Field of Study for Completed Associate Degrees: 2016
Field of study among associate degree recipients varied by race and ethnicity. Asian associate degree recipients were more than twice as likely to have completed their degrees in STEM as Black or African American students (17.3 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively). A larger share of international (43.7 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (41.2 percent) associate degree recipients than of other groups completed their degrees in general studies. About one in five White students (21.5 percent), Black or African American students (20.5 percent), and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students (19.9 percent) completed their associate degrees in health care fields, compared with only 5.7 percent of international students.
Report Links
Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education: A Status Report
Chapter Five: Undergraduate Persistence and Completion
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Source
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.
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.
Other applied fields for sub-baccalaureate credentials include the following fields of study: manufacturing, construction, repair and transportation; military technology and protective services; education; architecture; communications; public administration and human services; design and applied arts; law and legal studies; library sciences; and theology and religious vocations.
