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Digest of Education Statistics
2007 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 258. Degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by level of degree and sex of student: Selected years, 1869-70 through 2016-17
Year Associate's degrees Bachelor's degrees Master's degrees First-professional degrees Doctor's degrees1 
Total Males Females Total Males Females Total Males Females Total Males Females Total Males Females
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1869–70 9,371 2  7,993 2  1,378 2  0 0 0 (3) (3) (3) 1 1 0
1879–80 12,896 2  10,411 2  2,485 2  879 868 11 (3) (3) (3) 54 51 3
1889–90 15,539 2  12,857 2   2,682 2  1,015 821 194 (3) (3) (3) 149 147 2
1899–1900 27,410 2  22,173 2  5,237 2  1,583 1,280 303 (3) (3) (3) 382 359 23
1909–10 37,199 2  28,762 2  8,437 2  2,113 1,555 558 (3) (3) (3) 443 399 44
                                     
1919–20 48,622 2  31,980 2  16,642 2  4,279 2,985 1,294 (3) (3) (3) 615 522 93
1929–30 122,484 2  73,615 2  48,869 2  14,969 8,925 6,044 (3) (3) (3) 2,299 1,946 353
1939–40 186,500 2  109,546 2  76,954 2  26,731 16,508 10,223 (3) (3) (3) 3,290 2,861 429
1949–50 432,058 2  328,841 2  103,217 2  58,183 41,220 16,963 (3) (3) (3) 6,420 5,804 616
1959–60 392,440 2  254,063 2  138,377 2  74,435 50,898 23,537 (3) (3) (3) 9,829 8,801 1,028
1969–70 206,023 117,432 88,591 792,316   451,097   341,219   208,291 125,624 82,667 34,918 33,077 1,841 29,866 25,890 3,976
                                     
1970–71 252,311 144,144 108,167 839,730   475,594   364,136   230,509 138,146 92,363 37,946 35,544 2,402 32,107 27,530 4,577
1971–72 292,014 166,227 125,787 887,273   500,590   386,683   251,633 149,550 102,083 43,411 40,723 2,688 33,363 28,090 5,273
1972–73 316,174 175,413 140,761 922,362   518,191   404,171   263,371 154,468 108,903 50,018 46,489 3,529 34,777 28,571 6,206
1973–74 343,924 188,591 155,333 945,776   527,313   418,463   277,033 157,842 119,191 53,816 48,530 5,286 33,816 27,365 6,451
1974–75 360,171 191,017 169,154 922,933   504,841   418,092   292,450 161,570 130,880 55,916 48,956 6,960 34,083 26,817 7,266
                                     
1975–76 391,454 209,996 181,458 925,746   504,925   420,821   311,771 167,248 144,523 62,649 52,892 9,757 34,064 26,267 7,797
1976–77 406,377 210,842 195,535 919,549   495,545   424,004   317,164 167,783 149,381 64,359 52,374 11,985 33,232 25,142 8,090
1977–78 412,246 204,718 207,528 921,204   487,347   433,857   311,620 161,212 150,408 66,581 52,270 14,311 32,131 23,658 8,473
1978–79 402,702 192,091 210,611 921,390   477,344   444,046   301,079 153,370 147,709 68,848 52,652 16,196 32,730 23,541 9,189
1979–80 400,910 183,737 217,173 929,417   473,611   455,806   298,081 150,749 147,332 70,131 52,716 17,415 32,615 22,943 9,672
                                     
1980–81 416,377 188,638 227,739 935,140   469,883   465,257   295,739 147,043 148,696 71,956 52,792 19,164 32,958 22,711 10,247
1981–82 434,526 196,944 237,582 952,998   473,364   479,634   295,546 145,532 150,014 72,032 52,223 19,809 32,707 22,224 10,483
1982–83 449,620 203,991 245,629 969,510   479,140   490,370   289,921 144,697 145,224 73,054 51,250 21,804 32,775 21,902 10,873
1983–84 452,240 202,704 249,536 974,309   482,319   491,990   284,263 143,595 140,668 74,468 51,378 23,090 33,209 22,064 11,145
1984–85 454,712 202,932 251,780 979,477   482,528   496,949   286,251 143,390 142,861 75,063 50,455 24,608 32,943 21,700 11,243
                                     
1985–86 446,047 196,166 249,881 987,823   485,923   501,900   288,567 143,508 145,059 73,910 49,261 24,649 33,653 21,819 11,834
1986–87 436,304 190,839 245,465 991,264   480,782   510,482   289,349 141,269 148,080 71,617 46,523 25,094 34,041 22,061 11,980
1987–88 435,085 190,047 245,038 994,829   477,203   517,626   299,317 145,163 154,154 70,735 45,484 25,251 34,870 22,615 12,255
1988–89 436,764 186,316 250,448 1,018,755   483,346   535,409   310,621 149,354 161,267 70,856 45,046 25,810 35,720 22,648 13,072
1989–90 455,102 191,195 263,907 1,051,344   491,696   559,648   324,301 153,653 170,648 70,988 43,961 27,027 38,371 24,401 13,970
                                     
1990–91 481,720 198,634 283,086 1,094,538   504,045   590,493   337,168 156,482 180,686 71,948 43,846 28,102 39,294 24,756 14,538
1991–92 504,231 207,481 296,750 1,136,553   520,811   615,742   352,838 161,842 190,996 74,146 45,071 29,075 40,659 25,557 15,102
1992–93 514,756 211,964 302,792 1,165,178   532,881   632,297   369,585 169,258 200,327 75,387 45,153 30,234 42,132 26,073 16,059
1993–94 530,632 215,261 315,371 1,169,275   532,422   636,853   387,070 176,085 210,985 75,418 44,707 30,711 43,185 26,552 16,633
1994–95 539,691 218,352 321,339 1,160,134   526,131   634,003   397,629 178,598 219,031 75,800 44,853 30,947 44,446 26,916 17,530
                                     
1995–96 555,216 219,514 335,702 1,164,792   522,454   642,338   406,301 179,081 227,220 76,734 44,748 31,986 44,652 26,841 17,811
1996–97 571,226 223,948 347,278 1,172,879   520,515   652,364   419,401 180,947 238,454 78,730 45,564 33,166 45,876 27,146 18,730
1997–98 558,555 217,613 340,942 1,184,406   519,956   664,450   430,164 184,375 245,789 78,598 44,911 33,687 46,010 26,664 19,346
1998–99 559,954 218,417 341,537 1,200,303   518,746   681,557   439,986 186,148 253,838 78,439 44,339 34,100 44,077 25,146 18,931
1999–2000 564,933 224,721 340,212 1,237,875   530,367   707,508   457,056 191,792 265,264 80,057 44,239 35,818 44,808 25,028 19,780
                                     
2000–01 578,865 231,645 347,220 1,244,171   531,840   712,331   468,476 194,351 274,125 79,707 42,862 36,845 44,904 24,728 20,176
2001–02 595,133 238,109 357,024 1,291,900   549,816   742,084   482,118 199,120 282,998 80,698 42,507 38,191 44,160 23,708 20,452
2002–034  634,016 253,451 380,565 1,348,811   573,258   775,553   513,339 211,664 301,675 80,897 41,887 39,010 46,042 24,351 21,691
2003–04 665,301 260,033 405,268 1,399,542   595,425   804,117   558,940 229,545 329,395 83,041 42,169 40,872 48,378 25,323 23,055
2004–05 696,660 267,536 429,124 1,439,264   613,000   826,264   574,618 233,590 341,028 87,289 43,849 43,440 52,631 26,973 25,658
                                     
2005–06 713,066 270,095 442,971 1,485,242   630,600   854,642   594,065 237,896 356,169 87,655 44,038 43,617 56,067 28,634 27,433
2006–075  689,000 259,000 430,000 1,506,000   628,000   878,000   614,000 239,000 374,000 87,800 43,500 44,400 54,600 27,200 27,400
2007–085  699,000 262,000 437,000 1,544,000   641,000   903,000   631,000 244,000 387,000 89,300 44,000 45,400 55,300 27,100 28,200
2008–095  714,000 267,000 447,000 1,585,000   655,000   930,000   647,000 250,000 397,000 91,000 44,600 46,400 55,800 27,000 28,800
2009–105  724,000 270,000 454,000 1,622,000   668,000   954,000   659,000 253,000 405,000 92,500 45,200 47,400 56,300 27,000 29,300
                                     
2010–115  730,000 272,000 458,000 1,649,000   677,000   972,000   667,000 256,000 411,000 93,700 45,600 48,100 57,100 27,100 30,000
2011–125  735,000 273,000 462,000 1,673,000   685,000   989,000   679,000 260,000 419,000 95,000 46,100 49,000 58,300 27,400 30,900
2012–135  740,000 274,000 466,000 1,697,000   692,000   1,004,000   692,000 264,000 428,000 96,400 46,600 49,900 59,800 27,900 31,900
2013–145  745,000 275,000 471,000 1,717,000   698,000   1,019,000   710,000 270,000 440,000 98,200 47,100 51,100 61,400 28,400 33,100
2014–155  751,000 275,000 476,000 1,735,000   703,000   1,032,000   731,000 276,000 455,000 100,300 47,700 52,600 63,200 28,900 34,300
2015–165  755,000 273,000 481,000 1,747,000   704,000   1,043,000   753,000 282,000 471,000 102,500 48,300 54,200 64,900 29,300 35,600
                                     
2016–175  762,000 273,000 489,000 1,764,000   707,000   1,057,000   774,000 287,000 487,000 104,600 48,700 55,800 66,800 29,800 37,100
— Not available.
1 Includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level. Excludes first-professional, such as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees.
2 Includes first-professional degrees.
3 First-professional degrees are included with bachelor's degrees.
4 Data have been revised from previously published figures.
5 Projected.
NOTE: Data through 1994–95 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate's or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. (See Guide to Sources for details.) Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Earned Degrees Conferred, 1869–70 through 1964–65; Projections of Education Statistics to 2016; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, 1965–66 through 1985–86; and 1986–87 through 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Completions Survey" (IPEDS-C:87–99), and Fall 2000 through Fall 2006. (This table was prepared June 2007.)

2007 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest