Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 325.40. Degrees in education conferred by postsecondary institutions, by level of degree and sex of student: Selected years, 1949-50 through 2015-16
Year Bachelor's degrees Master's degrees Doctor's degrees
Total Males Females Females
as a
percent
of total
Total Males Females Total Males Females
Number Annual
percent
change
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1949-50 61,472 31,398 30,074 48.9 20,069 12,025 8,044 953 797 156
1959-60 89,002 25,556 63,446 71.3 33,433 18,057 15,376 1,591 1,279 312
1967-68 133,965 31,926 102,039 76.2 63,399 30,672 32,727 4,078 3,250 828
1969-70 163,964 40,420 123,544 75.3 78,020 34,832 43,188 5,588 4,479 1,109
                       
1970-71 176,307 7.5 44,896 131,411 74.5 87,666 38,365 49,301 6,041 4,771 1,270
1971-72 190,880 8.3 49,344 141,536 74.1 96,668 41,141 55,527 6,648 5,104 1,544
1972-73 193,984 1.6 51,300 142,684 73.6 103,777 43,298 60,479 6,857 5,191 1,666
1973-74 184,907 -4.7 48,997 135,910 73.5 110,402 44,112 66,290 6,757 4,974 1,783
1974-75 166,758 -9.8 44,463 122,295 73.3 117,841 44,430 73,411 6,975 4,856 2,119
                       
1975-76 154,437 -7.4 42,004 112,433 72.8 126,061 44,831 81,230 7,202 4,826 2,376
1976-77 143,234 -7.3 39,867 103,367 72.2 124,267 42,308 81,959 7,338 4,832 2,506
1977-78 135,821 -5.2 37,410 98,411 72.5 116,916 37,662 79,254 7,018 4,281 2,737
1978-79 125,873 -7.3 33,743 92,130 73.2 109,866 34,410 75,456 7,170 4,174 2,996
1979-80 118,038 -6.2 30,901 87,137 73.8 101,819 30,300 71,519 7,314 4,100 3,214
                       
1980-81 108,074 -8.4 27,039 81,035 75.0 96,713 27,548 69,165 7,279 3,843 3,436
1981-82 100,932 -6.6 24,380 76,552 75.8 91,601 25,339 66,262 6,999 3,612 3,387
1982-83 97,908 -3.0 23,651 74,257 75.8 83,254 22,824 60,430 7,063 3,550 3,513
1983-84 92,310 -5.7 22,200 70,110 76.0 75,700 21,164 54,536 6,914 3,448 3,466
1984-85 88,078 -4.6 21,254 66,824 75.9 74,667 20,539 54,128 6,614 3,174 3,440
                       
1985-86 87,147 -1.1 20,982 66,165 75.9 74,816 20,302 54,514 6,610 3,088 3,522
1986-87 86,788 -0.4 20,705 66,083 76.1 72,619 18,955 53,664 5,905 2,745 3,160
1987-88 90,928 4.8 20,947 69,981 77.0 75,270 18,777 56,493 5,568 2,530 3,038
1988-89 96,740 6.4 21,643 75,097 77.6 79,793 19,616 60,177 5,884 2,522 3,362
1989-90 105,112 8.7 23,007 82,105 78.1 84,890 20,469 64,421 6,503 2,776 3,727
                       
1990-91 110,807 5.4 23,417 87,390 78.9 87,352 20,448 66,904 6,189 2,614 3,575
1991-92 107,836 -2.7 22,655 85,181 79.0 91,225 20,897 70,328 6,423 2,652 3,771
1992-93 107,578 -0.2 23,199 84,379 78.4 94,497 21,857 72,640 6,581 2,712 3,869
1993-94 107,440 -0.1 24,424 83,016 77.3 97,427 22,656 74,771 6,450 2,555 3,895
1994-95 105,929 -1.4 25,619 80,310 75.8 99,835 23,511 76,324 6,475 2,490 3,985
                       
1995-96 105,384 -0.5 26,214 79,170 75.1 104,936 24,955 79,981 6,246 2,404 3,842
1996-97 105,116 -0.3 26,242 78,874 75.0 108,720 25,518 83,202 6,297 2,367 3,930
1997-98 105,833 0.7 26,285 79,548 75.2 113,374 26,814 86,560 6,261 2,334 3,927
1998-99 107,372 1.5 26,321 81,051 75.5 118,226 28,077 90,149 6,471 2,297 4,174
1999-2000 108,034 0.6 26,103 81,931 75.8 123,045 29,081 93,964 6,409 2,295 4,114
                       
2000-01 105,458 -2.4 24,580 80,878 76.7 127,829 29,997 97,832 6,284 2,237 4,047
2001-02 106,295 0.8 24,049 82,246 77.4 135,189 31,907 103,282 6,549 2,211 4,338
2002-03 105,845 -0.4 22,604 83,241 78.6 147,883 34,033 113,850 6,832 2,314 4,518
2003-04 106,278 0.4 22,802 83,476 78.5 162,345 37,843 124,502 7,088 2,403 4,685
2004-05 105,451 -0.8 22,513 82,938 78.7 167,490 38,863 128,627 7,681 2,557 5,124
                       
2005-06 107,238 1.7 22,448 84,790 79.1 174,620 40,700 133,920 7,584 2,664 4,920
2006-07 105,641 -1.5 22,516 83,125 78.7 176,572 40,164 136,408 8,261 2,681 5,580
2007-08 102,582 -2.9 21,828 80,754 78.7 175,880 40,055 135,825 8,491 2,773 5,718
2008-09 101,716 -0.8 21,163 80,553 79.2 178,538 40,312 138,226 9,028 2,956 6,072
2009-10 101,287 -0.4 20,739 80,548 79.5 182,165 41,284 140,881 9,237 3,023 6,214
                       
2010-11 104,008 2.7 21,206 82,802 79.6 185,127 42,043 143,084 9,642 3,070 6,572
2011-12 105,656 1.6 21,714 83,942 79.4 179,047 41,364 137,683 10,118 3,262 6,856
2012-13 104,698 -0.9 21,824 82,874 79.2 164,652 37,816 126,836 10,572 3,418 7,154
2013-14 98,838 -5.6 20,357 78,481 79.4 154,655 35,974 118,681 10,929 3,464 7,465
2014-15 91,596 -7.3 18,467 73,129 79.8 146,581 33,963 112,618 11,772 3,838 7,934
2015-16 87,217 -4.8 17,427 69,790 80.0 145,781 33,802 111,979 11,829 3,692 8,137
                       
Percent change                      
2005-06 to 2010-11 -3.0 -5.5 -2.3 6.0 3.3 6.8 27.1 15.2 33.6
2010-11 to 2015-16 -16.1 -17.8 -15.7 -21.3 -19.6 -21.7 22.7 20.3 23.8
†Not applicable.
NOTE: Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Earned Degrees Conferred, 1949-50 and 1959-60; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, 1967-68 through 1985-86; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions Survey" (IPEDS-C:87-99); and Fall 2000 through Fall 2016, Completions component. (This table was prepared November 2017.)

2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest