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Degrees Conferred, by Level and Discipline, 2015-16

Almanac 2018
August 19, 2018

Women were far more likely than men to earn bachelor’s degrees in library science, family and consumer sciences, and the health professions, and far less likely to do so in mechanic and repair technologies, construction trades, and engineering technologies. At the doctoral level, the gap between the sexes was not as great, but women earned three-quarters of the doctorates in psychology and family and consumer sciences, and only 20 percent of those in computer science and 23 percent in engineering.

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Women were far more likely than men to earn bachelor’s degrees in library science, family and consumer sciences, and the health professions, and far less likely to do so in mechanic and repair technologies, construction trades, and engineering technologies. At the doctoral level, the gap between the sexes was not as great, but women earned three-quarters of the doctorates in psychology and family and consumer sciences, and only 20 percent of those in computer science and 23 percent in engineering.


Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store. Help guide us to give you the data you need by taking our 10-minute online Almanac survey.


Click on the plus sign in the first column to see the final columns.

Field of
study
Total Associate
degrees
Female
share for
associate
degrees
Bachelor’s
degrees
Female
share for
bachelor’s
degrees
Master’s
degrees
Female
share for
master’s
degrees
Doctoral
degrees
Female
share for
doctoral
degrees
Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences 29,296 6,158 39.8% 19,459 54.5% 2,833 57.0% 846 45.9%
Architecture and related services 17,523 478 31.0% 8,823 45.0% 7,986 47.9% 236 48.3%
Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies 10,341 419 62.8% 7,840 71.6% 1,766 64.0% 316 60.1%
Biological and biomedical sciences 142,643 5,266 65.9% 113,749 59.9% 15,714 57.3% 7,914 53.0%
Business, management, marketing, and related support services 670,434 110,005 61.5% 370,308 47.1% 186,798 46.7% 3,323 41.9%
Communication, journalism, and related programs 109,618 6,759 58.7% 92,554 65.0% 9,676 70.4% 629 59.3%
Communications technologies/technicians and support services 9,888 4,569 31.7% 4,824 35.8% 491 50.7% 4 50.0%
Computer and information sciences and support services 137,081 30,569 21.1% 64,405 18.7% 40,128 30.8% 1,979 20.1%
Construction trades 4,924 4,699 5.4% 225 7.6% — — — —
Education 261,856 17,029 88.4% 87,217 80.0% 145,781 76.8% 11,829 68.8%
Engineering 173,965 5,285 14.7% 106,850 20.9% 51,621 25.0% 10,209 23.4%
Engineering technologies and engineering-related fields 49,986 27,241 13.6% 16,548 12.1% 6,064 26.8% 133 31.6%
English language and literature/letters 55,315 2,551 66.6% 42,795 70.2% 8,577 66.4% 1,392 62.9%
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences 37,921 8,930 95.8% 25,389 88.3% 3,228 85.7% 374 74.6%
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics 25,305 2,208 77.4% 18,427 68.8% 3,405 65.6% 1,265 59.7%
Health professions and related programs 604,378 191,452 84.0% 228,896 84.2% 110,348 81.5% 73,682 58.8%
History 31,628 1,605 40.5% 25,597 40.3% 3,455 45.0% 971 45.6%
Homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting, and related protective services 111,017 39,899 44.0% 61,157 46.7% 9,756 49.8% 205 47.3%
Legal professions and studies 57,468 8,017 86.0% 4,243 69.4% 8,178 53.3% 37,030 48.5%
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities 427,541 381,176 61.7% 43,661 63.0% 2,599 61.1% 105 58.1%
Library science 5,211 146 80.1% 85 92.9% 4,926 81.6% 54 59.3%
Mathematics and statistics 36,102 3,029 28.7% 22,777 42.5% 8,446 41.8% 1,850 28.5%
Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians 20,964 20,578 6.1% 386 7.0% — — — —
Military technologies and applied sciences 1,557 1,047 16.7% 358 19.0% 152 23.7% — —
Multi/interdisciplinary studies 88,698 30,484 58.2% 48,794 66.7% 8,571 62.4% 849 57.4%
Natural resources and conservation 23,756 1,700 30.7% 17,546 50.0% 3,848 54.9% 662 45.9%
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies 64,264 4,771 39.9% 50,918 47.6% 8,244 42.7% 331 43.5%
Personal and culinary services 19,645 18,223 60.7% 1,386 58.2% 36 88.9% — —
Philosophy and religious studies 13,473 814 52.8% 10,157 37.3% 1,756 35.7% 746 37.5%
Physical sciences 48,569 5,520 41.1% 29,996 38.7% 7,039 37.6% 6,014 32.3%
Precision production 4,900 4,840 6.5% 50 44.0% 10 40.0% — —
Psychology 162,220 10,603 75.6% 117,440 77.6% 27,645 79.9% 6,532 74.6%
Public administration and social-service professions 90,236 7,988 86.1% 34,432 82.5% 46,751 76.1% 1,065 66.8%
Science technologies/technicians 3,523 2,957 37.6% 481 42.4% 83 61.5% 2 0.0%
Social sciences 174,150 18,448 65.1% 135,633 51.3% 16,373 50.6% 3,696 44.7%
Theology and religious vocations 27,053 1,089 53.0% 9,804 31.2% 14,352 34.7% 1,808 27.5%
Transportation and materials moving 6,945 1,497 13.7% 4,529 12.2% 911 20.4% 8 37.5%
Visual and performing arts 133,011 20,176 60.4% 92,979 60.5% 18,048 57.5% 1,808 52.6%
All fields 3,892,405 1,008,225 61.1% 1,920,718 57.2% 785,595 59.2% 177,867 52.7%

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, 2015, to June 30, 2016. Doctoral degrees include 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 the Almanac editor.

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Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data

A version of this article appeared in the August 24, 2018, issue.
Read other items in this Students: Almanac 2018 package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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