Question:
What is the percentage of degrees conferred by sex and race?
Response:
Women continued to earn more degrees than men in academic year 2002–03, about 58 percent of all degrees. Women earned 60 percent of all associate’s degrees, 58 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, and 59 percent of all master’s degrees.
About two-thirds (67 percent) of all degrees conferred during the 2002–03 academic year went to White, non-Hispanic students; 22 percent to members of groups other than Whites (includes Black, non-Hispanics, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives); and the remainder to nonresident aliens (5 percent) or individuals whose race/ethnicity was unknown (5 percent).
The proportion of degrees awarded to members of groups other than Whites was highest at the associate’s level, with 27 percent of all degrees. These students also were awarded 22 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 17 percent of master’s degrees, 14 percent of doctor’s degrees, and 24 percent of first-professional degrees.
Nonresident aliens received 14 percent of all master’s degrees and 25 percent of all doctor’s degrees, much higher proportions than of any group other than White, non-Hispanics.
Women earned about two-thirds (67 percent) of degrees granted to Black, non-Hispanics, 63 percent of degrees granted to American Indians/Alaska Natives, 61 percent of degrees granted to Hispanics, 58 percent of degrees granted to White, non-Hispanics, and 55 percent of degrees granted to Asians/Pacific Islanders.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2003 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2002-03 (NCES 2005-154).
| Degrees conferred and percentage distribution by Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level of degree, sex, and race/ethnicity: United States, academic year 2002-03 | ||||||||
| Sex and race/ethnicity | Total | Bachelor's | Master's | Doctor's1 | ||||
| Number | Percent of total | Number | Percent of total | Number | Percent of total | Number | Percent of total | |
| All institutions | 2,620,894 | 100.0 | 1,348,503 | 100.0 | 512,645 | 100.0 | 46,024 | 100.0 |
| Sex | ||||||||
| Men | 1,103,695 | 42.1 | 573,079 | 42.5 | 211,381 | 41.2 | 24,341 | 52.9 |
| Women | 1,517,199 | 57.9 | 775,424 | 57.5 | 301,264 | 58.8 | 21,683 | 47.1 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 1,751,927 | 66.8 | 943,745 | 70.0 | 309,055 | 60.3 | 25,863 | 56.2 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 237,615 | 9.1 | 117,774 | 8.7 | 40,046 | 7.8 | 2,362 | 5.1 |
| Hispanic | 175,290 | 6.7 | 84,333 | 6.3 | 22,560 | 4.4 | 1,457 | 3.2 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 150,438 | 5.7 | 83,232 | 6.2 | 24,513 | 4.8 | 2,259 | 4.9 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 19,764 | 0.8 | 9,314 | 0.7 | 2,574 | 0.5 | 185 | 0.4 |
| Race/ethnicity unknown | 144,017 | 5.5 | 66,866 | 5.0 | 42,315 | 8.3 | 2,272 | 4.9 |
| Nonresident alien | 141,843 | 5.4 | 43,239 | 3.2 | 71,582 | 14.0 | 11,626 | 25.3 |
1Doctor's degrees are considered the highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor's degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Public Health, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, education, engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2003 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2002-03 (NCES 2005-154).
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