In accord with the procedure used in the Digest of Education Statistics, analyses in The Condition of Education use the following 14 general categories for fields of study to provide consistent data for 1970–71 and 2001–02. Most of these general categories group several more narrowly defined fields of study. The lists below detail the specific fields of study, defined by the 1990 Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes, that comprise these 14 general categories. These general categories are referred to in indicator 20.

Agriculture and natural resources: agricultural business and production; agricultural sciences; and conservation and renewable natural resources.

Biological/life sciences: biology; biochemistry and biophysics; botany; cell and molecular biology; microbiology/bacteriology; zoology; and other biological sciences.

Business management and administrative services: business management/administrative services; marketing operations/marketing and distribution; and consumer and personal services.

Communications: communications, general; advertising; journalism; broadcast journalism; public relations and organizational communications; radio and television broadcasting; other communications; and communications technologies.

Computer and information sciences: computer and information sciences, general; computer programming; data processing technology/technician; information science and systems; computer systems analysis; and other computer and information sciences.

Education: education.

Engineering: engineering; engineering-related technologies; construction trades; and mechanics and repairers from 1969–70 through 2001–02.

English language and literature/letters: English language and literature, general; comparative literature; English composition; English creative writing; American literature; English literature; speech and rhetorical studies; English technical and business writing; and English language and literature/letters, other.

Health professions and related sciences: chiropractic; communication disorders sciences; community health liaison; dentistry; dental services; health services administration; health and medical assistants; health and medical diagnostic and treatment services; medical laboratory technologies; predentistry; premedicine; prepharmacy; preveterinary; medical basic sciences; mental health services; nursing; optometry; pharmacy; epidemiology; rehabilitation and therapeutic services; veterinary medicine; and other health professions.

Mathematics: mathematics and statistics.

Physical sciences: physical sciences, general; astronomy; astrophysics; atmospheric science and meteorology; chemistry; geology; miscellaneous physical sciences; physics; science technologies; and other physical sciences.

Psychology: psychology.

Social sciences and history: social sciences, general; anthropology; archeology; criminology; demography and population studies; economics; geography; history; international relations and affairs; political science and government; sociology; urban affairs/studies; and social sciences and history, other.

Visual and performing arts: visual and performing arts, general; crafts, folk art, and artisanry; dance; design and applied art; theatre arts and stagecraft; film/video and photographic arts; fine arts and art studies; music; and visual and performing arts, other.