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Digest of Education Statistics
2011 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 244. Enrollment in postsecondary education, by level of enrollment, level of institution, student age, and major field of study: 2007-08
Major field of study Undergraduate Postbac-
calaureate
All students 2-year institutions1 4-year institutions
Total (in thou-
sands)
Percentage distribution, by age Total (in thou-
sands)
Percentage distribution, by age Total (in thou-
sands)
Percentage distribution, by age Total (in thou-
sands)
Under 25 25 to 35 Over 35 Under 25 25 to 35 Over 35 Under 25 25 to 35 Over 35
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Total 20,928 63.8 (0.29) 21.4 (0.18) 14.7 (0.19) 11,150 56.3 (0.71) 24.8 (0.39) 18.9 (0.42) 9,778 72.5 (0.68) 17.6 (0.42) 10.0 (0.34) 3,456
                                             
Agriculture and related sciences 121 76.4 (2.45) 10.7 (1.84) 12.9 (2.25) 55 58.3 (4.67) 17.1 (3.39) 24.5 (4.89) 66 91.4 (1.73) 5.3 (1.25) 3.3 (1.21) 10
Anthropology 40 82.1 (3.27) 14.6 (3.17) 3.3 (1.25) 6 73.5 (12.20) 26.3 (12.20) 0.2 (0.18) 34 83.6 (2.94) 12.5 (2.52) 3.9 (1.48) 7
Architecture and related services 95 82.7 (2.89) 14.0 (2.59) 3.2 (1.01) 27 75.5 (5.55) 18.3 (5.15) 6.2 (2.54) 69 85.5 (3.11) 12.4 (2.74) 2.1 (1.08) 24
Area, ethnic, and gender studies 28 81.4 (4.68) 12.5 (3.87) 6.1 (2.36) 4 87.8 (5.98) 11.8 (5.94) 0.4 (0.45) 25 80.4 (5.23) 12.6 (4.45) 7.0 (2.68)
Biological and biomedical sciences 605 85.7 (0.83) 11.9 (0.76) 2.4 (0.42) 145 77.9 (2.01) 17.0 (1.83) 5.1 (1.00) 460 88.1 (0.88) 10.3 (0.80) 1.6 (0.48) 96
                                             
Business, management, and marketing 3,389 60.5 (0.96) 23.1 (0.64) 16.5 (0.57) 1,388 57.5 (0.98) 23.9 (0.81) 18.6 (0.74) 2,001 62.6 (1.51) 22.5 (0.87) 15.0 (0.88) 597
Communication and journalism 414 85.1 (1.13) 11.0 (0.93) 3.9 (0.57) 74 75.8 (3.88) 16.5 (3.07) 7.7 (2.18) 340 87.2 (1.12) 9.8 (0.93) 3.1 (0.49) 29
Communications technologies/technicians 51 68.2 (5.07) 22.7 (4.19) 9.1 (2.99) 28 56.5 (8.28) 29.7 (6.96) 13.8 (5.13) 23 82.1 (4.91) 14.4 (4.65) 3.5 (1.87)
Computer and information sciences 702 50.6 (1.51) 29.4 (1.12) 20.0 (1.30) 357 48.1 (1.69) 27.7 (1.67) 24.2 (1.81) 346 53.2 (2.51) 31.2 (2.16) 15.6 (1.80) 95
Construction trades 111 43.4 (3.84) 34.0 (2.73) 22.5 (2.80) 95 40.1 (3.88) 35.4 (2.89) 24.6 (2.96) 15 64.3 (5.47) 25.7 (4.74) 10.0 (4.05)
                                             
Criminology 30 76.3 (4.92) 14.0 (3.54) 9.8 (3.03) 15 (†) (†) (†) 26 76.1 (5.51) 15.4 (4.19) 8.5 (3.05)
Economics 109 85.9 (2.21) 10.0 (2.02) 4.1 (1.01) 15 77.8 (5.77) 21.2 (5.81) 0.9 (0.81) 94 87.2 (2.40) 8.2 (2.12) 4.6 (1.19) 13
Education 1,219 67.3 (0.82) 17.9 (0.61) 14.8 (0.69) 512 57.2 (1.34) 21.1 (1.11) 21.7 (1.21) 708 74.6 (1.06) 15.6 (0.88) 9.7 (0.80) 827
Engineering 690 79.2 (1.13) 15.0 (1.03) 5.8 (0.53) 204 62.2 (2.33) 25.2 (1.77) 12.6 (1.53) 486 86.3 (0.97) 10.7 (0.96) 3.0 (0.51) 171
Engineering technologies/technicians 360 56.5 (1.77) 26.6 (1.61) 16.9 (1.44) 250 51.4 (2.26) 28.6 (2.30) 20.0 (2.09) 111 68.0 (2.63) 22.2 (2.70) 9.9 (1.58) 13
                                             
English language and literature/letters 247 79.0 (1.36) 14.8 (1.19) 6.2 (1.01) 57 66.9 (4.34) 23.1 (3.89) 10.0 (2.72) 190 82.7 (1.53) 12.3 (1.31) 5.0 (0.96) 36
Family and consumer/human sciences 179 64.8 (2.36) 18.6 (2.21) 16.7 (1.87) 83 48.7 (3.48) 24.3 (3.68) 27.0 (3.69) 96 78.6 (2.67) 13.6 (2.51) 7.8 (1.37) 17
Foreign languages and literatures 95 78.5 (2.69) 12.4 (2.13) 9.1 (1.83) 29 65.4 (6.40) 18.1 (5.15) 16.5 (5.01) 66 84.3 (2.32) 9.9 (1.64) 5.8 (1.55) 24
Geography 21 70.9 (6.00) 20.8 (4.80) 8.4 (2.94) (†) (†) (†) 20 73.2 (6.22) 18.4 (4.88) 8.5 (3.09)
Health professions and related sciences 3,002 50.9 (0.57) 30.0 (0.54) 19.1 (0.44) 2,082 47.3 (0.76) 32.1 (0.64) 20.7 (0.57) 919 59.0 (1.39) 25.4 (1.34) 15.7 (1.05) 405
                                             
History 176 80.8 (1.85) 11.9 (1.34) 7.3 (1.10) 35 79.3 (4.69) 15.0 (3.46) 5.7 (2.22) 141 81.1 (2.06) 11.1 (1.48) 7.7 (1.25) 26
International relations and affairs 44 88.0 (3.14) 7.8 (2.45) 4.2 (2.31) 9 65.2 (13.50) 17.1 (8.99) 17.7 (11.50) 35 93.6 (2.09) 5.5 (1.90) 0.9 (0.55) 12
Legal professions and studies 162 47.6 (3.82) 28.5 (2.77) 23.8 (2.97) 107 40.9 (3.37) 31.8 (3.63) 27.3 (3.48) 55 60.8 (9.03) 22.1 (4.02) 17.1 (7.18) 170
Liberal arts, sciences and humanities 1,900 66.6 (0.78) 19.6 (0.61) 13.8 (0.61) 1,500 65.6 (0.94) 20.0 (0.72) 14.3 (0.76) 400 70.0 (1.79) 18.1 (1.31) 11.9 (0.99) 24
Library science (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 30
                                             
Mathematics and statistics 108 79.0 (2.36) 12.6 (1.87) 8.5 (1.68) 36 66.5 (4.12) 17.9 (4.30) 15.6 (3.45) 72 85.1 (2.75) 9.9 (1.91) 4.9 (1.92) 26
Mechanic and repair technologies 209 55.5 (2.55) 26.7 (2.25) 17.8 (1.83) 195 54.6 (2.65) 27.1 (2.22) 18.3 (1.98) 14 67.6 (7.16) 21.4 (7.74) 11.0 (4.78)
Military technologies (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†)
Multi/interdisciplinary studies 248 70.0 (1.99) 18.3 (1.53) 11.7 (1.28) 111 61.2 (3.16) 22.4 (2.23) 16.4 (2.14) 137 77.2 (2.43) 15.0 (2.09) 7.9 (1.32) 28
Natural resources and conservation 52 77.6 (3.33) 18.6 (3.02) 3.7 (1.91) 15 79.0 (7.30) 12.2 (5.06) 8.8 (4.85) 38 77.1 (3.71) 21.1 (3.78) 1.8 (1.24) 13
                                             
Parks, recreation, and fitness studies 159 84.1 (1.54) 11.5 (1.41) 4.4 (0.95) 40 79.4 (3.32) 12.6 (3.03) 8.0 (2.66) 119 85.6 (1.88) 11.2 (1.74) 3.2 (0.85) 14
Personal and culinary services 336 59.5 (2.00) 27.7 (1.68) 12.7 (1.33) 290 58.8 (2.05) 28.0 (1.81) 13.3 (1.38) 46 64.2 (8.90) 26.4 (6.13) 9.4 (5.02)
Philosophy and religious studies 71 76.2 (3.27) 13.2 (2.26) 10.6 (2.13) 11 51.5 (11.00) 30.1 (8.50) 18.4 (8.56) 60 80.6 (2.99) 10.2 (1.97) 9.2 (1.85) 29
Physical sciences 180 81.7 (1.73) 14.4 (1.57) 3.9 (0.94) 46 72.0 (4.32) 19.0 (3.72) 9.0 (2.89) 134 85.0 (1.67) 12.8 (1.60) 2.2 (0.68) 52
Political science and government 200 86.1 (1.45) 10.2 (1.11) 3.7 (0.99) 32 77.7 (5.04) 20.2 (4.73) 2.1 (1.69) 168 87.8 (1.49) 8.3 (1.01) 4.0 (1.20) 14
                                             
Precision production 54 41.2 (4.78) 32.7 (4.40) 26.1 (3.88) 52 40.1 (4.77) 33.8 (4.49) 26.1 (3.94) (†) (†) (†)
Psychology 606 76.0 (0.99) 16.5 (0.83) 7.5 (0.61) 167 71.5 (1.92) 18.8 (1.89) 9.7 (1.29) 439 77.8 (1.33) 15.6 (1.02) 6.6 (0.70) 147
Public administration and social services 180 51.8 (1.96) 22.9 (1.87) 25.2 (1.91) 68 41.0 (3.21) 22.6 (3.29) 36.5 (3.89) 112 58.5 (2.36) 23.2 (2.26) 18.4 (1.92) 107
Science technologies/technicians 47 60.5 (4.94) 23.4 (3.73) 16.1 (3.78) 35 60.2 (5.76) 22.2 (4.56) 17.7 (4.72) 13 61.3 (7.80) 26.9 (6.43) 11.8 (5.31)
Security and protective services 646 63.1 (1.79) 22.8 (1.18) 14.1 (1.33) 382 59.7 (3.08) 23.2 (1.99) 17.2 (2.00) 264 68.1 (2.17) 22.3 (1.78) 9.6 (1.15) 17
                                             
Social sciences, other 65 62.8 (3.89) 19.7 (3.42) 17.5 (3.44) 23 62.4 (8.10) 21.7 (7.19) 15.8 (7.11) 42 63.0 (4.38) 18.5 (3.19) 18.4 (3.86) 13
Sociology 138 73.3 (2.19) 13.9 (1.20) 12.8 (1.82) 32 67.9 (4.72) 14.2 (3.25) 18.0 (4.46) 106 75.0 (2.21) 13.8 (1.42) 11.3 (1.71) 10
Theology and religious vocations 32 68.3 (7.66) 20.4 (6.12) 11.3 (2.34) (†) (†) (†) 30 67.1 (8.08) 21.4 (6.33) 11.5 (2.56) 51
Transportation and materials moving 58 37.7 (5.83) 36.5 (3.90) 25.8 (4.33) 28 28.6 (6.24) 35.8 (5.83) 35.6 (5.72) 30 46.0 (9.04) 37.2 (5.70) 16.8 (5.21)
Visual and performing arts 805 78.1 (0.84) 15.2 (0.73) 6.7 (0.59) 283 71.0 (1.75) 16.5 (1.41) 12.5 (1.41) 523 81.9 (1.03) 14.5 (0.92) 3.5 (0.47) 63
                                             
Undeclared or not in a degree program 1,683 67.4 (1.14) 19.3 (0.81) 13.3 (0.73) 1,171 61.1 (1.39) 22.8 (0.98) 16.1 (0.93) 512 81.9 (1.91) 11.3 (1.23) 6.8 (1.09)
†Not applicable.
‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases).
1 Includes students attending less-than-2-year institutions and students attending more than one institution.
NOTE: Because of different survey editing and processing procedures, enrollment data in this table may differ from those appearing in other tables. Includes students who enrolled at any time during the 2007–08 academic year. Data include Puerto Rico. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08), unpublished tabulations. (This table was prepared October 2010.)

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