The number of degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions in an academic field reflects institutional priorities, public interest in a domain of human knowledge, and overall societal and economic demand for certain skills and abilities. Public postsecondary institutions, which are obligated to serve the public interest, and professional…

Baccalaureate education plays a key role in the educational pathways of research doctorate recipients. Most doctoral students earning research doctorates in the United States received their baccalaureate from institutions in the Carnegie Classification group R1: doctoral universities (very high research activity) or from foreign academic…

Undergraduate degrees awarded in economics by U.S. colleges and universities were stagnant from 2010 (2009-10) through 2013, increased rapidly (almost 15%) over the two years from 2013 through 2015, but have subsequently leveled off in 2016 through 2018.

The Collegiate Employment Research Institute (CERI) generated this report from employers currently seeking college talent through their interactions with college and university career services offices. Nearly 200 career service centers from around the country invited their employers to participate in this study. Approximately 4,350 employers…

Data on second majors were added to the degree completions component of the United States Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) in 2001 and were made available on the National Science Foundation's "WebCASPAR" Web site (https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/) in 2010. The Modern Language Association's first…

In the class of 2013, a record number of students earned bachelor's degrees in physics: 7,363. This is more than double the number of students doing so only 14 years earlier. Over the same time period, the total number of bachelor's degrees awarded in all disciplines was up also, but only by about 40%. The graph shows the number of…

This third installment of "Hard Times" updates the previous analyses of college majors, unemployment, and earnings over the Great Recession. While there is wide variation by college majors, hard times have become better times for most college graduates, but the recovery is far from complete. Hard times are becoming better times for most…

While research has consistently found strong positive earnings returns to the bachelor's degree, recent evidence also highlights heterogeneity in post-college outcomes. Combined with increases in the proportions of students borrowing to enroll, heterogeneity in college outcomes introduces the risk that some students with college degrees may…

After three years of treading water (2005, 2006, and 2007), in 2008 (academic year 2007-08), undergraduate degrees in economics awarded by U.S. colleges and universities resumed the strong upward trajectory they exhibited from 1997 through 2004, when they rose almost 60 percent over seven years. This trend has continued unabated since 2007, with…

Interest in astronomy degrees in the U.S. remains strong, with astronomy enrollments at or near all-time highs for the 2012-13 academic year. The total number of students taking an introductory astronomy course at a degree-granting physics or astronomy department is approaching 200,000. Enrollments in introductory astronomy courses have been…

The objective of this study was to determine the time and level of Information Systems (IS) awareness among Kenyan university students and the choice of IS as a field of specialization. The study posited that the choice of a field of specialization is dependent upon a student's awareness of its existence, its utilization in the real world, its…

This article reports on the trends in undergraduate economics degrees from 1991-2008. After three years of treading water, in 2008 undergraduate degrees in economics awarded by U.S. colleges and universities resumed the strong upward trajectory they exhibited from 1997 to 2004, when they rose 59 percent over seven years. The fastest growth in 2008…

Physics and geoscience consistently rank near the bottom among all disciplines in their ability to attract and retain African American students. Before delving into these trends, it is important to establish a context for discussing the data and their implications. African Americans comprise 12.4% of the U.S. population, but their representation…

States that the number of bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees awarded increased in 1985-86; first professional degrees declined during that year. Highlights significant changes in the number of degrees granted by sex, academic field, and racial and ethnic group between 1969-70 and 1985-86. (CH)

The 1982 data on degrees and other awards conferred by New Jersey colleges and universities are presented, and historical trends are analyzed. For each institution, information is presented on the number of degrees conferred by type of degree (e.g., associate) and broad program category (e.g., business and management). In addition, historical…