Women have earned a greater percentage of bachelor’s degrees than men since the early 1980s overall, but men still earn a greater percentage of degrees in some fields, including computer and information sciences and engineering.

From 1995–96 to 2005–06, the number of degrees earned by women grew at a faster rate than for men and accounted for over 65 percent of the increase in the total bachelor’s and master’s degrees awarded, and for nearly 85 percent of the increase in the total doctoral degrees awarded. At each degree level, degrees earned by women as a percentage of total degrees earned also increased during this time frame (see table 27-1). Though women have earned a greater number and percentage of bachelor’s and master’s degrees overall than men have since the early 1980s (NCES 2008-022, table 258), men continue to earn the majority of degrees at the doctoral level.

Women earned 58 percent of all bachelor’s and 60 percent of all master’s degrees awarded in 2005–06 (up from 55 and 56 percent, respectively, in 1995–96). During this period, the number of degrees earned by women increased by 33 percent at the bachelor’s level (from 642,000 to 855,000) and by 57 percent at the master’s level (from 227,000 to 356,000). The increase in education degrees earned by women accounted for 42 percent of the overall growth in master’s degrees earned by women. Although women earned 50 percent of bachelor’s and 43 percent of master’s degrees in business in 2005–06, the increase in degrees in this field contributed to over 20 percent of the total growth in degrees earned by women at both levels from 1995–96 to 2005–06. Women earned over 75 percent of bachelor’s and master’s degrees awarded in health professions, education, and psychology in 2005–06, but less than 30 percent of degrees awarded in computer and information sciences and in engineering at both levels.

Overall, women earned 49 percent of doctoral degrees awarded in 2005–06 (up from 40 percent in 1995–96). During this period, doctoral degrees earned by women increased by 54 percent (from 17,800 to 27,400). Increases in the number of degrees earned in health professions accounted for over 40 percent of the overall growth in doctoral degrees earned by women. In 2005–06, women earned less than 40 percent of doctoral degrees awarded in business, physical sciences, mathematics and statistics, computer and information sciences, and engineering. In contrast, women earned over 70 percent of doctoral degrees in psychology and health professions that year.