By 2003, about one-fourth of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients had earned an advanced degree.

In total, 26 percent of 1992–93 graduates had earned at least one advanced degree by 2003, approximately 10 years after they finished college. Considering the highest degree earned, 20 percent of these graduates had earned a master’s degree, 4 percent had earned a first-professional degree, and 2 percent had earned a doctoral degree.

Compared with their peers in other undergraduate majors, science, mathematics, and engineering majors were the most likely to have earned any advanced degree and the most likely to have earned a doctoral degree. Undergraduate education majors were more likely to have earned a master’s degree than other majors (26 percent), whereas business and management majors were less likely to have earned a master’s degree than other majors (15 percent).

By 2003, some 40 percent of 1992–93 graduates had enrolled in an advanced degree program (see table 32-1). Of those who were enrolled in an advanced degree program, 26 percent had earned at least one degree, 6 percent were still enrolled in an advanced degree program (with or without earlier attainment), and 9 percent were no longer enrolled and had not completed an advanced degree by 2003.¹ Advanced degree attainment did not always match what students reported when they completed their bachelor’s degree. Among those who had expected to earn a doctoral degree, some 7 percent had done so by 2003. However, 28 percent of those with doctoral degree aspirations had earned a master’s degree, 6 percent had earned a first-professional degree, and 9 percent were still enrolled in a graduate program in 2003. Among those who had first-professional degree expectations, 53 percent had earned some type of advanced degree and 32 percent had earned a first-professional degree. Less than one-fourth of those with master’s degree expectations (22 percent) had earned any advanced degree by 2003.

The percentage of 1992–93 graduates who had earned any advanced degree by 2003 did not vary by sex or race/ethnicity. However, conferment of an advanced degree did vary by parents’ highest level of education: 34 percent of those whose parents had an advanced degree had earned a graduate degree by 2003, compared with 19 percent of those whose parents did not go to college.

¹Three percent of graduates have earned an advanced degree and are currently pursuing a second advanced degree. (back to text)