Table A-40-1. Number of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees awarded by degree-granting institutions, percentage of total, percentage awarded to females, and percent change, by selected fields of study: Academic years 1996–97 and 2006

Contexts of Postsecondary Education: Tables

Programs and Courses

Table A-40-1. Number of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees awarded by degree-granting institutions, percentage of total, percentage awarded to females, and percent change, by selected fields of study: Academic years 1996–97 and 2006–07

Field of study	1996–97			2006–07			1996–97 to 2006–07
Field of study	Number	Percent of total	Percent female	Number	Percent of total	Percent female	Number	Percent of total	Percent female
Associate’s degrees
Total¹	571,226	100.0	60.8	728,114	100.0	62.2	156,888	27.5	30.4
Total¹	571,226	100.0	60.8	728,114	100.0	62.2	156,888	27.5	30.4
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities	181,341	31.7	61.6	250,030	34.3	62.5	68,689	37.9	39.9
Health professions and related clinical sciences	102,077	17.9	84.3	145,436	20.0	85.4	43,359	42.5	44.4
Business	100,400	17.6	69.3	116,101	15.9	64.3	15,701	15.6	7.3
Engineering and engineering technologies	57,324	10.0	12.3	50,662	7.0	10.4	-6,662	-11.6	-25.3
Security and protective services	19,889	3.5	31.7	28,208	3.9	45.1	8,319	41.8	102.0
Computer and information sciences and support services	14,607	2.6	47.4	27,712	3.8	26.2	13,105	89.7	4.8
Visual and performing arts	13,593	2.4	56.8	20,244	2.8	59.4	6,651	48.9	55.9
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	9,182	1.6	52.1	15,838	2.2	58.5	6,656	72.5	93.6
Education	10,587	1.9	68.0	13,021	1.8	86.4	2,434	23.0	56.2
Legal professions and studies	11,242	2.0	89.6	10,391	1.4	89.9	-851	-7.6	-7.2
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences	7,998	1.4	91.7	9,124	1.3	96.4	1,126	14.1	19.8
Social sciences and history	4,056	0.7	61.8	7,080	1.0	64.8	3,024	74.6	83.0
Agriculture and natural resources	6,463	1.1	33.0	5,838	0.8	37.9	-625	-9.7	3.7
Communication and communications technologies	4,893	0.9	46.2	5,704	0.8	44.2	811	16.6	11.3
Public administration and social services	4,270	0.7	84.4	4,338	0.6	86.3	68	1.6	3.9
Physical sciences and science technologies	2,526	0.4	49.3	3,404	0.5	42.8	878	34.8	16.9
Psychology	1,612	0.3	76.6	2,213	0.3	76.6	601	37.3	37.3
Biological and biomedical sciences	2,133	0.4	63.6	2,060	0.3	67.2	-73	-3.4	2.0
Precision production trades	1,773	0.3	12.6	1,973	0.3	6.3	200	11.3	-44.4
Transportation and materials moving	1,572	0.3	16.7	1,674	0.2	13.9	102	6.5	-11.5
Parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies	885	0.2	38.8	1,251	0.2	40.1	366	41.4	46.4

Bachelor’s degrees
Total¹	1,172,879	100.0	55.6	1,524,092	100.0	57.4	351,213	29.9	34.1
Business	225,934	19.3	48.6	327,531	21.5	49.2	101,597	45.0	46.6
Social sciences and history	124,891	10.6	48.7	164,183	10.8	49.8	39,292	31.5	34.5
Education	105,116	9.0	75.0	105,641	6.9	78.7	525	0.5	5.4
Health professions and related clinical sciences	87,997	7.5	81.3	101,810	6.7	85.9	13,813	15.7	22.3
Psychology	74,308	6.3	73.9	90,039	5.9	77.4	15,731	21.2	27.0
Visual and performing arts	50,083	4.3	58.6	85,186	5.6	61.6	35,103	70.1	78.7
Engineering and engineering technologies	75,757	6.5	16.8	82,072	5.4	16.9	6,315	8.3	9.1
Communication and communications technologies	47,894	4.1	58.7	78,420	5.1	63.0	30,526	63.7	75.7
Biological and biomedical sciences	63,679	5.4	53.8	75,151	4.9	60.1	11,472	18.0	32.0
English language and literature/letters	48,641	4.1	66.4	55,122	3.6	68.3	6,481	13.3	16.5
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities	34,776	3.0	61.2	44,255	2.9	68.1	9,479	27.3	41.5
Computer and information sciences and support services	25,422	2.2	27.1	42,170	2.8	18.6	16,748	65.9	13.5
Security and protective services	25,165	2.1	39.8	39,206	2.6	50.2	14,041	55.8	96.7
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	26,887	2.3	66.1	33,792	2.2	69.1	6,905	25.7	31.4
Parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies	14,246	1.2	48.6	27,430	1.8	48.3	13,184	92.5	91.3
Public administration and social services	20,649	1.8	79.8	23,147	1.5	81.2	2,498	12.1	14.1
Agriculture and natural resources	22,597	1.9	39.0	23,133	1.5	46.8	536	2.4	22.9
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences	14,886	1.3	88.5	21,400	1.4	87.9	6,514	43.8	42.8
Physical sciences and science technologies	19,496	1.7	37.4	21,073	1.4	40.9	1,577	8.1	18.3
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics	14,487	1.2	69.7	20,275	1.3	69.6	5,788	40.0	39.6
Mathematics and statistics	12,401	1.1	46.4	14,954	1.0	44.1	2,553	20.6	14.6
Philosophy and religious studies	7,832	0.7	36.7	11,969	0.8	37.9	4,137	52.8	57.8
¹ Includes other fields not shown separately.
NOTE: For more information on fields of study for postsecondary degrees, see supplemental note 9. The new Classification of Instructional Programs was initiated in 2002–03. Estimates for 1996–97 have been reclassified when necessary to conform to the new taxonomy. For more information on the Classification of Postsecondary Education Institutions, see supplemental note 8. For more information on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), see supplemental note 3.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 1996–97 and 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Completions Survey” (IPEDS-C:97) and Fall 2007.

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