letters ...........|   10,686 |    8,809 |    5,929 |    5,772 |    5,048 |    5,010 |    5,187 |    5,518 |    5,483 |    5,562 |    5,950 |    6,567 |    7,026 |    7,450 |    7,790 |    7,885
Foreign languages and literatures..................|    5,217 |    4,190 |    2,690 |    2,657 |    2,478 |    2,581 |    2,471 |    2,494 |    2,379 |    2,469 |    2,595 |    2,760 |    2,800 |    2,926 |    3,198 |    3,288
Health professions and related sciences ...........|    5,749 |   12,556 |   16,515 |   16,503 |   17,047 |   17,411 |   17,385 |   18,573 |   18,394 |   18,657 |   19,268 |   20,321 |   21,200 |   23,065 |   25,718 |   28,025
Home economics and vocational home economics ......|    1,452 |    2,179 |    2,570 |    2,355 |    2,385 |    2,416 |    2,375 |    2,294 |    2,064 |    2,047 |    2,164 |    2,100 |    2,019 |    2,412 |    2,479 |    2,421
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Law and legal studies .............................|      955 |    1,442 |    1,832 |    1,893 |    2,091 |    1,802 |    1,796 |    1,924 |    1,943 |    1,880 |    2,013 |    1,888 |    2,057 |    2,369 |    2,197 |    2,432
Liberal arts and sciences,                         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
  general studies, and humanities .................|      885 |    2,633 |    2,375 |    2,425 |    1,286 |    1,796 |    1,696 |    1,586 |    1,581 |    1,814 |    1,850 |    1,999 |    2,213 |    2,394 |    2,416 |    2,496
Library science ...................................|    7,001 |    8,037 |    4,859 |    4,506 |    3,904 |    3,782 |    3,870 |    3,564 |    3,783 |    3,674 |    3,906 |    4,341 |    4,763 |    4,893 |    4,871 |    5,116
Mathematics .......................................|    5,695 |    4,315 |    3,074 |    3,263 |    3,398 |    3,244 |    3,413 |    3,607 |    3,730 |    3,867 |    3,903 |    4,146 |    4,041 |    4,011 |    4,067 |    4,100
Multi/interdisciplinary studies ...................|      821 |    1,158 |    2,144 |    2,553 |    2,499 |    2,431 |    2,583 |    2,625 |    2,482 |    2,575 |    2,762 |    2,834 |    1,796 |    2,126 |    2,498 |    2,464
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies ....|      218 |      571 |      643 |      526 |      608 |      603 |      596 |      570 |      560 |      544 |      535 |      529 |      483 |    1,358 |    1,434 |    1,625
Philosophy and religion ...........................|    1,326 |    1,356 |    1,229 |    1,152 |    1,091 |    1,153 |    1,167 |    1,163 |    1,109 |    1,099 |    1,280 |    1,306 |    1,441 |    1,146 |    1,425 |    1,350
Physical sciences and science technologies.........|    6,367 |    5,466 |    5,284 |    5,514 |    5,290 |    5,576 |    5,796 |    5,902 |    5,629 |    5,733 |    5,723 |    5,449 |    5,309 |    5,374 |    5,366 |    5,679
Precision production trades........................|        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        4 |        0 |        0 |        4 |        0 |        3 |        0 |        0 |        2 |        2
Protective services ...............................|      194 |    1,197 |    1,538 |    1,336 |    1,300 |    1,219 |    1,235 |    1,074 |    1,019 |    1,024 |    1,047 |    1,151 |    1,108 |    1,249 |    1,357 |    1,437
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Psychology ........................................|    5,717 |   10,167 |   10,223 |    9,947 |    9,981 |    9,525 |    9,891 |    9,845 |    9,562 |    9,180 |    9,940 |   10,730 |   11,349 |   10,215 |   10,957 |   12,181
Public administration and services ................|    7,785 |   15,209 |   17,803 |   17,416 |   16,046 |   15,060 |   15,575 |   15,692 |   16,432 |   16,424 |   17,020 |   17,399 |   17,905 |   19,243 |   20,634 |   21,833
R.O.T.C. and military technologies ................|        2 |        0 |       43 |       49 |      110 |      127 |      119 |       83 |      119 |       49 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |      108 |      124
Social sciences and history........................|   16,539 |   15,953 |   11,945 |   12,002 |   11,205 |   10,577 |   10,503 |   10,564 |   10,506 |   10,412 |   11,023 |   11,634 |   12,233 |   12,702 |   13,471 |   14,561
Theological studies/religious vocations ...........|    2,710 |    3,290 |    4,220 |    4,064 |    4,871 |    5,211 |    4,435 |    4,556 |    4,966 |    4,905 |    4,749 |    4,959 |    4,810 |    5,185 |    4,985 |    4,956
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Transportation and material moving ................|       63 |      108 |      120 |      129 |       91 |      194 |      295 |      454 |      433 |      679 |      692 |      538 |      406 |      385 |      495 |      664
Visual and performing arts ........................|    6,675 |    8,817 |    8,629 |    8,746 |    8,763 |    8,526 |    8,718 |    8,420 |    8,508 |    7,939 |    8,267 |    8,481 |    8,657 |    9,353 |    9,440 |    9,925
Not classified by field of study ................. |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |    4,144 |      851 |    1,836 |    8,523 |    4,156 |      884 |    1,651
---------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------

NOTE.--The new Classification of Instructional Programs was initiated in 1991-92. The figures for earlier years have been reclassified when necessary to make them conform to the new taxonomy. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the IPEDS "Completions" survey: "Agriculture and natural resources" includes Agribusiness and agriculture production, Agricultural sciences, and Conservation and renewable natural resources; "Business management and administrative services" includes Business and management, Business (administrative support), Marketing and distribution, and Consumer, personal, and miscellaneous services; and "Engineering-related technologies" includes Mechanics and repairers, Construction trades, and Engineering-related technologies.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. (This table was prepared February 1996.)


1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest