Master's degrees conferred by institutions of higher education, by discipline division: 1970-71 to 1994-95

Table 251.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    
            Discipline division                 |1970-71 |1975-76 |1980-81 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
________________________________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________
                   1                            |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |   9    |   10   |   11   |   12   |   13   |   14   |   15   |   16   |   17
________________________________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________
     Total .....................................|230,509 |311,771 |295,739 |289,921 |284,263 |286,251 |288,567 |289,349 |299,317 |310,621 |324,301 |337,168 |352,838 |369,585 |387,070 |397,629
                                                |________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________
Agriculture and natural resources ..............|  2,457 |  3,340 |  4,003 |  4,254 |  4,178 |  3,928 |  3,801 |  3,522 |  3,479 |  3,245 |  3,382 |  3,295 |  3,735 |  3,965 |  4,119 |  4,252
Architecture and related programs ..............|  1,705 |  3,215 |  3,153 |  3,357 |  3,223 |  3,275 |  3,260 |  3,163 |  3,159 |  3,383 |  3,499 |  3,490 |  3,640 |  3,808 |  3,943 |  3,923
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies .............|  1,032 |    995 |    804 |    845 |    897 |    904 |    945 |    864 |    911 |  1,016 |  1,212 |  1,263 |  1,385 |  1,523 |  1,633 |  1,639
Biological sciences/life sciences ..............|  5,728 |  6,582 |  5,978 |  5,696 |  5,406 |  5,059 |  5,013 |  4,952 |  4,784 |  4,961 |  4,869 |  4,765 |  4,785 |  4,756 |  5,196 |  5,393
Business .......................................| 25,977 | 42,054 | 57,391 | 64,758 | 66,150 | 66,996 | 66,689 | 67,093 | 69,230 | 73,065 | 76,676 | 78,255 | 84,642 | 89,615 | 93,437 | 93,809
                                                |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
Communications .................................|  1,770 |  2,961 |  2,896 |  3,502 |  3,513 |  3,460 |  3,500 |  3,622 |  3,678 |  3,940 |  4,063 |  4,123 |  4,180 |  4,754 |  5,005 |  5,142
Communications technologies ....................|     86 |    165 |    209 |    102 |    143 |    209 |    323 |    271 |    247 |    317 |    299 |    213 |    284 |    455 |    414 |    467
Computer and information sciences ..............|  1,588 |  2,603 |  4,218 |  5,321 |  6,190 |  7,101 |  8,070 |  8,481 |  9,197 |  9,414 |  9,677 |  9,324 |  9,530 | 10,163 | 10,416 | 10,326
Education ......................................| 87,666 |126,061 | 96,713 | 83,250 | 75,664 | 74,654 | 74,801 | 74,045 | 76,566 | 81,174 | 84,881 | 87,343 | 92,668 | 96,028 | 98,938 |101,242
Engineering ....................................| 16,309 | 16,014 | 16,386 | 18,807 | 20,078 | 20,905 | 21,040 | 22,015 | 22,627 | 23,740 | 23,863 | 23,962 | 24,983 | 27,626 | 28,621 | 28,553
                                                |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
Engineering-related technologies ...............|    134 |    328 |    323 |    537 |    577 |    650 |    617 |    639 |    758 |    828 |    909 |    996 |    994 |  1,100 |  1,133 |  1,117
English language and literature/letters ........| 10,686 |  8,809 |  5,929 |  5,048 |  5,010 |  5,187 |  5,518 |  5,483 |  5,562 |  5,950 |  6,567 |  7,026 |  7,450 |  7,790 |  7,885 |  7,845
Foreign languages and literatures...............|  5,217 |  4,190 |  2,690 |  2,478 |  2,581 |  2,471 |  2,494 |  2,379 |  2,469 |  2,595 |  2,760 |  2,800 |  2,926 |  3,198 |  3,288 |  3,136
Health professions and related sciences ........|  5,749 | 12,556 | 16,515 | 17,047 | 17,411 | 17,385 | 18,573 | 18,394 | 18,657 | 19,268 | 20,321 | 21,200 | 23,065 | 25,718 | 28,025 | 31,243
Home economics and vocational home economics ...|  1,452 |  2,179 |  2,570 |  2,385 |  2,416 |  2,375 |  2,294 |  2,064 |  2,047 |  2,164 |  2,100 |  2,019 |  2,412 |  2,479 |  2,421 |  2,864
                                                |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
Law and legal studies ..........................|    955 |  1,442 |  1,832 |  2,091 |  1,802 |  1,796 |  1,924 |  1,943 |  1,880 |  2,013 |  1,888 |  2,057 |  2,369 |  2,197 |  2,432 |  2,511
Liberal arts and sciences,                      |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
  general studies, and humanities ..............|    885 |  2,633 |  2,375 |  1,286 |  1,796 |  1,696 |  1,586 |  1,581 |  1,814 |  1,850 |  1,999 |  2,213 |  2,394 |  2,416 |  2,496 |  2,565
Library science ................................|  7,001 |  8,037 |  4,859 |  3,904 |  3,782 |  3,870 |  3,564 |  3,783 |  3,674 |  3,906 |  4,341 |  4,763 |  4,893 |  4,871 |  5,116 |  5,057
Mathematics ....................................|  5,695 |  4,315 |  3,074 |  3,398 |  3,244 |  3,413 |  3,607 |  3,730 |  3,867 |  3,903 |  4,146 |  4,041 |  4,011 |  4,067 |  4,100 |  4,181
Multi/interdisciplinary studies ................|    821 |  1,158 |  2,144 |  2,499 |  2,431 |  2,583 |  2,625 |  2,482 |  2,575 |  2,762 |  2,834 |  1,796 |  2,126 |  2,498 |  2,464 |  2,457
                                                |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
Parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies .|    218 |    571 |    643 |    608 |    603 |    596 |    570 |    560 |    544 |    535 |    529 |    483 |  1,358 |  1,434 |  1,625 |  1,755
Philosophy and religion ........................|  1,326 |  1,356 |  1,229 |  1,091 |  1,153 |  1,167 |  1,163 |  1,109 |  1,099 |  1,280 |  1,306 |  1,441 |  1,146 |  1,425 |  1,350 |  1,380
Physical sciences and science technologies......|  6,367 |  5,466 |  5,284 |  5,290 |  5,576 |  5,796 |  5,902 |  5,629 |  5,733 |  5,723 |  5,449 |  5,309 |  5,374 |  5,366 |  5,679 |  5,753
Precision production trades.....................|     ---|     ---|     ---|      0 |      0 |      4 |      0 |      0 |      4 |      0 |      3 |      0 |      0 |      2 |      2 |      5
Protective services ............................|    194 |  1,197 |  1,538 |  1,300 |  1,219 |  1,235 |  1,074 |  1,019 |  1,024 |  1,047 |  1,151 |  1,108 |  1,249 |  1,357 |  1,437 |  1,706
                                                |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
Psychology .....................................|  5,717 | 10,167 | 10,223 |  9,981 |  9,525 |  9,891 |  9,845 |  9,562 |  9,180 |  9,940 | 10,730 | 11,349 | 10,215 | 10,957 | 12,181 | 13,921
Public administration and services .............|  7,785 | 15,209 | 17,803 | 16,046 | 15,060 | 15,575 | 15,692 | 16,432 | 16,424 | 17,020 | 17,399 | 17,905 | 19,243 | 20,634 | 21,833 | 23,501
R.O.T.C. and military technologies .............|      2 |      0 |     43 |    110 |    127 |    119 |     83 |    119 |     49 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |    108 |    124 |    124
Social sciences and history.....................| 16,539 | 15,953 | 11,945 | 11,205 | 10,577 | 10,503 | 10,564 | 10,506 | 10,412 | 11,023 | 11,634 | 12,233 | 12,702 | 13,471 | 14,561 | 14,845
Theological studies/religious vocations ........|  2,710 |  3,290 |  4,220 |  4,871 |  5,211 |  4,435 |  4,556 |  4,966 |  4,905 |  4,749 |  4,959 |  4,810 |  5,185 |  4,985 |  4,956 |  5,240
                                                |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
Transportation and material moving workers .....|     63 |    108 |    120 |     91 |    194 |    295 |    454 |    433 |    679 |    692 |    538 |    406 |    385 |    495 |    664 |    823
Visual and performing arts .....................|  6,675 |  8,817 |  8,629 |  8,763 |  8,526 |  8,718 |  8,420 |  8,508 |  7,939 |  8,267 |  8,481 |  8,657 |  9,353 |  9,440 |  9,925 | 10,277
Not classified by field of study ...............|      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |  4,144 |    851 |  1,836 |  8,523 |  4,156 |    884 |  1,651 |    577
________________________________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________|________

---Data not available or not applicable.

NOTE.--The new Classification of Instructional Programs was initiated in 1991-92. The figures for earlier years have been reclassified when necessary to make them conform to the new taxonomy. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the IPEDS "Completions" survey: "Agriculture and natural resources" includes Agricultural business and production, Agricultural sciences, and Conservation and renewable natural resources; "Business" includes Business management and administrative services, Marketing operations/marketing and distribution, and Consumer and personal services; and "Engineering-related technologies" includes Engineering-related technologies, Mechanics and repairers, and Construction trades.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. (This table was prepared March 1997.)

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