What is the percentage of degrees conferred by sex and race?

For each type of degree, the number of degrees earned grew at a faster rate for females than for males between 1996-97 and 2006-07. In 1996-97, females earned 61 percent of associate's, 56 percent of bachelor's, and 57 percent of master's degrees. In 2006-07, the percentage of associate's and bachelor's degrees earned by females increased to 62 and 57 percent, respectively, and the percentage of master's degrees increased to 61 percent. Females have historically earned fewer first-professional and doctoral degrees than males—in 1996-97, for example, females earned 42 percent of first-professional degrees and 41 percent of doctoral degrees. In 2006-07, for the first time, females and males earned about the same number of these types of degrees.

In 2006-07, females of each racial/ethnic group generally earned more degrees than their male counterparts for each type of degree. For example, in 2006-07, Black females earned 69 percent of associate's, 66 percent of bachelor's, 71 percent of master's, 63 percent of first-professional, and 66 percent of doctoral degrees awarded to Black students. Females also earned more than 60 percent of associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees awarded to Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native students. White females earned more degrees than White males for each type of degree, except first-professional. Of the postbaccalaureate degrees awarded to nonresident aliens, females earned 43 percent of master's degrees, 46 percent of first-professional degrees, and 35 percent of doctoral degrees, reflecting increased shares since 1996-97.

Number of degrees conferred, percentage distribution, and percentage of degrees conferred to females, by type of degree and racial/ethnic group: Academic years 1996-97 and 2006-07
Degreee and race/ethnicity	Number		Percentage distribution		Percent conferred to females
	1996–97	2006–07	1996–97	2006–07	1996–97	2006–07
Associate's	571,226	728,114	100.0	100.0	60.5	62.2
White	429,464	491,572	75.2	67.5	60.3	61.0
Black	56,306	91,529	9.9	12.6	65.5	69.1
Hispanic	43,549	85,410	7.6	11.7	58.9	62.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	25,159	37,266	4.4	5.1	55.8	58.4
American Indian/Alaska Native	5,984	8,583	1.0	1.2	64.2	66.5
Nonresident alien	10,764	13,754	1.9	1.9	56.8	61.3
Bachelor's	1,172,879	1,524,092	100.0	100.0	55.6	57.4
White	900,809	1,099,850	76.8	72.2	55.2	56.3
Black	94,349	146,653	8.0	9.6	64.4	66.1
Hispanic	62,509	114,936	5.3	7.5	57.9	61.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	68,859	105,297	5.9	6.9	52.8	54.8
American Indian/Alaska Native	7,425	11,455	0.6	0.8	59.6	60.7
Nonresident alien	38,928	45,901	3.3	3.0	44.3	51.0
Master's	419,401	604,607	100.0	100.0	56.9	60.6
White	305,005	399,267	72.7	66.0	58.8	62.1
Black	28,403	62,574	6.8	10.3	68.5	71.4
Hispanic	15,440	34,822	3.7	5.8	59.5	64.5
Asian/Pacific Islander	19,061	36,134	4.5	6.0	51.6	54.5
American Indian/Alaska Native	1,940	3,575	0.5	0.6	62.2	64.6
Nonresident alien	49,552	68,235	11.8	11.3	39.0	43.1
First-professional1	78,730	90,064	100.0	100.0	42.1	50.0
White	60,280	64,546	76.6	71.7	40.3	47.5
Black	5,301	6,474	6.7	7.2	58.5	63.4
Hispanic	3,615	4,700	4.6	5.2	45.1	51.8
Asian/Pacific Islander	7,374	11,686	9.4	13.0	46.3	55.9
American Indian/Alaska Native	514	681	0.7	0.8	43.6	50.8
Nonresident alien	1,646	1,977	2.1	2.2	31.9	45.9
Doctoral2	45,876	60,616	100.0	100.0	40.8	50.1
White	28,596	34,071	62.3	56.2	45.8	55.2
Black	1,865	3,727	4.1	6.1	57.4	65.6
Hispanic	1,120	2,034	2.4	3.4	47.8	56.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	2,667	3,541	5.8	5.8	38.3	51.9
American Indian/Alaska Native	175	249	0.4	0.4	50.3	61.4
Nonresident alien	11,453	16,994	25.0	28.0	25.5	35.2

 
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, and (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. Includes degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees.

² Includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level. Includes degrees such as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees.

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Nonresident aliens are shown separately since information about their race/ethnicity is not available. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). Condition of Education 2009, Indicator 24 (NCES 2009-081)
Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 280. First-professional degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex of student, control of institution, and field of study: Selected years, 1985–86 through 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 281. Associate’s degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected years 1976–77 through 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 282. Associate’s degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex, race/ethnicity, and field of study: 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 284. Bachelor's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected years 1976–77 through 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 285. Bachelor’s degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex, race/ethnicity, and field of study: 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 287. Master's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex, race/ethnicity, and field of study: Selected years, 1976–77 through 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 288. Master’s degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex, race/ethnicity, and field of study: 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 290. Doctor's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity, and sex of student: Selected years, 1976–77 through 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 291. Doctor’s degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex, race/ethnicity, and major field of study: 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 293. First-professional degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity, and sex of student: Selected years, 1976–77 through 2006-07
• 2009, Digest of Education Statistics 2008, Table 294. First-professional degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex, race/ethnicity, and field of study: 2006-07

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2009, Indicator reports on specialized topics from the Annual Reports Program
• 2008, Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2007 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2006-07, and 12-Month Enrollment 2006-07
• 2005, Gender Differences in Participation and Completion of Undergraduate Education and How They Have Changed Over Time