Among bachelor’s-degree recipients, the fields that came closest to being gender-balanced (from 45 percent to 55 percent women) in 2016-17 were architecture, business, homeland security and other protective services, natural resources and conservation, parks and recreation studies, science technologies, and social sciences. Gender equity was also found among master’s- and doctoral/professional-degree recipients in most of those fields, along with legal professions at both degree levels; communications technologies and history for master’s-degree recipients; and biological and biomedical sciences along with visual and performing arts for doctorate recipients. No associate-degree fields had 45 percent to 55 percent women. The fields with the most degree recipients at all levels were business, health professions, liberal arts and sciences, education, and engineering.
Field of study | Total | Associate degrees | Percent women | Bachelor's degrees | Percent women | Master's degrees | Percent women | Doctoral or professional degrees | Percent women |
Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences | 29,980 | 6,438 | 40.4% | 19,664 | 55.7% | 2,949 | 56.6% | 929 | 44.7% |
Architecture and related services | 17,278 | 503 | 34.0% | 8,573 | 46.5% | 7,911 | 49.3% | 291 | 49.8% |
Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies | 10,206 | 420 | 56.9% | 7,720 | 72.6% | 1,717 | 65.4% | 349 | 65.6% |
Biological and biomedical sciences | 146,680 | 5,550 | 68.5% | 116,759 | 61.0% | 16,284 | 58.0% | 8,087 | 52.4% |
Business, management, marketing, and related support services | 679,245 | 108,340 | 60.1% | 380,199 | 47.0% | 187,377 | 47.3% | 3,329 | 44.3% |
Communication, journalism, and related programs | 111,898 | 7,377 | 56.6% | 93,778 | 65.4% | 10,128 | 70.9% | 615 | 66.2% |
Communications technologies/technicians and support services | 9,459 | 4,305 | 34.0% | 4,615 | 37.6% | 539 | 48.6% | — | — |
Computer and information sciences and support services | 151,119 | 31,162 | 20.4% | 71,420 | 19.1% | 46,555 | 30.9% | 1,982 | 22.4% |
Construction trades | 5,461 | 5,308 | 6.6% | 153 | 13.1% | — | — | — | — |
Education | 260,078 | 16,593 | 88.7% | 85,118 | 81.1% | 145,680 | 77.2% | 12,687 | 68.4% |
Engineering | 184,767 | 5,915 | 15.6% | 115,640 | 21.5% | 52,841 | 24.8% | 10,371 | 23.6% |
Engineering technologies and engineering-related fields | 52,244 | 27,024 | 13.9% | 17,665 | 12.9% | 7,403 | 26.2% | 152 | 31.6% |
English language and literature/letters | 53,781 | 2,870 | 66.8% | 41,317 | 70.4% | 8,247 | 66.8% | 1,347 | 61.5% |
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences | 37,570 | 8,881 | 96.0% | 25,077 | 88.0% | 3,295 | 86.8% | 317 | 75.7% |
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics | 24,447 | 2,363 | 74.7% | 17,642 | 68.5% | 3,274 | 64.3% | 1,168 | 59.0% |
Health professions and related programs | 621,276 | 186,296 | 84.0% | 238,014 | 84.1% | 119,273 | 81.6% | 77,693 | 59.0% |
History | 30,175 | 1,756 | 37.3% | 24,058 | 40.5% | 3,436 | 45.1% | 925 | 42.4% |
Homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting and related protective services | 107,313 | 37,345 | 43.8% | 59,581 | 47.0% | 10,210 | 49.3% | 177 | 49.7% |
Legal professions and studies | 54,969 | 6,900 | 85.0% | 4,272 | 68.3% | 8,674 | 54.9% | 35,123 | 49.6% |
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities | 433,062 | 386,641 | 61.9% | 43,841 | 63.5% | 2,485 | 61.8% | 95 | 66.3% |
Library science | 5,152 | 158 | 87.3% | 109 | 89.9% | 4,843 | 82.6% | 42 | 69.1% |
Mathematics and statistics | 38,538 | 3,454 | 31.4% | 24,073 | 41.8% | 9,086 | 43.7% | 1,925 | 27.1% |
Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians | 21,130 | 20,827 | 6.9% | 303 | 5.3% | — | — | — | — |
Military technologies and applied sciences | 1,836 | 1,093 | 19.6% | 469 | 14.5% | 274 | 22.6% | — | — |
Multi/interdisciplinary studies | 90,526 | 30,780 | 58.2% | 49,658 | 66.2% | 9,234 | 63.2% | 854 | 58.1% |
Natural resources and conservation | 24,351 | 1,769 | 32.0% | 18,055 | 49.6% | 3,895 | 54.8% | 632 | 54.0% |
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies | 67,275 | 5,037 | 41.3% | 53,264 | 48.6% | 8,655 | 42.5% | 319 | 50.2% |
Personal and culinary services | 15,062 | 13,881 | 63.2% | 1,154 | 61.7% | 27 | 88.9% | — | — |
Philosophy and religious studies | 13,160 | 1,002 | 42.7% | 9,712 | 38.1% | 1,705 | 35.0% | 741 | 31.6% |
Physical sciences | 49,670 | 5,833 | 42.2% | 30,720 | 39.6% | 7,093 | 38.1% | 6,024 | 32.5% |
Precision production | 5,318 | 5,272 | 7.0% | 32 | 43.8% | 14 | 71.4% | — | — |
Psychology | 162,391 | 11,286 | 76.3% | 116,861 | 78.2% | 27,542 | 79.7% | 6,702 | 74.8% |
Public administration and social-service professions | 89,564 | 7,591 | 86.1% | 35,464 | 82.4% | 45,393 | 76.2% | 1,116 | 65.9% |
Science technologies/technicians | 3,986 | 3,385 | 38.5% | 548 | 46.2% | 50 | 44.0% | 3 | 0.0% |
Social sciences | 175,037 | 19,636 | 65.0% | 135,041 | 51.7% | 16,579 | 51.6% | 3,781 | 46.1% |
Theology and religious vocations | 26,555 | 1,619 | 38.7% | 9,491 | 30.3% | 13,654 | 35.1% | 1,791 | 24.0% |
Transportation and materials moving | 7,107 | 1,547 | 13.5% | 4,710 | 12.2% | 839 | 19.9% | 11 | 9.1% |
Visual and performing arts | 129,997 | 19,438 | 60.1% | 91,262 | 61.3% | 17,523 | 56.8% | 1,774 | 54.2% |
All fields | 3,947,663 | 1,005,595 | 60.8% | 1,956,032 | 57.3% | 804,684 | 59.4% | 181,352 | 53.3% |
Note: Data are for postsecondary institutions in the United States that are eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial-aid programs. The degrees counted were awarded from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. Doctoral/professional degrees include doctoral degrees like Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees, as well as professional degrees like M.D. and D.D.S. and law degrees. Only first majors were considered. A dash indicates the absence of data. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to Ruth Hammond.
Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data
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