Bachelor's Degrees Earned by Field, 1980–2005
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Field of study | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 929,417 | 1,051,344 | 1,237,875 | 1,348,503 | 1,399,542 | 1,439,264 |
Agriculture and natural resources | 22,802 | 12,900 | 24,238 | 23,294 | 22,835 | 23,002 |
Architecture and related services | 9,132 | 9,364 | 8,462 | 9,054 | 8,838 | 9,237 |
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies | 2,840 | 4,447 | 6,212 | 6,629 | 7,181 | 7,569 |
Biological and biomedical sciences | 46,190 | 37,204 | 63,005 | 60,072 | 61,509 | 64,611 |
Business | 186,264 | 248,568 | 256,070 | 293,545 | 307,149 | 311,574 |
Communication, journalism, and related programs1 | 28,616 | 51,572 | 57,058 | 69,792 | 73,002 | 75,238 |
Computer and information sciences | 11,154 | 27,347 | 37,788 | 57,439 | 59,488 | 54,111 |
Education | 118,038 | 105,112 | 108,034 | 105,790 | 106,278 | 105,451 |
Engineering and engineering technologies | 69,387 | 82,480 | 73,419 | 77,267 | 78,227 | 79,743 |
English language and literature/letters | 32,187 | 46,803 | 50,106 | 53,670 | 53,984 | 54,379 |
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences | 18,411 | 13,514 | 16,321 | 18,166 | 19,172 | 20,074 |
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics | 12,480 | 13,133 | 15,886 | 16,901 | 17,754 | 18,386 |
Health professions and related clinical sciences | 63,848 | 58,983 | 80,863 | 71,223 | 73,934 | 80,685 |
Legal professions and studies | 683 | 1,632 | 1,969 | 2,466 | 2,841 | 3,161 |
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities | 23,196 | 27,985 | 36,104 | 40,221 | 42,106 | 43,751 |
Mathematics and statistics | 11,378 | 14,276 | 11,418 | 12,493 | 13,327 | 14,351 |
Multi/interdisciplinary studies | 11,457 | 16,557 | 28,561 | 28,757 | 29,162 | 30,243 |
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies | 5,753 | 4,582 | 17,571 | 21,428 | 22,164 | 22,888 |
Philosophy and religious studies | 7,069 | 7,034 | 8,535 | 10,344 | 11,152 | 11,584 |
Physical sciences and science technologies | 23,407 | 16,056 | 18,331 | 17,940 | 17,983 | 18,905 |
Psychology | 42,093 | 53,952 | 74,194 | 78,613 | 82,098 | 85,614 |
Public administration and social services | 16,644 | 13,908 | 20,185 | 19,878 | 20,552 | 21,769 |
Security and protective services | 15,015 | 15,354 | 24,877 | 26,789 | 28,175 | 30,723 |
Social sciences and history | 103,662 | 118,083 | 127,101 | 143,218 | 150,357 | 156,892 |
Theology and religious vocations | 6,170 | 5,185 | 6,789 | 7,926 | 8,126 | 9,284 |
Transportation and materials moving | 213 | 2,387 | 3,395 | 4,567 | 4,824 | 4,904 |
Visual and performing arts | 40,892 | 39,934 | 58,791 | 71,474 | 77,181 | 80,955 |
Other and unclassified | 436 | 2,992 | 2,592 | 147 | 143 | 180 |
1. Includes technologies.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, annual; and unpublished data.
Number of U.S. Colleges and Universities and Degrees Awarded, 2005 | Higher Education | Cost of Higher Education, 1985–2007 |