Number of degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by type of degree: 1990–91 through 2005

Student Effort and Educational Progress: Tables

Completions

Table 26-1. Number of degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by type of degree: 1990–91 through 2005–06

Academic year	Associate’s	Bachelor’s	Master’s	First- professional¹	Doctoral²

1990–91	481,720	1,094,538	337,168	71,948	39,294
1991–92	504,231	1,136,553	352,838	74,146	40,659
1992–93	514,756	1,165,178	369,585	75,387	42,132
1993–94	530,632	1,169,275	387,070	75,418	43,185
1994–95	539,691	1,160,134	397,629	75,800	44,446
1995–96	555,216	1,164,792	406,301	76,734	44,652
1996–97	571,226	1,172,879	419,401	78,730	45,876
1997–98	558,555	1,184,406	430,164	78,598	46,010
1998–99	559,954	1,200,303	439,986	78,439	44,077
1999–2000	564,933	1,237,875	457,056	80,057	44,808
2000–01	578,865	1,244,171	468,476	79,707	44,904
2001–02	595,133	1,291,900	482,118	80,698	44,160
2002–03	632,912	1,348,503	512,645	80,810	46,024
2003–04	665,301	1,399,542	558,940	83,041	48,378
2004–05	696,660	1,439,264	574,618	87,289	52,631
2005–06	713,066	1,485,242	594,065	87,655	56,067
Increase in the number of degrees conferred between 1990–91 and 2005–06	231,346	390,704	256,897	15,707	16,773
Increase in the number of degrees conferred between 1995–96 and 2005–06	157,850	320,450	187,764	10,921	11,415
Percentage change in the number of degrees conferred between 1990–91 and 2005–06	48.0	35.7	76.2	21.8	42.7
Percentage change in the number of degrees conferred between 1995–96 and 2005–06	28.4	27.5	46.2	14.2	25.6

¹ An award that requires completion of a degree program that meets all of the following criteria: (1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; (2) at least 2 years of college work before entering the degree program; (3) a total of at least 6 academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including previously required college work plus the work required in the professional program itself. See glossary for a definition of first-professional degree.
² Includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level. Excludes first-professional degrees, such as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees.
NOTE: Detail in accompanying tables may not sum to totals shown here because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1990–91 through 2004–05 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Completions Survey” (IPEDS-C:90–99), and Fall 2000 through Fall 2006.

NCES Headlines