Field of Study for Completed Bachelor’s Degrees: 2016
Field of study among bachelor’s degree recipients varied by race and ethnicity. Over one-third of Asian bachelor’s degree recipients in 2016 completed their degrees in STEM fields (34.7 percent)—the highest percentage of any group—compared with 12.6 percent of Black or African American students, who were the least likely to complete their degrees in STEM. More than one in five Black or African American students completed their bachelor’s degrees in other applied fields (21.9 percent), a much larger share than that of Asian students (9.0 percent). Roughly one in 10 students of more than one race (12.6 percent), Hispanic or Latino (11.2 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (10.8 percent), and White (10.5 percent) students earned their bachelor’s degrees in the humanities.
Report Links
Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education: A Status Report
Chapter Five: Undergraduate Persistence and Completion
Chapter Five Report Download (PDF) 3.4 MB
Chapter Five Data Tables Download (XLSX) 170 KB
Source
U.S. Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2016
Notes:
STEM fields include computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technology, biological and physical sciences, science technology, math, and agriculture.
Other applied fields for bachelor’s degrees include personal and consumer services; manufacturing, construction, and repair and transportation; military technology and protective services; architecture; communications; public administration and human services; design and applied arts; law and legal studies; library sciences; and theology and religious vocations.
General studies and other programs include fields such as liberal arts and sciences, interpersonal and social skills, personal awareness and self-improvement, and multi- or interdisciplinary studies, among others.
