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| 2017 Tables and Figures | All Years of Tables and Figures | Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest |
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| Table 311.32. | Number and percentage of graduate students enrolled in distance education or online classes and degree programs, by selected characteristics: Selected years, 2003-04 through 2015-16 |
| [Standard errors appear in parentheses] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected characteristic | Percent of graduate students taking distance education or online classes | 2015-16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003-04 | 2007-08 | 2011-12 | Number of graduate students (in thousands) | Percent of graduate students taking online classes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total, any distance education classes | Entire degree program through distance education1 | Total, any distance education classes | Entire degree program through distance education1 | Total, any online classes | Entire degree program is online1 | Total, all graduate students | Number taking any online classes | Total, any online classes | Entire degree program is online1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 16.5 | (0.76) | 6.1 | (0.58) | 22.8 | (0.76) | 9.5 | (0.68) | 36.0 | (0.74) | 18.2 | (0.63) | 3,547 | 1,617 | 45.6 | (0.72) | 27.3 | (0.75) | |||||||
| Sex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Male | 15.4 | (1.17) | 4.9 | (0.74) | 20.6 | (1.17) | 7.8 | (1.07) | 31.5 | (1.17) | 15.9 | (1.06) | 1,446 | 591 | 40.8 | (0.95) | 24.6 | (1.02) | |||||||
| Female | 17.3 | (1.00) | 7.0 | (0.74) | 24.2 | (0.99) | 10.6 | (0.77) | 39.0 | (0.97) | 19.8 | (0.78) | 2,101 | 1,026 | 48.9 | (0.91) | 29.3 | (0.85) | |||||||
| Race/ethnicity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White | 17.7 | (0.88) | 6.7 | (0.74) | 23.6 | (0.99) | 9.6 | (0.95) | 36.9 | (0.98) | 18.2 | (0.88) | 2,105 | 942 | 44.8 | (0.93) | 26.0 | (0.90) | |||||||
| Black | 19.2 | (2.44) | 7.5 | (1.72) | 25.8 | (2.94) | 11.5 | (2.11) | 48.8 | (2.12) | 31.4 | (1.66) | 504 | 315 | 62.5 | (2.22) | 45.3 | (2.17) | |||||||
| Hispanic | 13.1 | (1.81) | 5.0 | (1.26) | 23.7 | (3.09) | 9.4 | ! | (2.85) | 34.6 | (2.73) | 17.9 | (2.53) | 326 | 161 | 49.5 | (2.03) | 31.2 | (2.12) | ||||||
| Asian | 9.4 | (1.40) | 3.0 | ! | (1.01) | 12.8 | (1.10) | 4.5 | (0.68) | 19.4 | (1.67) | 6.0 | (1.13) | 500 | 138 | 27.5 | (1.71) | 10.8 | (1.33) | ||||||
| Pacific Islander | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | 31.1 | ! | (9.43) | 13.5 | ! | (6.20) | 44.2 | (11.10) | ‡ | (†) | 8 | 5 | 64.1 | (11.99) | 33.4 | ! | (11.23) | ||||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 8.7 | ! | (3.54) | ‡ | (†) | 16.7 | ! | (6.78) | ‡ | (†) | 55.1 | (12.39) | 43.4 | ! | (15.26) | 17 | 8 | 43.9 | (9.31) | 33.1 | (7.59) | ||||
| Two or more races | 17.1 | (4.46) | 4.8 | ! | (2.33) | 27.7 | ! | (8.38) | 21.3 | ! | (9.56) | 40.4 | (4.24) | 18.4 | (3.84) | 88 | 49 | 55.6 | (4.48) | 33.8 | (4.20) | ||||
| Age | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 to 23 | 11.1 | (1.73) | 3.7 | (0.77) | 16.6 | (2.64) | 1.6 | (0.40) | 19.5 | (1.45) | 4.3 | (0.76) | 466 | 130 | 27.9 | (1.82) | 8.0 | (1.32) | |||||||
| 24 to 29 | 13.6 | (0.82) | 3.6 | (0.43) | 16.1 | (0.79) | 5.7 | (0.54) | 30.8 | (1.05) | 14.4 | (0.91) | 1,387 | 525 | 37.8 | (0.96) | 16.8 | (0.87) | |||||||
| 30 or older | 20.2 | (1.21) | 9.0 | (1.06) | 29.5 | (1.39) | 14.5 | (1.31) | 44.3 | (1.21) | 24.9 | (1.01) | 1,695 | 962 | 56.8 | (1.02) | 41.6 | (1.00) | |||||||
| Attendance status | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-time, full-year2 | 12.0 | (1.00) | 3.4 | (0.72) | 16.4 | (1.35) | 6.5 | (1.24) | 31.7 | (1.16) | 17.4 | (0.98) | 1,279 | 408 | 31.9 | (0.96) | 15.2 | (0.81) | |||||||
| Part-time only, for only part of year | 20.0 | (1.01) | 8.8 | (0.97) | 28.1 | (1.17) | 13.3 | (1.07) | 41.0 | (1.21) | 19.5 | (1.21) | 850 | 453 | 53.3 | (1.54) | 36.7 | (1.72) | |||||||
| Mixed attendance status3 | 15.6 | (1.89) | 4.1 | (0.71) | 23.6 | (2.15) | 6.8 | (0.95) | 36.9 | (1.98) | 17.9 | (1.66) | 1,418 | 756 | 53.3 | (1.09) | 33.1 | (1.06) | |||||||
| Graduate field of study | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business/management | 22.6 | (2.30) | 10.3 | (1.98) | 27.6 | (2.90) | 13.9 | (2.68) | 40.0 | (2.09) | 25.1 | (1.82) | 592 | 320 | 54.1 | (1.65) | 36.7 | (1.84) | |||||||
| Education | 20.7 | (1.74) | 8.2 | (1.29) | 28.3 | (1.67) | 9.9 | (1.36) | 48.9 | (1.65) | 23.7 | (1.47) | 605 | 352 | 58.2 | (1.73) | 34.3 | (1.82) | |||||||
| Health | 12.6 | (1.23) | 3.9 | (0.79) | 22.0 | (1.59) | 8.9 | (1.33) | 36.5 | (1.42) | 16.5 | (1.00) | 694 | 325 | 46.8 | (1.58) | 26.6 | (1.45) | |||||||
| Humanities | 12.9 | (2.43) | 2.9 | ! | (0.87) | 15.7 | (1.72) | 3.1 | (0.65) | 28.1 | (3.13) | 12.1 | (2.88) | 281 | 99 | 35.3 | (2.76) | 18.2 | (2.32) | ||||||
| Law | 5.6 | (1.15) | ‡ | (†) | 6.1 | (0.87) | 1.7 | ! | (0.54) | 10.3 | (1.46) | 2.5 | (0.65) | 132 | 21 | 15.9 | (2.09) | 8.0 | (1.63) | ||||||
| Life and physical sciences | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 13.9 | (1.49) | 5.3 | (1.21) | 197 | 39 | 19.9 | (2.06) | 9.1 | (1.77) | |||||||
| Life sciences | 12.4 | (2.51) | 6.9 | ! | (2.14) | 14.0 | (2.15) | 4.3 | (1.14) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | — | — | (†) | — | (†) | ||||||
| Mathematics, engineering, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| and computer science | 12.0 | (2.03) | 4.6 | ! | (1.48) | 19.7 | (3.06) | 9.4 | ! | (2.96) | 25.5 | (1.78) | 13.3 | (1.42) | 374 | 135 | 36.0 | (1.87) | 19.9 | (1.56) | |||||
| Social/behavioral sciences | 8.5 | (1.42) | 3.4 | ! | (1.11) | 21.3 | (3.66) | 12.7 | (3.68) | 36.6 | (2.22) | 21.7 | (1.89) | 245 | 112 | 45.7 | (2.98) | 29.0 | (3.28) | ||||||
| Other4 | 19.0 | (1.56) | 4.6 | (1.08) | 22.2 | (1.49) | 9.4 | (1.49) | 38.6 | (2.03) | 19.2 | (2.29) | 427 | 214 | 50.2 | (2.00) | 32.7 | (2.14) | |||||||
| Had job during academic year5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes | 19.6 | (0.97) | 7.7 | (0.78) | 27.2 | (0.89) | 11.9 | (0.79) | 43.7 | (0.91) | 24.1 | (0.79) | 2,354 | 1,274 | 54.1 | (0.90) | 34.4 | (0.98) | |||||||
| No | 9.0 | (0.81) | 2.7 | (0.41) | 10.0 | (1.36) | 2.8 | ! | (1.27) | 19.9 | (1.12) | 6.2 | (0.78) | 1,193 | 342 | 28.7 | (1.08) | 13.5 | (0.75) | ||||||
| Dependency status | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dependent | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | — | — | (†) | — | (†) | Independent, no dependents, not married6 |
12.1 | (0.75) | 3.7 | (0.39) | 16.6 | (0.90) | 5.2 | (0.59) | 28.1 | (0.88) | 11.8 | (0.67) | 1,901 | 674 | 35.5 | (0.90) | 16.9 | (0.86) |
| Independent, no dependents, married | 15.5 | (1.22) | 5.0 | (0.77) | 22.3 | (1.67) | 10.1 | (1.56) | 36.1 | (1.75) | 19.5 | (1.64) | 503 | 247 | 49.1 | (1.78) | 27.6 | (1.53) | |||||||
| Independent, with dependents, not married6 |
21.3 | (3.18) | 9.4 | (2.21) | 26.8 | (3.23) | 10.8 | (1.86) | 52.0 | (2.49) | 32.5 | (2.54) | 312 | 198 | 63.5 | (2.06) | 45.7 | (2.05) | |||||||
| Independent, with dependents, married | 24.2 | (1.72) | 10.8 | (1.46) | 34.2 | (1.76) | 17.5 | (2.14) | 45.6 | (1.60) | 25.1 | (1.52) | 831 | 498 | 59.9 | (1.48) | 44.4 | (1.52) | |||||||
| Control of institution | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Public | 15.2 | (0.68) | 4.8 | (0.39) | 23.1 | (0.99) | 8.9 | (0.95) | 32.8 | (0.93) | 11.8 | (0.69) | 1,665 | 708 | 42.5 | (0.99) | 21.2 | (1.07) | |||||||
| Private nonprofit | 16.3 | (1.25) | 6.7 | (1.03) | 18.5 | (0.74) | 6.0 | (0.41) | 28.5 | (1.16) | 12.3 | (1.03) | 1,514 | 618 | 40.8 | (1.17) | 23.7 | (1.11) | |||||||
| Private for-profit | 35.3 | (8.12) | 18.6 | ! | (6.64) | 41.6 | (5.47) | 29.9 | (5.89) | 74.1 | (2.09) | 62.5 | (2.49) | 368 | 290 | 78.9 | (1.26) | 68.5 | (1.99) | ||||||
| —Not available. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Not applicable. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| !Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 Excludes students not in a degree or certificate program. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 Includes only students enrolled full time for a full academic year (defined as 9 or more months). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Includes students enrolled part time for a full academic year as well as students enrolled full time, but for only part of an academic year. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 Includes students who are not in a degree program or have not declared a major. For 2003-04 and 2007-08, includes physical sciences. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 Excludes work study/assistantships. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 Includes separated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NOTE: In 2011-12 and 2015-16, students were asked whether they took classes that were taught entirely online and, if so, whether their entire degree program was online. In 2003-04 and 2007-08, students were asked about distance education, which was defined in 2007-08 as "primarily delivered using live, interactive audio or videoconferencing, pre-recorded instructional videos, webcasts, CD-ROM, or DVD, or computer-based systems delivered over the Internet." The 2003-04 definition was very similar, with only minor differences in wording. In both years, distance education did not include correspondence courses. Data exclude students attending institutions in Puerto Rico. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003-04, 2007-08, 2011-12, and 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04, NPSAS:08, NPSAS:12, and NPSAS:16). (This table was prepared May 2018.) |
