Bachelor's degrees conferred by institutions of higher education, by discipline division: 1970-71 to 1993-94

Table 246.

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            Discipline division                    | 1970-71  | 1975-76  | 1980-81  | 1981-82  | 1982-83  | 1983-84  | 1984-85  | 1985-86  | 1986-87  | 1987-88  | 1988-89  | 1989-90  | 1990-91  | 1991-92  | 1992-93  | 1993-94
---------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
                   1                               |    2     |    3     |    4     |    5     |    6     |    7     |    8     |    9     |    10    |    11    |    12    |    13    |    14    |    15    |    16    |    17
---------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
     Total ........................................|  839,730 |  925,746 |  935,140 |  952,998 |  969,510 |  974,309 |  979,477 |  987,823 |  991,264 |  994,829 |1,018,755 |1,051,344 |1,094,538 |1,136,553 |1,165,178 |1,169,275
                                                   |----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
Agriculture and natural resources .................|   12,672 |   19,402 |   21,886 |   21,029 |   20,909 |   19,317 |   18,107 |   16,823 |   14,991 |   14,222 |   13,492 |   12,900 |   13,124 |   15,124 |   16,778 |   18,070
Architecture and related programs .................|    5,570 |    9,146 |    9,455 |    9,728 |    9,823 |    9,186 |    9,325 |    9,119 |    8,950 |    8,603 |    9,150 |    9,364 |    9,781 |    8,753 |    9,167 |    8,975
Area, ethnic and cultural studies .................|    2,582 |    3,577 |    2,887 |    2,862 |    3,068 |    3,005 |    2,985 |    3,178 |    3,427 |    3,601 |    4,102 |    4,613 |    4,884 |    5,342 |    5,481 |    5,573
Biological sciences/life sciences .................|   35,743 |   54,275 |   43,216 |   41,639 |   39,982 |   38,640 |   38,445 |   38,524 |   38,121 |   36,755 |   36,059 |   37,204 |   39,530 |   42,941 |   47,038 |   51,383
Business management and administrative services....|  114,729 |  142,034 |  198,983 |  213,374 |  226,627 |  229,478 |  232,636 |  237,319 |  240,546 |  243,021 |  246,399 |  248,698 |  249,311 |  256,603 |  256,842 |  246,654
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Communications ....................................|   10,324 |   20,045 |   29,428 |   32,428 |   36,954 |   38,586 |   40,358 |   41,666 |   43,953 |   45,410 |   47,405 |   50,114 |   51,650 |   54,257 |   53,874 |   51,164
Communications technologies .......................|      478 |    1,237 |    1,854 |    1,794 |    1,613 |    1,527 |    1,644 |    1,410 |    1,384 |    1,239 |    1,204 |    1,194 |    1,123 |      720 |      832 |      663
Computer and information sciences .................|    2,388 |    5,652 |   15,121 |   20,267 |   24,510 |   32,172 |   38,878 |   41,889 |   39,589 |   34,523 |   30,454 |   27,257 |   25,083 |   24,557 |   24,200 |   24,200
Education .........................................|  176,307 |  154,437 |  108,074 |  100,932 |   97,895 |   92,299 |   88,072 |   87,114 |   86,936 |   91,112 |   96,913 |  105,112 |  110,807 |  108,006 |  107,781 |  107,600
Engineering .......................................|   44,898 |   38,388 |   63,287 |   67,021 |   72,163 |   75,638 |   77,066 |   76,225 |   73,747 |   69,380 |   66,099 |   63,609 |   61,531 |   61,206 |   61,973 |   62,220
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Engineering-related technologies ..................|    5,148 |    7,943 |   11,713 |   12,984 |   16,855 |   18,547 |   18,762 |   19,435 |   19,069 |   19,126 |   18,903 |   17,713 |   17,119 |   16,335 |   16,078 |   16,005
English language and literature/letters ...........|   64,342 |   42,006 |   32,254 |   33,419 |   31,829 |   32,834 |   33,218 |   34,552 |   36,284 |   38,661 |   42,470 |   47,519 |   51,841 |   54,951 |   56,133 |   53,924
Foreign languages and literatures..................|   20,536 |   16,484 |   11,273 |   10,756 |   10,599 |   10,384 |   10,827 |   10,984 |   11,034 |   10,926 |   11,693 |   12,386 |   13,133 |   13,903 |   14,387 |   14,378
Health professions and related sciences ...........|   25,226 |   53,958 |   63,649 |   63,653 |   64,685 |   64,288 |   64,422 |   64,396 |   63,103 |   60,644 |   59,005 |   58,302 |   59,070 |   61,720 |   67,089 |   74,421
Home economics and vocational home economics ......|   11,167 |   17,409 |   18,370 |   17,872 |   16,296 |   15,948 |   15,157 |   14,889 |   14,417 |   14,320 |   14,160 |   14,491 |   14,892 |   14,898 |   15,100 |   15,522
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Law and legal studies .............................|      545 |      531 |      776 |      846 |    1,099 |    1,272 |    1,157 |    1,197 |    1,178 |    1,303 |    1,976 |    1,592 |    1,758 |    2,144 |    2,056 |    2,171
Liberal arts and sciences,                         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
  general studies, and humanities .................|    7,481 |   18,855 |   21,643 |   21,089 |   21,603 |   21,479 |   21,818 |   21,336 |   23,717 |   24,274 |   26,388 |   27,985 |   30,526 |   32,174 |   33,456 |   33,397
Library science ...................................|    1,013 |      843 |      375 |      307 |      254 |      252 |      197 |      155 |      136 |      119 |      121 |       77 |       90 |       97 |       83 |       62
Mathematics .......................................|   24,937 |   16,329 |   11,433 |   12,226 |   12,719 |   13,764 |   15,861 |   17,147 |   16,999 |   16,608 |   15,994 |   15,176 |   15,310 |   14,783 |   14,812 |   14,396
Multi/interdisciplinary studies ...................|    6,286 |   13,588 |   12,848 |   14,707 |   14,107 |   13,940 |   12,978 |   13,489 |   13,933 |   14,723 |   15,168 |   16,267 |   17,561 |   20,647 |   23,955 |   25,167
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies ....|    1,621 |    5,182 |    5,729 |    5,335 |    5,214 |    4,850 |    4,725 |    4,620 |    4,264 |    4,235 |    4,376 |    4,582 |    4,315 |    8,446 |    9,859 |   11,470
Philosophy and religion ...........................|    8,146 |    8,447 |    6,776 |    6,309 |    6,483 |    6,435 |    6,400 |    6,239 |    5,984 |    5,963 |    6,425 |    6,868 |    7,315 |    7,526 |    7,781 |    7,546
Physical sciences and science technologies.........|   21,412 |   21,465 |   23,952 |   24,052 |   23,381 |   23,651 |   23,704 |   21,717 |   20,070 |   17,806 |   17,186 |   16,066 |   16,344 |   16,960 |   17,545 |   18,400
Precision production trades........................|        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |      384 |      371 |      553 |      400 |      455 |      481 |      482 |      528 |      460 |      378 |      388 |      420
Protective services ...............................|    2,045 |   12,507 |   13,707 |   12,438 |   12,579 |   12,654 |   12,510 |   12,704 |   12,930 |   13,367 |   14,698 |   15,354 |   16,806 |   18,855 |   20,902 |   23,009
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Psychology ........................................|   38,187 |   50,278 |   41,068 |   41,212 |   40,460 |   39,955 |   39,900 |   40,628 |   42,994 |   45,187 |   48,910 |   53,952 |   58,655 |   63,513 |   66,728 |   69,259
Public administration and services ................|    5,466 |   15,440 |   16,707 |   16,495 |   14,414 |   12,570 |   11,754 |   11,887 |   12,328 |   12,385 |   13,162 |   13,908 |   14,350 |   15,987 |   16,775 |   17,815
R.O.T.C. and military technologies ................|      357 |      952 |       42 |       55 |      267 |      195 |      299 |      256 |      384 |       82 |      198 |      196 |      183 |      184 |       11 |       19
Social sciences and history........................|  155,324 |  126,396 |  100,513 |   99,705 |   95,228 |   93,323 |   91,570 |   93,840 |   96,342 |  100,460 |  108,151 |  118,083 |  125,107 |  133,974 |  135,703 |  133,680
Theological studies/religious vocations ...........|    3,744 |    5,520 |    5,841 |    5,998 |    6,054 |    5,920 |    6,047 |    5,607 |    5,730 |    5,565 |    5,318 |    5,200 |    4,813 |    4,729 |    5,433 |    5,434
                                                   |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Transportation and material moving ................|      662 |    1,282 |    1,801 |    2,044 |    1,662 |    1,698 |    1,962 |    1,837 |    1,654 |    1,983 |    2,062 |    2,387 |    2,622 |    3,598 |    3,930 |    3,923
Visual and performing arts ........................|   30,394 |   42,138 |   40,479 |   40,422 |   39,794 |   40,131 |   38,140 |   37,241 |   36,615 |   36,944 |   38,227 |   39,934 |   42,186 |   46,522 |   47,761 |   49,053
Not classified by field of study ..................|        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |    1,801 |    2,405 |    2,713 |   13,258 |    6,720 |    5,247 |    3,302
---------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------

NOTE.--The new Classification of Instructional Programs was initiated in 1991-92. The figures for earlier years have been reclassified when necessary to make them conform to the new taxonomy. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the IPEDS "Completions" survey: "Agriculture and natural resources" includes Agribusiness and agriculture production, Agricultural sciences, and Conservation and renewable natural resources; "Business management and administrative services" includes Business and management, Business (administrative support), Marketing and distribution, and Consumer, personal, and miscellaneous services; and "Engineering-related technologies" includes Engineering-related technologies, Mechanics and repairers, and Construction trades.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. (This table was prepared February 1996.)

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