Postsecondary Education

Programs and Courses

Table A-39-1. Number of master’s and doctor's degrees awarded by degree-granting institutions, percentage of total, number and percentage awarded to females, and percent change, by selected fields of study: Academic years 1999–2000 and 2009–10

Field of study	1999–2000				2009–10				1999–2000 to 2009–10
Field of study	Number	Percent of total	Number to females	Percent to females	Number	Percent of total	Number to females	Percent to females	Change in number of degrees	Percent change	Percent change for females
Master’s degrees Total¹	463,185	100.0	267,056	57.7	693,025	100.0	417,828	60.3	229,840	49.6	56.5
Education	123,045	26.6	93,964	76.4	182,139	26.3	140,843	77.3	59,094	48.0	49.9
Business	111,532	24.1	44,454	39.9	177,684	25.6	80,975	45.6	66,152	59.3	82.2
Health professions and related programs	42,593	9.2	33,093	77.7	69,084	10.0	56,213	81.4	26,491	62.2	69.9
Engineering and engineering technologies	26,648	5.8	5,596	21.0	39,346	5.7	8,825	22.4	12,698	47.7	57.7
Public administration and social services	25,594	5.5	18,786	73.4	35,729	5.2	26,864	75.2	10,135	39.6	43.0
Psychology	15,740	3.4	11,919	75.7	23,752	3.4	18,955	79.8	8,012	50.9	59.0
Social sciences and history	14,066	3.0	7,042	50.1	20,222	2.9	10,259	50.7	6,156	43.8	45.7
Computer and information sciences	14,990	3.2	5,012	33.4	17,953	2.6	4,936	27.5	2,963	19.8	-1.5
Visual and performing arts	10,918	2.4	6,246	57.2	15,552	2.2	9,027	58.0	4,634	42.4	44.5
Theology and religious vocations	11,663	2.5	3,995	34.3	12,824	1.9	4,522	35.3	1,161	10.0	13.2
Biological and biomedical sciences	6,850	1.5	3,679	53.7	10,725	1.5	6,114	57.0	3,875	56.6	66.2
English language and literature/letters	7,022	1.5	4,707	67.0	9,201	1.3	6,195	67.3	2,179	31.0	31.6
Communication and communications technologies	5,525	1.2	3,495	63.3	8,099	1.2	5,440	67.2	2,574	46.6	55.7
Library science	4,577	1.0	3,630	79.3	7,448	1.1	6,054	81.3	2,871	62.7	66.8
Architecture and related services	4,268	0.9	1,760	41.2	7,280	1.1	3,268	44.9	3,012	70.6	85.7
Homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting	2,609	0.6	1,075	41.2	6,714	1.0	3,574	53.2	4,105	157.3	232.5
Physical sciences and science technologies	4,888	1.1	1,721	35.2	6,063	0.9	2,411	39.8	1,175	24.0	40.1
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	3,418	0.7	2,206	64.5	5,973	0.9	3,855	64.5	2,555	74.8	74.8
Legal professions and studies	3,750	0.8	1,558	41.5	5,734	0.8	2,931	51.1	1,984	52.9	88.1
Mathematics and statistics	3,208	0.7	1,459	45.5	5,634	0.8	2,258	40.1	2,426	75.6	54.8

See notes at end of table.

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