The postsecondary education system encompasses various types of institutions under public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit control. Important indicators of this context include student fields of study; the price of attending college; the availability of financial aid; the instructional responsibilities of faculty and staff; and the ways in which colleges and universities attract and compensate faculty.

• Overall, 158,000 more associate's degrees were awarded in 2005-06 than in 1995-96 (a 28 percent increase). About 85 percent of this growth was attributable to the increases in the number of associate's degrees awarded in liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities; health professions; business; and computer and information sciences. Overall 320,000 more bachelor's degrees were awarded in 2005-06 than in 1995-96 (a 28 percent increase). Degrees in the field of business made up 21 percent of degrees awarded at the bachelor's degree level in 2005-06, with over 318,000 bachelor's degrees awarded in business that year (indicator 39).
  


• Overall, 188,000 more master's degrees were awarded in 2005-06 than in 1995-96 (a 46 percent increase). Of the 594,000 master's degrees awarded in 2005-06, over 50 percent were in the fields of education (29 percent) and business (25 percent). Overall, 11,400 more doctoral degrees were awarded in 2005-06 than in 1995-96 (a 26 percent increase). Of the 56,000 doctoral degrees awarded in 2005-06, some 13 to 14 percent each were in the fields of education, engineering, and health professions. The number of first-professional degrees awarded increased by 11,000 (a 14 percent increase) between 1995-96 and 2005-06. The increase in the number of degrees awarded in pharmacy (264 percent) accounted for 62 percent of this overall growth (indicator 40).
  


• Although the number of degrees conferred by public and private institutions increased between 1995-96 and 2005-06, the percentage increase varied among types of institutions. During this period, the number of associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees conferred by private for-profit institutions increased by a larger percentage than did the number conferred by private not-for-profit and public institutions. Despite relatively large percentage increases in the number of degrees conferred by private for-profit institutions, the number of degrees awarded remained substantially lower than at public or private not-for-profit institutions, with the exception of associate's degrees (indicator 41).
  


• Average inflation-adjusted salaries for full-time instructional faculty in colleges and universities increased by 20 percent overall between 1979-80 and 2006-07. The average salary increased at all types of institutions as well, ranging from 8 percent at public 2-year colleges to 37 percent at private doctoral universities. However, after increasing during the 1980s and 1990s, recent increases in faculty salaries have been relatively small (1 percent between 1999-2000 and 2006-07). The percentage of faculty compensation received in the form of benefits rose from 16 percent in 1979-80 to 21 percent in 2006-07 (indicator 42).
  


• The percentage of full-time college students ages 16-24 who were employed increased from 34 to 52 percent between 1970 and 2000 and fluctuated between 46 and 49 percent after that. In addition, the number of hours these students worked per week has increased since 1970. In contrast to the increase among full-time college students, there was no measurable change between 1970 and 2006 in the percentage of part-time college students who were employed. In 2006, approximately 81 percent of part-time college students were employed, but these students worked fewer hours in 2006 than they did in 1970 (indicator 43).