Associate's degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and field of study: Academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22

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Table 321.30.Associate's degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and field of study: Academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22
Field of study	2020-21	2021-22
All fields, total	1,037,331	8,160	68,240	65,173	3,067	124,001	266,178	509,377	39,063	22,312	1,008,285	8,171	67,575	64,688	2,887	121,611	264,301	488,066	40,038	18,523
Agriculture and natural resources¹	11,847	136	193	176	17	264	1,739	9,067	386	62	11,965	130	185	165	20	303	1,846	9,036	415	50
Architecture and related services	615	4	47	46	1	40	233	238	16	37	678	4	65	65	0	25	272	260	19	33
Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies	936	72	48	36	12	118	362	245	75	16	995	55	68	52	16	121	420	241	76	14
Biological and biomedical sciences	9,218	88	1,422	1,392	30	772	3,051	3,141	465	279	8,862	79	1,371	1,347	24	763	3,036	2,989	398	226
Business²	116,138	1,094	10,020	9,604	416	16,659	26,042	53,933	3,977	4,413	113,070	1,148	9,465	9,090	375	16,212	26,696	52,119	4,122	3,308

Communication, journalism, and related programs	8,997	46	704	671	33	774	3,537	3,263	492	181	7,974	42	644	629	15	783	3,002	2,896	439	168
Communications technologies	3,910	22	180	175	5	614	891	1,947	169	87	3,867	19	208	200	8	589	924	1,862	188	77
Computer and information sciences and support services	34,184	241	3,616	3,523	93	4,474	5,600	17,706	1,326	1,221	34,758	251	3,901	3,795	106	4,576	6,028	17,487	1,484	1,031
Education	18,160	291	552	504	48	2,215	5,355	8,965	569	213	18,498	309	574	538	36	2,382	5,322	9,152	563	196
Engineering	6,319	42	669	650	19	486	1,416	3,126	218	362	5,971	59	612	597	15	452	1,423	2,888	266	271

Engineering technologies³	48,750	506	2,009	1,849	160	4,063	8,435	31,521	1,636	580	50,201	472	2,167	1,993	174	4,042	9,602	31,484	1,882	552
English language and literature/letters	3,604	19	257	245	12	190	1,466	1,438	204	30	3,404	12	230	222	8	206	1,357	1,372	187	40
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences	9,773	67	555	538	17	1,315	4,091	3,300	308	137	9,739	91	626	603	23	1,290	4,090	3,215	325	102
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics	2,877	9	138	134	4	98	1,419	1,047	121	45	2,818	13	164	160	4	108	1,460	924	114	35
Health professions and related programs	181,138	1,492	10,537	9,921	616	27,163	31,291	103,472	5,595	1,588	177,413	1,538	10,943	10,280	663	27,450	32,417	97,534	5,988	1,543

Homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting	35,027	292	1,185	1,078	107	4,291	12,411	15,483	1,153	212	33,382	279	1,076	966	110	4,094	11,723	14,946	1,124	140
Legal professions and studies	5,809	56	162	147	15	827	1,424	3,010	230	100	5,644	67	184	176	8	804	1,392	2,873	248	76
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities	401,092	2,758	21,512	20,481	1,031	48,319	107,859	195,153	16,241	9,250	383,286	2,614	21,089	20,185	904	46,219	104,533	184,783	16,201	7,847
Library science	171	0	13	13	0	1	34	117	6	0	217	1	14	14	0	4	52	131	14	1
Mathematics and statistics	4,844	15	1,112	1,102	10	134	1,722	1,369	227	265	4,248	19	980	971	9	115	1,567	1,186	190	191

Military technologies and applied sciences	1,106	2	55	47	8	113	218	672	45	1	1,133	8	68	64	4	132	228	648	49	0
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	32,916	147	4,906	4,799	107	1,892	12,201	11,764	1,367	639	32,950	143	4,848	4,750	98	2,134	12,381	11,443	1,445	556
Parks, recreation, leisure, fitness, and kinesiology	5,955	25	573	550	23	547	2,400	2,047	245	118	6,254	25	611	592	19	605	2,532	2,107	244	130
Philosophy and religious studies	1,616	8	43	42	1	67	206	1,200	27	65	1,530	6	28	25	3	42	213	1,127	37	77
Physical sciences and science technologies	10,196	65	1,384	1,365	19	1,110	2,688	3,968	464	517	9,219	65	1,150	1,132	18	1,074	2,568	3,632	397	333

Precision production	4,837	51	122	118	4	175	679	3,646	143	21	5,036	64	113	103	10	218	856	3,624	144	17
Psychology	18,801	111	1,552	1,489	63	1,221	9,119	5,750	822	226	19,305	157	1,645	1,592	53	1,324	9,105	5,929	946	199
Public administration and social services	6,768	137	140	124	16	1,976	1,550	2,747	182	36	6,743	146	160	141	19	1,784	1,552	2,845	211	45
Social sciences and history	28,824	217	2,962	2,830	132	1,940	12,910	8,911	1,345	539	26,847	214	2,704	2,609	95	1,759	11,843	8,613	1,307	407
Social sciences	26,267	204	2,830	2,703	127	1,852	11,852	7,770	1,231	528	24,309	203	2,562	2,471	91	1,679	10,792	7,492	1,180	401
History	2,557	13	132	127	5	88	1,058	1,141	114	11	2,538	11	142	138	4	80	1,051	1,121	127	6
Theology and religious vocations	982	12	25	19	6	193	121	565	43	23	884	13	20	17	3	171	103	551	16	10

Transportation and materials moving	1,999	14	106	98	8	146	325	1,185	82	141	1,964	11	137	129	8	112	344	1,153	83	124
Visual and performing arts	19,922	121	1,441	1,407	34	1,804	5,383	9,381	884	908	19,430	117	1,525	1,486	39	1,718	5,414	9,016	916	724
¹Includes Agricultural, animal, plant, veterinary science, and related fields as well as Natural resources and conservation.
²Includes Business, management, marketing, and related support services as well as Culinary, entertainment, and personal services.
³Includes Engineering technologies and engineering-related fields; Construction trades; and Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs and U.S. service academies. Degree counts are limited to degree-granting institutions as classified in the fall following the reported data year. A small number of current non-degree-granting institutions could have awarded associate’s degrees to students in the prior year, but these counts are excluded from this table. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Reported racial/ethnic distributions of students by level of degree, field of study, and sex were used to estimate race/ethnicity for students whose race/ethnicity was not reported. Data in this table are based on the 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions component, Fall 2021 (final data) and Fall 2022 (provisional data). (This table was prepared September 2023.)

Table 321.30.Associate's degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and field of study: Academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22

Field of study

2020-21

2021-22

Total

American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian/Pacific Islander

Black

Hispanic

White

Two or more races

Nonresident

Total

American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian/Pacific Islander

Black

Hispanic

White

Two or more races

Nonresident

Total

Asian

Pacific Islander

Total

Asian

Pacific Islander

All fields, total

1,037,331

8,160

68,240

65,173

3,067

124,001

266,178

509,377

39,063

22,312

1,008,285

8,171

67,575

64,688

2,887

121,611

264,301

488,066

40,038

18,523

Agriculture and natural resources¹

11,847

136

193

176

264

1,739

9,067

386

11,965

130

185

165

303

1,846

9,036

415

Architecture and related services

615

233

238

678

272

260

Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies

936

118

362

245

995

121

420

241

Biological and biomedical sciences

9,218

1,422

1,392

772

3,051

3,141

465

279

8,862

1,371

1,347

763

3,036

2,989

398

226

Business²

116,138

1,094

10,020

9,604

416

16,659

26,042

53,933

3,977

4,413

113,070

1,148

9,465

9,090

375

16,212

26,696

52,119

4,122

3,308

Communication, journalism, and related programs

8,997

704

671

774

3,537

3,263

492

181

7,974

644

629

783

3,002

2,896

439

168

Communications technologies

3,910

180

175

614

891

1,947

169

3,867

208

200

589

924

1,862

188

Computer and information sciences and support
services

34,184

241

3,616

3,523

4,474

5,600

17,706

1,326

1,221

34,758

251

3,901

3,795

106

4,576

6,028

17,487

1,484

1,031

Education

18,160

291

552

504

2,215

5,355

8,965

569

213

18,498

309

574

538

2,382

5,322

9,152

563

196

Engineering

6,319

669

650

486

1,416

3,126

218

362

5,971

612

597

452

1,423

2,888

266

271

Engineering technologies³

48,750

506

2,009

1,849

160

4,063

8,435

31,521

1,636

580

50,201

472

2,167

1,993

174

4,042

9,602

31,484

1,882

552

English language and literature/letters

3,604

257

245

190

1,466

1,438

204

3,404

230

222

206

1,357

1,372

187

Family and consumer sciences/human sciences

9,773

555

538

1,315

4,091

3,300

308

137

9,739

626

603

1,290

4,090

3,215

325

102

Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics

2,877

138

134

1,419

1,047

121

2,818

164

160

108

1,460

924

114

Health professions and related programs

181,138

1,492

10,537

9,921

616

27,163

31,291

103,472

5,595

1,588

177,413

1,538

10,943

10,280

663

27,450

32,417

97,534

5,988

1,543

Homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting

35,027

292

1,185

1,078

107

4,291

12,411

15,483

1,153

212

33,382

279

1,076

966

110

4,094

11,723

14,946

1,124

140

Legal professions and studies

5,809

162

147

827

1,424

3,010

230

100

5,644

184

176

804

1,392

2,873

248

Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and
humanities

401,092

2,758

21,512

20,481

1,031

48,319

107,859

195,153

16,241

9,250

383,286

2,614

21,089

20,185

904

46,219

104,533

184,783

16,201

7,847

Library science

171

117

217

131

Mathematics and statistics

4,844

1,112

1,102

134

1,722

1,369

227

265

4,248

980

971

115

1,567

1,186

190

191

Military technologies and applied sciences

1,106

113

218

672

1,133

132

228

648

Multi/interdisciplinary studies

32,916

147

4,906

4,799

107

1,892

12,201

11,764

1,367

639

32,950

143

4,848

4,750

2,134

12,381

11,443

1,445

556

Parks, recreation, leisure, fitness, and kinesiology

5,955

573

550

547

2,400

2,047

245

118

6,254

611

592

605

2,532

2,107

244

130

Philosophy and religious studies

1,616

206

1,200

1,530

213

1,127

Physical sciences and science technologies

10,196

1,384

1,365

1,110

2,688

3,968

464

517

9,219

1,150

1,132

1,074

2,568

3,632

397

333

Precision production

4,837

122

118

175

679

3,646

143

5,036

113

103

218

856

3,624

144

Psychology

18,801

111

1,552

1,489

1,221

9,119

5,750

822

226

19,305

157

1,645

1,592

1,324

9,105

5,929

946

199

Public administration and social services

6,768

137

140

124

1,976

1,550

2,747

182

6,743

146

160

141

1,784

1,552

2,845

211

Social sciences and history

28,824

217

2,962

2,830

132

1,940

12,910

8,911

1,345

539

26,847

214

2,704

2,609

1,759

11,843

8,613

1,307

407

Social sciences

26,267

204

2,830

2,703

127

1,852

11,852

7,770

1,231

528

24,309

203

2,562

2,471

1,679

10,792

7,492

1,180

401

History

2,557

132

127

1,058

1,141

114

2,538

142

138

1,051

1,121

127

Theology and religious vocations

982

193

121

565

884

171

103

551

Transportation and materials moving

1,999

106

146

325

1,185

141

1,964

137

129

112

344

1,153

124

Visual and performing arts

19,922

121

1,441

1,407

1,804

5,383

9,381

884

908

19,430

117

1,525

1,486

1,718

5,414

9,016

916

724

¹Includes Agricultural, animal, plant, veterinary science, and related fields as well as Natural resources and conservation.

²Includes Business, management, marketing, and related support services as well as Culinary, entertainment, and personal services.

³Includes Engineering technologies and engineering-related fields; Construction trades; and Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians.

NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs and U.S. service academies. Degree counts are limited to degree-granting institutions as classified in the fall following the reported data year. A small number of current non-degree-granting institutions could have awarded associate’s degrees to students in the prior year, but these counts are excluded from this table. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Reported racial/ethnic distributions of students by level of degree, field of study, and sex were used to estimate race/ethnicity for students whose race/ethnicity was not reported. Data in this table are based on the 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Some data have been revised from previously published figures.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions component, Fall 2021 (final data) and Fall 2022 (provisional data). (This table was prepared September 2023.)