U.S. Department of Education 

NCES 2006-154 

Degree Completions in 

Areas of National Need, 

1996–97 and 2001–02 

E.D. Tab 

May 2006 

Sarah Krichels Goan 

Alisa F. Cunningham 

Institute for Higher Education Policy 

C. Dennis Carroll 

Project Officer 

National Center for Education Statistics 
U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings 

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences 

Grover J. Whitehurst 

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Mark Schneider 

Commissioner

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Suggested Citation 

Goan, S.K., and Cunningham, A.F. (2006). Degree Completions in Areas of National Need, 1996---97 

and 2001---02 (NCES 2006-154). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for 

Education Statistics. Retrieved [date] from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch. 

Content Contact 

Aurora D’Amico 

(202) 502-7334 

aurora.d’amico@ed.gov
iii 

Foreword 

This E.D. Tab focuses on degree completions in academic programs that have been deemed 

areas of national need by federal legislation. The analysis focuses on completions data from 

1996–97 and 2001–02 and examines completions at institutions granting awards of associate’s 

degrees and higher. In particular, it looks at the change in the total number of degrees completed 

in areas of national need between the two years, as well as degree completions in these areas by 

gender and race/ethnicity. 

The primary analysis in this E.D. Tab uses data available through the 2001–02 Integrated 

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and available publicly through the online Data 

Analysis System (DAS). It draws data from the Institutional Characteristics (IC) component as 

well as from the Completions (C) component and Student Financial Aid (SFA) component. A 

special qualifying variable for areas of national need was created for this E.D. Tab and is 

available on the IPEDS DAS. In addition, estimates reflecting student characteristics were drawn 

from the 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), also available as a 

DAS. 
iv 

Acknowledgments 

The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of many individuals to the production of 

this report. At the Institute for Higher Education Policy, Jamie Merisotis provided valuable 

guidance and feedback on the report at multiple stages. At MPR Associates, Laura Horn made 

suggestions on the structure and format of the E.D. Tab. 

At NCES, Dennis Carroll provided generous support and feedback through the report’s 

publication, Paula Knepper and Marilyn Seastrom provided technical, methodological, and 

substantive reviews, and Sam Barbett helped resolve data issues. We also would like to 

acknowledge the thoughtful comments and other assistance provided by the following 

individuals at various stages of the project: Cliff Adelman, Department of Education; Lisa 

Bridges, Department of Education; Jacqueline King, American Council on Education; Kent 

Phillippe, American Association of Community Colleges; Richard Richardson, New York 

University; David Leslie, College of William and Mary; Daniel Goldenberg, U.S. Department of 

Education, Office of the Under Secretary; and Ellie Greenberg, University of Colorado. 

The authors also wish to acknowledge Catherine Wegmann Wilson and Melissa Clinedinst 

who provided initial assistance with data analysis. 
v 

Contents 

Page 

Foreword.................................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... iv

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. vi

Introduction: Focus of This E.D. Tab ..................................................................................... 1

Data Sources.......................................................................................................................... 2 

Selected Findings....................................................................................................................... 5

Associate’s Degree Completions........................................................................................... 5 

Bachelor’s Degree Completions............................................................................................ 5 

Master’s Degree Completions............................................................................................... 6 

Doctoral Degree Completions............................................................................................... 6 

First-Professional Degree Completions................................................................................. 7 

Compendium of Tables............................................................................................................. 9 

References.................................................................................................................................. 57

Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms.................................................................... A-1

Glossary of IPEDS Variables ................................................................................................ A-3 

Glossary of NPSAS Variables............................................................................................... A-7 

Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology .................................................................. B-1

Data Sources.......................................................................................................................... B-1 

Accuracy of Estimates........................................................................................................... B-2 

Data Analysis System............................................................................................................ B-4 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Analysis................................... B-8 

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) Analysis............................................ B-25 
vi 

List of Tables 

Table Page 

1 Associate’s degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 

and 2001–02 .................................................................................................................... 10 

2 Associate’s degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: 

Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02........................................................................... 11 

3 Bachelor’s degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 

and 2001–02 .................................................................................................................... 19 

4 Bachelor’s degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: 

Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02........................................................................... 20 

5 Master’s degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 

2001–02........................................................................................................................... 28 

6 Master’s degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: 

Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02........................................................................... 29 

7 Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 

2001–02........................................................................................................................... 37 

8 Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: 

Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02........................................................................... 38 

9 First-professional degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 

1996–97 and 2001–02 ..................................................................................................... 46 

10 First-professional degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and 

race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02................................................... 47 

11 Students who completed an associate’s degree in areas of national need, by selected 

characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000 ..................................................................... 49 

12 Students who completed a bachelor’s degree in areas of national need, by selected 

characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000 ..................................................................... 51 

13 Students who completed a master’s, doctoral or first-professional degree in areas of 

national need, by selected characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000........................... 54 
List of Tables 

vii 

Table Page 

Appendix Tables 

B1 Survey response rates for the institutional universe: 2001–02........................................ B-3 

B2 Standard errors for table 11............................................................................................. B-6 

B3 Characteristics of the institutional universe: 2001–02 .................................................... B-9 

B4 Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes...................................... B-14 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
1 

Introduction: Focus of This E.D. Tab 

Since the enactment of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the federal 

government has identified certain fields that are crucial to national innovation, competitiveness, 

and well-being and in which not enough students complete degrees. Amendments to the Higher 

Education Act (HEA) of 1965 have attempted to encourage students to pursue and complete 

degrees in these particular areas of national need through a series of efforts that include loan 

cancellation and assistance funding. For this E.D. Tab, 12 areas of national need were generally 

identified by examining the areas of study for which students become eligible for Title IV loan 

cancellation and/or become eligible to receive Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need 

(GAANN) funding, and the areas of study for which institutions are granted funds under the 

Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP). The following areas of 

national need were formed:1

1. Agriculture and conservation sciences; 

2. Biological and life sciences; 

3. Computer and information sciences; 

4. Education (elementary, early childhood, special education, mathematics, science, 

foreign languages, bilingual education); 

5. Engineering and engineering-related technologies; 

6. Foreign languages and literature (general foreign languages and literatures, 

linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation); 

7. Health professions and related sciences; 

8. Mathematics; 

9. Nursing; 

10. Physical sciences; 

11. Protective services and criminal justice; and 

12. Social work. 

The goal of this E.D. Tab is to describe degree completions in academic programs of 

national need between the academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02, focusing on institutions that 

grant awards of associate’s degrees and higher. In particular, it examines the following: the 

 

1 Note that the categorical titles for each of the 12 areas do not reflect the broad two-digit Classification of Instructional Program 

(CIP) areas but rather the specific programs of study that are considered areas of national need. Discrepancies between the total 

number of completions in areas of national need and the total number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education 

Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of national need, as well as the fact that degrees completed by 

nonresident alien students were excluded from this study. Table B4 in Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology offers a 

detailed list of the programs of study included in each area of need.
Introduction: Focus of This E.D. Tab 

2 

change in the number of degrees completed in areas of national need over the 5-year period; and 

degree completions in terms of gender and race/ethnicity and how they have changed over the 5-

year period. Tables presenting the characteristics of students who completed degrees in areas of 

national need are included, by degree type, for reference purposes. 

The purpose of this E.D. Tab is to present degree completions in areas of national need 

through the presentation of selected descriptive information. The E.D. Tab is purely descriptive 

in nature. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences based solely on the bivariate 

results presented in this E.D. Tab. It is important to note that many of the variables examined in 

this report are related to one another, and complex interactions and relationships have not been 

explored here. Release of the E.D. Tab is intended to encourage more in-depth analysis of the 

data, using more sophisticated statistical methods. 

Data Sources 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 

The primary data source for this report is the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), which collects data from all primary providers of postsecondary education. The 

institution-level data can be used to describe trends in postsecondary education at the institution, 

state, and national levels. The IPEDS Completions component provides data about degree 

completions by Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code,2 level (associate’s, 

bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and first-professional), as well as the race/ethnicity and gender of 

the recipient. For this report, a new variable for areas of national need3 was created from the 

completions data using the six-digit CIP code and is available on the IPEDS:2002 Data Analysis 

System (DAS). In addition, degree completion data from 1996–974 were matched to the 2001–02 

study universe in order to examine changes in completions over the 5-year period. The same 

recoding process was completed in the 1996–97 completions data file using the 1990 CIP codes.5

 

2 The purpose of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is to provide a taxonomic scheme that will support the 

accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. CIP was originally developed 

by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1980, with revisions occurring in 

1985 and 1990. The 2000 edition (CIP-2000) is the third revision of the taxonomy and presents an updated taxonomy of 

instructional program classifications and descriptions. 

3 For a discussion of this component and the specific programs of study included in areas of national need, please see Appendix 

B—Technical Notes and Methodology. 

4 Institutions did not need to report completions data in 1996–97 to be included in the study universe. 

5 The Completions data from 1996–97 uses the CIP codes from 1990 that were revised in 2000. Thus, there is not perfect 

compatibility between the programs of study included in each year; however, an analysis showed that there is little, if any, impact 

on the overall findings. For more information on the changes, as well as a crosswalk between years, please visit 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/. 
Introduction: Focus of This E.D. Tab 

3 

Because areas of national need pertain to U.S. citizens and legal residents, completions data were 

adjusted to exclude degrees completed by nonresident alien students in both years. 

In addition, the 2001–02 IPEDS Institutional Characteristics (IC), Enrollment (EF), Finance 

(F), and Student Financial Aid (SFA) components provide information on the characteristics of 

the institutions in the study universe. The institutions examined in this report included those that 

were eligible for Title IV funding, were located in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and 

were two-year institutions or higher. For more details describing the IPEDS surveys, data and 

procedures, refer to Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology. 

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is a comprehensive nationwide 

study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES) to determine how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. It also 

contains demographic and other characteristics of students enrolled in the 50 states, the District 

of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 

For this report, data are presented for undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional 

students from NPSAS:2000.6 The tables were limited to undergraduate and graduate students 

who completed, or expected to complete, degrees in 1999–20007 at institutions that met the same 

criteria as the study universe in IPEDS:2002—Title IV institutions located in the 50 states and 

the District of Columbia in the public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit 2-year and 4-

year sectors. For more details describing the NPSAS survey, data, and procedures, refer to 

Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology. 

 

6 Identifying students completing degrees in areas of national need using the most recent NPSAS:2004 data is confounded due to 

a change in the definition of the MAJORS variable, which combines some of the areas of interest to this study with other areas 

that are not of interest. Thus, the tables present data regarding students characteristics from NPSAS:2000. 

7 The variable PROGSTAT in NPSAS:2000 indicates whether a student reported that s/he completed or expected to complete a 

degree program in 1999–2000. This variable was used as a filter in order to restrict the analysis to students who were likely to be 

degree completers.
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
5 

Selected Findings 

Associate’s Degree Completions 

• The four areas of national need in which the most associate’s degrees were awarded in 

2001–02 were nursing (41,130 degrees, or 7 percent of all associate’s degrees), 

engineering and engineering-related technologies (32,478 degrees, or 6 percent of all 

associate’s degrees), health professions and related sciences (32,307 degrees, or 6 

percent of all associate’s degrees) and computer and information sciences (25,862 

degrees, or 5 percent of all associate’s degrees) (table 1). 

• In 2001–02, women completed over 80 percent of all associate’s degrees awarded in 

education, health professions and related sciences, nursing, and social work (table 2). 

Men completed 86 percent of all associate’s degrees awarded in engineering and 

engineering-related technologies. These proportions changed little over the 5-year 

period. 

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of associate’s degrees in areas of national 

need completed by Black, non-Hispanic, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander 

students increased by 32 percent, 37 percent, and 27 percent, respectively (table 2). 

Bachelor’s Degree Completions 

• The four areas of national need in which the most bachelor’s degrees were awarded in 

2001–02 were engineering and engineering-related technologies (68,150 degrees, or 5 

percent of all bachelor’s degrees), education (67,628 degrees, or 5 percent of all 

bachelor’s degrees), biological and life sciences (61,303 degrees, or 5 percent of all 

bachelor’s degrees) and computer and information sciences (43,096 degrees, or 3 

percent of all bachelor’s degrees) (table 3). 

• In 2001–02, men completed 73 percent of bachelor’s degrees in computer and 

information sciences and 81 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering and 

engineering-related technologies (table 4). Women completed 88 percent of bachelor’s 

degrees in education and 91 percent of bachelor’s degrees in nursing. These 

distributions exhibited little change over the 5-year period. 

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of bachelor’s degrees completed by 

women increased in biological and life sciences by 6 percent, engineering and 

engineering-related technologies by 12 percent, physical sciences by 3 percent, and 

protective services and criminal justice by 22 percent, despite overall declines in these 

areas over the 5-year time period (table 4). 
Selected Findings 

6 

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of bachelor’s degrees completed by Black, 

non-Hispanic students, and Hispanic students increased in biological and life sciences 

(both by 12 percent), in health professions and related sciences (by 22 percent and 5 

percent, respectively), and in nursing (by 17 percent and 27 percent, respectively), 

despite overall declines in these areas over the 5-year time period (table 4). 

Master’s Degree Completions 

• In 2001–02, the four areas of national need in which the most master’s degrees were 

awarded were education (31,909 degrees, or 8 percent of all master’s degrees), health 

professions and related sciences (26,123 degrees, or 6 percent of all master’s degrees), 

engineering and engineering-related technologies (15,911 degrees, or 4 percent of all 

master’s degrees), and social work (15,426 degrees, or 4 percent of all master’s 

degrees) (table 5). 

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of master’s degrees completed by women 

increased in biological and life sciences by 7 percent, engineering and engineeringrelated technologies by 4 percent, and physical sciences by 5 percent, despite overall 

declines in these areas over the 5-year time period (table 6). 

• The number of master’s degrees completed by men in nursing increased from 854 to 

1,264 between 1996–97 and 2001–02, a change of 48 percent. 

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of master’s degrees completed by Black, 

non-Hispanic students and Hispanic students increased in biological and life sciences 

(by 22 percent and 36 percent, respectively) as well as engineering and engineeringrelated technologies (by 9 percent and 5 percent, respectively), despite overall declines 

in these areas over the 5-year time period (table 6). 

Doctoral Degree Completions 

• In 2001–02, the four areas of national need in which the most doctoral degrees were 

awarded were biological and life sciences (3,393 degrees, or 10 percent of all doctoral 

degrees), health professions and related sciences (2,446 degrees, or 7 percent of all 

doctoral degrees), physical sciences (2,396 degrees, or 7 percent of all doctoral 

degrees) and engineering and engineering-related technologies (2,267 degrees, or 7 

percent of all doctoral degrees) (table 7). 

• In 2001–02, women completed between 70 and 95 percent of all doctoral degrees 

completed in the areas of education, nursing, and social work (table 8). In the same 

year, men completed between 70 and 80 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded in the 

areas of computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering-related 

technologies, mathematics, and physical sciences. 

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of doctoral degrees awarded to women in 

health professions and related sciences increased from 785 to 1,507, a percentage 

increase of 92 percent. 
Selected Findings 

7 

First-Professional Degree Completions 

• In 2001–02, 35,572 first-professional degrees (45 percent) were awarded in health 

professions and related sciences (table 9), the only area of national need in which firstprofessional degrees were completed.8

• Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the number of first-professional degrees awarded in 

health professions and related sciences increased by 16 percent. Over this 5-year time 

period, the number of first-professional degrees awarded to women and Asian students 

in health professions and related sciences increased by 30 percent and 58 percent, 

respectively. 

 

8 Health professions and related sciences includes professionals and technicians in the fields of medicine, dentistry, nutrition, and 

veterinary sciences. For a complete list, please see Table B4.
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9 

Compendium of Tables 
Compendium of Tables 

10 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

All associate's degrees 531,303 572,938 7.8 100.0 

All areas of national need 159,357 161,917 1.6 30.0 

Agriculture and conservation sciences 951 1,119 17.7 0.2 Biological and life sciences 8,004 8,288 3.5 1.5 Computer and information sciences 8,522 25,862 203.5 1.6 Education 2,512 3,608 43.6 0.5 Engineering and engineering-related technologies 32,423 32,478 0.2 6.1 

Foreign languages and literature 344 181 -47.4 0.1 Health professions and related sciences 36,982 32,307 -12.6 7.0 Mathematics 749 650 -13.2 0.1 Nursing 50,065 41,130 -17.8 9.4 Physical sciences 1,981 1,735 -12.4 0.4 Protective services and criminal justice 15,338 13,061 -14.8 2.9 Social work 1,486 1,498 0.8 0.3 

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students. Associate's degrees awarded by cogeneral studies or liberal arts and sciences are employed principally by students transferring to 4-year institutions, where they may indedegrees in an area of national need. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System († Not applicable.

Table 1. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complet

# Rounds to zero.Areas of national need
11 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

All associate's degrees 531,303 572,938 7.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 203,388 227,163 11.7 38.3 Female 327,915 345,775 5.4 61.7 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 397,930 395,031 -0.7 74.9 

Black, non-Hispanic 51,030 63,012 23.5 9.6 Hispanic 41,538 56,608 36.3 7.8 Asian or Pacific Islander 23,436 29,273 24.9 4.4 American Indian/Alaska Native 5,762 6,500 12.8 1.1 Unknown/missing 11,607 22,514 94.0 2.2 

All areas of national need 159,357 161,917 1.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 62,123 67,295 8.3 39.0 Female 97,234 94,622 -2.7 61.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 124,723 114,911 -7.9 78.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 13,547 17,879 32.0 8.5 Hispanic 10,151 13,953 37.5 6.4 Asian or Pacific Islander 6,145 7,828 27.4 3.9 American Indian/Alaska Native 1,655 1,785 7.9 1.0 Unknown/missing 3,136 5,561 77.3 2.0 

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete

Table 2. 2001–02

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicitySee notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

12 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Agriculture and conservation sciences 951 1,119 17.7 100.0 

Gender

Male 514 609 18.5 54.0 

Female 437 510 16.7 46.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 886 1,042 17.6 93.2 

Black, non-Hispanic 7 13 85.7 0.7 

Hispanic 16 20 25.0 1.7 Asian or Pacific Islander 1 1 0 0.1 

American Indian/Alaska Native 26 30 15.4 2.7 Unknown/missing 15 13 -13.3 1.6 

Biological and life sciences 8,004 8,288 3.5 100.0 

Gender

Male 3,288 3,281 -0.2 41.1 

Female 4,716 5,007 6.2 58.9 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 6,120 6,182 1.0 76.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 594 516 -13.1 7.4 Hispanic 480 741 54.4 6.0 

Asian or Pacific Islander 637 582 -8.6 8.0 

American Indian/Alaska Native 68 88 29.4 0.8 Unknown/missing 105 179 70.5 1.3 

See notes at end of table.

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19Table 2. 2001–02—Continued

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 
13 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Computer and information sciences 8,522 25,862 203.5 100.0 

Gender

Male 4,659 16,782 260.2 54.7 

Female 3,863 9,080 135.1 45.3 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 5,880 16,560 181.6 69.0 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,013 3,392 234.8 11.9 

Hispanic 687 2,548 270.9 8.1 Asian or Pacific Islander 560 1,942 246.8 6.6 American Indian/Alaska Native 139 257 84.9 1.6 Unknown/missing 243 1,163 378.6 2.9 

Education 2,512 3,608 43.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 226 277 22.6 9.0 

Female 2,286 3,331 45.7 91.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 1,997 2,510 25.7 79.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 202 566 180.2 8.0 

Hispanic 125 244 95.2 5.0 American Indian/Alaska Native 112 168 50.0 4.5 Asian or Pacific Islander 32 36 12.5 1.3 Unknown/missing 44 84 90.9 1.8 

See notes at end of table.Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19Table 2. 2001–02—Continued
Compendium of Tables 

14 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Engineering and engineering-related technologies 32,423 32,478 0.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 28,191 27,921 -1.0 86.9 

Female 4,232 4,557 7.7 13.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 24,336 22,144 -9.0 75.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 2,920 3,470 18.8 9.0 Hispanic 2,660 3,225 21.2 8.2 Asian or Pacific Islander 1,550 2,070 33.5 4.8 American Indian/Alaska Native 280 263 -6.1 0.9 Unknown/missing 677 1,306 92.9 2.1 

Foreign languages and literature 344 181 -47.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 100 90 -10.0 29.1 

Female 244 91 -62.7 70.9 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 294 123 -58.2 85.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 7 5 -28.6 2.0 

Hispanic 29 29 0 8.4 

Asian or Pacific Islander 8 12 50.0 2.3 

American Indian/Alaska Native 1 4 300.0 0.3 

Unknown/missing 5 8 60.0 1.5 

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19

See notes at end of table.

Table 2. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete
15 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Health professions and related sciences 36,982 32,307 -12.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 7,803 5,255 -32.7 21.1 

Female 29,179 27,052 -7.3 78.9 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 29,988 24,238 -19.2 81.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 2,682 2,990 11.5 7.3 Hispanic 1,933 2,597 34.4 5.2 Asian or Pacific Islander 1,261 1,163 -7.8 3.4 American Indian/Alaska Native 299 316 5.7 0.8 

Unknown/missing 819 1,003 22.5 2.2 

Mathematics 749 650 -13.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 419 424 1.2 55.9 

Female 330 226 -31.5 44.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 493 385 -21.9 65.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 37 27 -27.0 4.9 

Hispanic 110 105 -4.5 14.7 Asian or Pacific Islander 86 90 4.7 11.5 

American Indian/Alaska Native 2 7 250.0 0.3 

Unknown/missing 21 36 71.4 2.8 

See notes at end of table.

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19Table 2. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete
Compendium of Tables 

16 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Nursing 50,065 41,130 -17.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 6,006 4,134 -31.2 12.0 

Female 44,059 36,996 -16.0 88.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 41,302 30,593 -25.9 82.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 3,950 4,753 20.3 7.9 Hispanic 2,051 2,611 27.3 4.1 Asian or Pacific Islander 1,522 1,550 1.8 3.0 American Indian/Alaska Native 474 436 -8.0 0.9 

Unknown/missing 766 1,187 55.0 1.5 

Physical sciences 1,981 1,735 -12.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 970 975 0.5 49.0 

Female 1,011 760 -24.8 51.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 1,389 1,247 -10.2 70.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 142 131 -7.7 7.2 

Hispanic 143 157 9.8 7.2 

Asian or Pacific Islander 219 95 -56.6 11.1 American Indian/Alaska Native 22 18 -18.2 1.1 

Unknown/missing 66 87 31.8 3.3 

See notes at end of table.

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19Table 2. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete
17 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Protective services and criminal justice 15,338 13,061 -14.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 9,776 7,386 -24.4 63.7 

Female 5,562 5,675 2.0 36.3 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 11,097 9,006 -18.8 72.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,657 1,679 1.3 10.8 Hispanic 1,831 1,490 -18.6 11.9 Asian or Pacific Islander 258 276 7.0 1.7 

American Indian/Alaska Native 161 151 -6.2 1.0 

Unknown/missing 334 459 37.4 2.2 

See notes at end of table.

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19Table 2. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete
Compendium of Tables 

18 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 2

Social work 1,486 1,498 0.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 171 161 -5.8 11.5 

Female 1,315 1,337 1.7 88.5 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 941 881 -6.4 63.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 336 337 0.3 22.6 

Hispanic 86 186 116.3 5.8 Asian or Pacific Islander 11 11 0.0 0.7 

American Indian/Alaska Native 71 47 -33.8 4.8 

Unknown/missing 41 36 -12.2 2.8 

Table 2. Associate's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 19Table 2. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all associate's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all asso

degrees complete

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System († Not applicable.

1Within each area of need, degree completions by gender and race are presented as a percentage of the total degrees awarded in that 

present a distribution of degree completions within that field of study.

# Rounds to zero.NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students. Associate's degrees awarded by cogeneral studies or liberal arts and sciences are employed principally by students transferring to 4-year institutions, where they may indedegrees in an area of national need. 
19 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All bachelor's degrees 1,124,877 1,242,310 10.4 100.0 

All areas of national need 390,441 391,637 0.3 34.7 

Agriculture and conservation sciences 12,025 12,975 7.9 1.1 Biological and life sciences 65,373 61,303 -6.2 5.8 Computer and information sciences 22,539 43,096 91.2 2.0 Education 67,221 67,628 0.6 6.0 Engineering and engineering-related technologies 68,831 68,150 -1.0 6.1 

Foreign languages and literature 1,337 1,776 32.8 0.1 Health professions and related sciences 37,140 30,214 -18.6 3.3 Mathematics 12,350 12,213 -1.1 1.1 Nursing 43,867 36,539 -16.7 3.9 Physical sciences 18,435 16,829 -8.7 1.6 Protective services and criminal justice 26,095 27,422 5.1 2.3 Social work 15,228 13,492 -11.4 1.4 

Table 3. Bachelor's degree completions by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02

# Rounds to zero.Areas of national need

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

† Not applicable.NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of natdegrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (
Compendium of Tables 

20 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All bachelor's degrees 1,124,877 1,242,310 10.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 492,919 522,688 6.0 43.8 

Female 631,958 719,622 13.9 56.2 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 871,108 908,692 4.3 77.4 

Black, non-Hispanic 91,344 110,619 21.1 8.1 

Hispanic 60,483 78,523 29.8 5.4 

Asian or Pacific Islander 66,729 78,799 18.1 5.9 

American Indian/Alaska Native 7,170 8,660 20.8 0.6 Unknown/missing 28,043 57,017 103.3 2.5 

All areas of national need 390,441 391,637 0.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 169,946 166,612 -2.0 43.5 

Female 220,495 225,025 2.1 56.5 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 303,154 286,250 -5.6 77.6 

Black, non-Hispanic 30,440 34,093 12.0 7.8 Hispanic 17,818 22,016 23.6 4.6 Asian or Pacific Islander 28,017 30,707 9.6 7.2 

American Indian/Alaska Native 2,544 2,873 12.9 0.7 Unknown/missing 8,468 15,698 85.4 2.2 

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Table 4. 2001–02

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.
21 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Agriculture and conservation sciences 12,025 12,975 7.9 100.0 

Gender

Male 6,661 6,158 -7.6 55.4 

Female 5,364 6,817 27.1 44.6 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 10,693 11,208 4.8 88.9 

Black, non-Hispanic 329 424 28.9 2.7 

Hispanic 366 420 14.8 3.0 

Asian or Pacific Islander 297 328 10.4 2.5 

American Indian/Alaska Native 89 113 27.0 0.7 

Unknown/missing 251 482 92.0 2.1 

Biological and life sciences 65,373 61,303 -6.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 30,208 24,009 -20.5 46.2 

Female 35,165 37,294 6.1 53.8 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 47,591 43,036 -9.6 72.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 4,233 4,724 11.6 6.5 

Hispanic 2,911 3,252 11.7 4.5 Asian or Pacific Islander 8,785 7,409 -15.7 13.4 American Indian/Alaska Native 353 424 20.1 0.5 

Unknown/missing 1,500 2,458 63.9 2.3 

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

22 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Computer and information sciences 22,539 43,096 91.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 16,417 31,296 90.6 72.8 

Female 6,122 11,800 92.7 27.2 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 15,459 26,486 71.3 68.6 

Black, non-Hispanic 2,354 4,628 96.6 10.4 Hispanic 1,047 2,244 114.3 4.6 

Asian or Pacific Islander 2,749 6,917 151.6 12.2 American Indian/Alaska Native 96 221 130.2 0.4 Unknown/missing 834 2,600 211.8 3.7 

Education 67,221 67,628 0.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 8,816 7,862 -10.8 13.1 

Female 58,405 59,766 2.3 86.9 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 57,333 56,620 -1.2 85.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 4,696 3,989 -15.1 7.0 

Hispanic 2,898 3,381 16.7 4.3 Asian or Pacific Islander 843 1,060 25.7 1.3 

American Indian/Alaska Native 607 661 8.9 0.9 

Unknown/missing 844 1,917 127.1 1.3 

See notes at end of table.

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete
23 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Engineering and engineering-related technologies 68,831 68,150 -1.0 100.0 

Gender

Male 57,127 55,099 -3.5 83.0 

Female 11,704 13,051 11.5 17.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 51,433 49,064 -4.6 74.7 

Black, non-Hispanic 4,398 4,265 -3.0 6.4 

Hispanic 3,450 3,876 12.3 5.0 Asian or Pacific Islander 7,509 7,792 3.8 10.9 American Indian/Alaska Native 350 397 13.4 0.5 

Unknown/missing 1,691 2,756 63.0 2.5 

Foreign languages and literature 1,337 1,776 32.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 404 476 17.8 30.2 

Female 933 1,300 39.3 69.8 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 1,013 1,283 26.7 75.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 42 77 83.3 3.1 

Hispanic 119 203 70.6 8.9 

Asian or Pacific Islander 105 102 -2.9 7.9 

American Indian/Alaska Native 10 12 20.0 0.7 Unknown/missing 48 99 106.3 3.6 

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

24 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Health professions and related sciences 37,140 30,214 -18.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 9,612 6,004 -37.5 25.9 

Female 27,528 24,210 -12.1 74.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 30,047 22,566 -24.9 80.9 

Black, non-Hispanic 2,259 2,753 21.9 6.1 

Hispanic 1,488 1,560 4.8 4.0 Asian or Pacific Islander 2,501 2,007 -19.8 6.7 American Indian/Alaska Native 239 170 -28.9 0.6 

Unknown/missing 606 1,158 91.1 1.6 

Mathematics 12,350 12,213 -1.1 100.0 

Gender

Male 6,608 6,511 -1.5 53.5 

Female 5,742 5,702 -0.7 46.5 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 9,535 8,993 -5.7 77.2 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,063 909 -14.5 8.6 

Hispanic 551 676 22.7 4.5 

Asian or Pacific Islander 876 1,077 22.9 7.1 

American Indian/Alaska Native 55 56 1.8 0.4 Unknown/missing 270 502 85.9 2.2 

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.
25 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Nursing 43,867 36,539 -16.7 100.0 

Gender

Male 4,925 3,331 -32.4 11.2 

Female 38,942 33,208 -14.7 88.8 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 35,736 27,352 -23.5 81.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 3,444 4,027 16.9 7.9 

Hispanic 1,454 1,841 26.6 3.3 Asian or Pacific Islander 1,800 1,649 -8.4 4.1 American Indian/Alaska Native 271 286 5.5 0.6 

Unknown/missing 1,162 1,384 19.1 2.6 

Physical sciences 18,435 16,829 -8.7 100.0 

Gender

Male 11,492 9,696 -15.6 62.3 

Female 6,943 7,133 2.7 37.7 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 14,654 12,948 -11.6 79.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,083 1,071 -1.1 5.9 

Hispanic 535 657 22.8 2.9 

Asian or Pacific Islander 1,608 1,293 -19.6 8.7 American Indian/Alaska Native 97 106 9.3 0.5 Unknown/missing 458 754 64.6 2.5 

See notes at end of table.

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete
Compendium of Tables 

26 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Protective services and criminal justice 26,095 27,422 5.1 100.0 

Gender

Male 15,556 14,559 -6.4 59.6 

Female 10,539 12,863 22.1 40.4 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 18,745 17,944 -4.3 71.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 3,933 4,556 15.8 15.1 Hispanic 2,086 2,748 31.7 8.0 

Asian or Pacific Islander 576 745 29.3 2.2 

American Indian/Alaska Native 222 295 32.9 0.9 

Unknown/missing 533 1,134 112.8 2.0 

See notes at end of table.Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued
27 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Social work 15,228 13,492 -11.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 2,120 1,611 -24.0 13.9 

Female 13,108 11,881 -9.4 86.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 10,915 8,750 -19.8 71.7 

Black, non-Hispanic 2,606 2,670 2.5 17.1 Hispanic 913 1,158 26.8 6.0 

Asian or Pacific Islander 368 328 -10.9 2.4 

American Indian/Alaska Native 155 132 -14.8 1.0 

Unknown/missing 271 454 67.5 1.8 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all bachelor's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all bach

degrees complete

Table 4. Bachelor's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 199Table 4. 2001–02—Continued

1Within each area of need, degree completions by gender and race are presented as a percentage of the total degrees awarded in that 

present a distribution of degree completions within that field of study.

† Not applicable.NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (# Rounds to zero.
Compendium of Tables 

28 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All master's degrees 366,615 415,029 13.2 100.0 

All areas of national need 118,521 126,012 6.3 32.3 

Agriculture and conservation sciences 2,054 2,348 14.3 0.6 Biological and life sciences 5,852 5,714 -2.4 1.6 Computer and information sciences 6,239 8,354 33.9 1.7 Education 31,706 31,909 0.6 8.6 Engineering and engineering-related technologies 17,955 15,911 -11.4 4.9 

Foreign languages and literature 721 521 -27.7 0.2 Health professions and related sciences 19,053 26,123 37.1 5.2 Mathematics 2,743 2,201 -19.8 0.7 Nursing 11,347 10,972 -3.3 3.1 Physical sciences 3,818 3,531 -7.5 1.0 Protective services and criminal justice 1,817 3,002 65.2 0.5 Social work 15,216 15,426 1.4 4.2 

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System († Not applicable.

# Rounds to zero.

Table 5. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

Areas of national need
29 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All master's degrees 366,615 415,029 13.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 148,726 159,828 7.5 40.6 

Female 217,889 255,201 17.1 59.4 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 286,424 297,302 3.8 78.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 26,797 36,547 36.4 7.3 

Hispanic 14,514 20,314 40.0 4.0 

Asian or Pacific Islander 17,799 22,806 28.1 4.9 

American Indian/Alaska Native 1,840 2,380 29.3 0.5 

Unknown/missing 19,241 35,680 85.4 5.2 

All areas of national need 118,521 126,012 6.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 41,021 41,231 0.5 34.6 Female 77,500 84,781 9.4 65.4 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 92,358 90,785 -1.7 77.9 Black, non-Hispanic 8,066 10,073 24.9 6.8 Hispanic 4,534 6,084 34.2 3.8 Asian or Pacific Islander 7,220 9,350 29.5 6.1 American Indian/Alaska Native 595 733 23.2 0.5 Unknown/missing 5,748 8,987 56.4 4.8 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 6. 2001–02

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

30 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Agriculture and conservation sciences 2,054 2,348 14.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 1,135 1,184 4.3 55.3 

Female 919 1,164 26.7 44.7 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 1,710 1,969 15.1 83.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 86 76 -11.6 4.2 

Hispanic 56 71 26.8 2.7 Asian or Pacific Islander 77 83 7.8 3.7 American Indian/Alaska Native 12 19 58.3 0.6 Unknown/missing 113 130 15.0 5.5 

Biological and life sciences 5,852 5,714 -2.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 2,768 2,423 -12.5 47.3 

Female 3,084 3,291 6.7 52.7 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 4,578 4,242 -7.3 78.2 

Black, non-Hispanic 248 303 22.2 4.2 

Hispanic 196 266 35.7 3.3 

Asian or Pacific Islander 570 533 -6.5 9.7 

American Indian/Alaska Native 29 37 27.6 0.5 Unknown/missing 231 333 44.2 3.9 

Table 6. 2001–02—Continued

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–

See notes at end of table.
31 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Computer and information sciences 6,239 8,354 33.9 100.0 

Gender

Male 4,418 5,605 26.9 70.8 

Female 1,821 2,749 51.0 29.2 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 3,946 4,493 13.9 63.2 

Black, non-Hispanic 375 587 56.5 6.0 

Hispanic 191 256 34.0 3.1 

Asian or Pacific Islander 1,252 1,936 54.6 20.1 

American Indian/Alaska Native 27 30 11.1 0.4 Unknown/missing 448 1,052 134.8 7.2 

Education 31,706 31,909 0.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 4,657 4,738 1.7 14.7 

Female 27,049 27,171 0.5 85.3 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 25,410 23,794 -6.4 80.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 2,637 2,819 6.9 8.3 

Hispanic 1,468 1,809 23.2 4.6 

Asian or Pacific Islander 491 774 57.6 1.5 

American Indian/Alaska Native 150 204 36.0 0.5 

Unknown/missing 1,550 2,509 61.9 4.9 

See notes at end of table.

Table 6. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–
Compendium of Tables 

32 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Engineering and engineering-related technologies 17,955 15,911 -11.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 14,541 12,348 -15.1 81.0 

Female 3,414 3,563 4.4 19.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 13,169 10,857 -17.6 73.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 735 802 9.1 4.1 

Hispanic 696 733 5.3 3.9 

Asian or Pacific Islander 2,352 2,219 -5.7 13.1 

American Indian/Alaska Native 54 60 11.1 0.3 Unknown/missing 949 1,240 30.7 5.3 

Foreign languages and literature 721 521 -27.7 100.0 

Gender

Male 241 140 -41.9 33.4 

Female 480 381 -20.6 66.6 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 541 390 -27.9 75.0 

Black, non-Hispanic 16 9 -43.8 2.2 Hispanic 60 51 -15.0 8.3 Asian or Pacific Islander 42 33 -21.4 5.8 American Indian/Alaska Native 2 4 100.0 0.3 Unknown/missing 60 34 -43.3 8.3 

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 6. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02
33 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Health professions and related sciences 19,053 26,123 37.1 100.0 

Gender

Male 4,726 6,357 34.5 24.8 

Female 14,327 19,766 38.0 75.2 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 15,590 19,567 25.5 81.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 900 1,572 74.7 4.7 

Hispanic 541 1,078 99.3 2.8 

Asian or Pacific Islander 1,103 2,228 102.0 5.8 

American Indian/Alaska Native 83 119 43.4 0.4 Unknown/missing 836 1,559 86.5 4.4 

Mathematics 2,743 2,201 -19.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 1,548 1,244 -19.6 56.4 

Female 1,195 957 -19.9 43.6 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 2,114 1,602 -24.2 77.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 157 117 -25.5 5.7 

Hispanic 63 81 28.6 2.3 Asian or Pacific Islander 248 226 -8.9 9.0 

American Indian/Alaska Native 14 9 -35.7 0.5 

Unknown/missing 147 166 12.9 5.4 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 6. 2001–02—Continued
Compendium of Tables 

34 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Nursing 11,347 10,972 -3.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 854 1,264 48.0 7.5 

Female 10,493 9,708 -7.5 92.5 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 9,541 8,518 -10.7 84.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 647 856 32.3 5.7 

Hispanic 280 364 30.0 2.5 

Asian or Pacific Islander 321 516 60.7 2.8 

American Indian/Alaska Native 66 60 -9.1 0.6 

Unknown/missing 492 658 33.7 4.3 

Physical sciences 3,818 3,531 -7.5 100.0 

Gender

Male 2,553 2,199 -13.9 66.9 

Female 1,265 1,332 5.3 33.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 3,102 2,783 -10.3 81.2 

Black, non-Hispanic 142 136 -4.2 3.7 

Hispanic 106 138 30.2 2.8 

Asian or Pacific Islander 303 241 -20.5 7.9 

American Indian/Alaska Native 15 19 26.7 0.4 Unknown/missing 150 214 42.7 3.9 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

Table 6. 2001–02—Continued

See notes at end of table.

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–
35 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Protective services and criminal justice 1,817 3,002 65.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 1,067 1,612 51.1 58.7 

Female 750 1,390 85.3 41.3 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 1,410 2,027 43.8 77.6 

Black, non-Hispanic 251 449 78.9 13.8 

Hispanic 57 155 171.9 3.1 

Asian or Pacific Islander 28 58 107.1 1.5 American Indian/Alaska Native 7 24 242.9 0.4 Unknown/missing 64 289 351.6 3.5 

See notes at end of table.

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 6. 2001–02—Continued
Compendium of Tables 

36 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Social work 15,216 15,426 1.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 2,513 2,117 -15.8 16.5 

Female 12,703 13,309 4.8 83.5 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 11,247 10,543 -6.3 73.9 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,872 2,347 25.4 12.3 

Hispanic 820 1,082 32.0 5.4 

Asian or Pacific Islander 433 503 16.2 2.8 

American Indian/Alaska Native 136 148 8.8 0.9 

Unknown/missing 708 803 13.4 4.7 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all master's 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all ma

degrees complete

Table 6. Master's degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 6. 2001–02—Continued

1Within each area of need, degree completions by gender and race are presented as a percentage of the total degrees awarded in that 

present a distribution of degree completions within that field of study.

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System († Not applicable.# Rounds to zero.
37 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All doctoral degrees 34,199 33,220 -2.9 100.0 

All areas of national need 14,007 12,939 -7.6 41.0 

Agriculture and conservation sciences 396 395 -0.3 1.2 Biological and life sciences 3,510 3,393 -3.3 10.3 Computer and information sciences 498 428 -14.1 1.5 Education 469 355 -24.3 1.4 Engineering and engineering-related technologies 3,168 2,267 -28.4 9.3 

Foreign languages and literature 168 111 -33.9 0.5 Health professions and related sciences 1,562 2,446 56.6 4.6 Mathematics 618 453 -26.7 1.8 Nursing 437 414 -5.3 1.3 Physical sciences 2,894 2,396 -17.2 8.5 Protective services and criminal justice 43 55 27.9 0.1 Social work 244 226 -7.4 0.7 

Table 7. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System († Not applicable.

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

# Rounds to zero.Areas of national need
Compendium of Tables 

38 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All doctoral degrees 34,199 33,220 -2.9 100.0 

Gender

Male 18,420 16,206 -12.0 53.9 

Female 15,779 17,014 7.8 46.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 26,982 25,309 -6.2 78.9 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,786 2,268 27.0 5.2 

Hispanic 1,061 1,351 27.3 3.1 

Asian or Pacific Islander 2,510 2,184 -13.0 7.3 

American Indian/Alaska Native 167 175 4.8 0.5 

Unknown/missing 1,693 1,933 14.2 5.0 

All areas of national need 14,007 12,939 -7.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 9,023 7,438 -17.6 64.4 Female 4,984 5,501 10.4 35.6 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 10,644 9,937 -6.6 76.0 Black, non-Hispanic 414 500 20.8 3.0 Hispanic 393 420 6.9 2.8 Asian or Pacific Islander 1,724 1,319 -23.5 12.3 American Indian/Alaska Native 43 48 11.6 0.3 Unknown/missing 789 715 -9.4 5.6 

See notes at end of table.

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity
39 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Agriculture and conservation sciences 396 395 -0.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 277 243 -12.3 69.9 

Female 119 152 27.7 30.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 312 337 8.0 78.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 21 12 -42.9 5.3 

Hispanic 15 16 6.7 3.8 Asian or Pacific Islander 27 13 -51.9 6.8 American Indian/Alaska Native 2 0 -100.0 0.5 Unknown/missing 19 17 -10.5 4.8 

Biological and life sciences 3,510 3,393 -3.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 1,936 1,866 -3.6 55.2 

Female 1,574 1,527 -3.0 44.8 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 2,697 2,592 -3.9 76.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 97 111 14.4 2.8 Hispanic 112 122 8.9 3.2 

Asian or Pacific Islander 407 385 -5.4 11.6 

American Indian/Alaska Native 5 14 180.0 0.1 Unknown/missing 192 169 -12.0 5.5 

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996Table 8. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

40 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Computer and information sciences 498 428 -14.1 100.0 

Gender

Male 404 320 -20.8 81.1 

Female 94 108 14.9 18.9 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 384 278 -27.6 77.1 

Black, non-Hispanic 5 21 320.0 1.0 Hispanic 11 19 72.7 2.2 Asian or Pacific Islander 66 74 12.1 13.3 American Indian/Alaska Native 2 1 -50.0 0.4 

Unknown/missing 30 35 16.7 6.0 

Education 469 355 -24.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 118 85 -28.0 25.2 

Female 351 270 -23.1 74.8 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 360 267 -25.8 76.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 35 40 14.3 7.5 Hispanic 19 15 -21.1 4.1 Asian or Pacific Islander 24 16 -33.3 5.1 American Indian/Alaska Native 2 3 50.0 0.4 

Unknown/missing 29 14 -51.7 6.2 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicitySee notes at end of table.

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02—Continued

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete
41 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Engineering and engineering-related technologies 3,168 2,267 -28.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 2,676 1,813 -32.2 84.5 

Female 492 454 -7.7 15.5 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 2,366 1,597 -32.5 74.7 

Black, non-Hispanic 88 80 -9.1 2.8 

Hispanic 86 88 2.3 2.7 Asian or Pacific Islander 456 358 -21.5 14.4 

American Indian/Alaska Native 12 6 -50.0 0.4 

Unknown/missing 160 138 -13.8 5.1 

Foreign languages and literature 168 111 -33.9 100.0 

Gender

Male 75 41 -45.3 44.6 

Female 93 70 -24.7 55.4 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 121 86 -28.9 72.0 

Black, non-Hispanic 2 2 0 1.2 

Hispanic 11 7 -36.4 6.5 Asian or Pacific Islander 20 11 -45.0 11.9 American Indian/Alaska Native 2 0 -100.0 1.2 Unknown/missing 12 5 -58.3 7.1 

See notes at end of table.Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02—Continued
Compendium of Tables 

42 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Health professions and related sciences 1,562 2,446 56.6 100.0 

Gender

Male 777 939 20.8 49.7 

Female 785 1,507 92.0 50.3 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 1,054 1,934 83.5 67.5 

Black, non-Hispanic 50 89 78.0 3.2 Hispanic 45 75 66.7 2.9 Asian or Pacific Islander 321 233 -27.4 20.6 

American Indian/Alaska Native 4 9 125.0 0.3 Unknown/missing 88 106 20.5 5.6 

Mathematics 618 453 -26.7 100.0 

Gender

Male 438 319 -27.2 70.9 

Female 180 134 -25.6 29.1 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 483 374 -22.6 78.2 

Black, non-Hispanic 7 15 114.3 1.1 Hispanic 18 9 -50.0 2.9 

Asian or Pacific Islander 81 25 -69.1 13.1 American Indian/Alaska Native 2 2 0.0 0.3 

Unknown/missing 27 28 3.7 4.4 

See notes at end of table.

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02—Continued
43 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Nursing 437 414 -5.3 100.0 

Gender

Male 23 27 17.4 5.3 

Female 414 387 -6.5 94.7 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 373 358 -4.0 85.4 

Black, non-Hispanic 23 19 -17.4 5.3 Hispanic 7 1 -85.7 1.6 

Asian or Pacific Islander 20 15 -25.0 4.6 

American Indian/Alaska Native 1 2 100.0 0.2 Unknown/missing 13 19 46.2 3.0 

Physical Sciences 2,894 2,396 -17.2 100.0 

Gender

Male 2,202 1,688 -23.3 76.1 

Female 692 708 2.3 23.9 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 2,276 1,901 -16.5 78.6 

Black, non-Hispanic 54 72 33.3 1.9 Hispanic 60 63 5.0 2.1 Asian or Pacific Islander 288 181 -37.2 10.0 

American Indian/Alaska Native 10 9 -10.0 0.3 Unknown/missing 206 170 -17.5 7.1 

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

44 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Protective services and criminal justice 43 55 27.9 100.0 

Gender

Male 19 28 47.4 44.2 

Female 24 27 12.5 55.8 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 33 45 36.4 76.7 

Black, non-Hispanic 5 5 0.0 11.6 Hispanic 2 1 -50.0 4.7 

Asian or Pacific Islander 1 1 0.0 2.3 

American Indian/Alaska Native 1 0 -100.0 2.3 

Unknown/missing 1 3 200.0 2.3 

See notes at end of table.

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02—Continued
45 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Social work 244 226 -7.4 100.0 

Gender

Male 78 69 -11.5 32.0 

Female 166 157 -5.4 68.0 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 185 168 -9.2 75.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 27 34 25.9 11.1 Hispanic 7 4 -42.9 2.9 

Asian or Pacific Islander 13 7 -46.2 5.3 

American Indian/Alaska Native 0 2 0.0 0.0 

Unknown/missing 12 11 -8.3 4.9 

Table 8. Doctoral degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic years 1996–Table 8. 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all doctoral 

degrees completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all doc

degrees complete

1Within each area of need, degree completions by gender and race are presented as a percentage of the total degrees awarded in that 

present a distribution of degree completions within that field of study.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.# Rounds to zero.† Not applicable.
Compendium of Tables 

46 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All first-professional degrees 75,729 78,520 3.7 100.0 

Health professions and related sciences 30,724 35,572 15.8 40.6 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System († Not applicable.NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students. The only first-professional degrees 

national need were in health professions and related sciences.

Percentage of all fi

professional degre

completed

Table 9. First-professional degree completions, by areas of national need: Academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02

Number of all firstprofessional degrees 

completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

Areas of national need 2001–02
47 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

All first-professional degrees 75,729 78,520 3.7 100.0 

Gender

Male 43,391 41,242 -5.0 57.3 

Female 32,338 37,278 15.3 42.7 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 57,781 55,646 -3.7 76.3 

Black, non-Hispanic 5,131 5,419 5.6 6.8 

Hispanic 3,500 3,731 6.6 4.6 

Asian or Pacific Islander 7,149 9,169 28.3 9.4 

American Indian/Alaska Native 498 553 11.0 0.7 

Unknown/missing 1,670 4,002 139.6 2.2 

See notes at end of table.

Percentage of all fi

professional degre

completed

Table 10. First-professional degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic yTable 10. and 2001–02

Number of all firstprofessional degrees 

completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity 2001–02
Compendium of Tables 

48 

1996–97 2001–02 1996–97 20

Health professions and related sciences2 30,724 35,572 15.8 100.0 

Gender

Male 17,417 18,240 4.7 56.7 

Female 13,307 17,332 30.2 43.3 

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic 22,994 24,182 5.2 74.8 

Black, non-Hispanic 1,794 2,101 17.1 5.8 

Hispanic 1,192 1,418 19.0 3.9 

Asian or Pacific Islander 4,107 6,482 57.8 13.4 American Indian/Alaska Native 194 268 38.1 0.6 

Unknown/missing 443 1,121 153.0 1.4 

Table 10. First-professional degree completions, by areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity: Academic yTable 10. and 2001–02—Continued

Areas of national need, gender and race/ethnicity

Number of all firstprofessional degrees 

completed

Percentage 

change between 

1996–97 and 

2001–02

Percentage of all fi

professional degre

completed

# Rounds to zero.† Not applicable.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (

2The only first-professional degrees completed in an area of national need were in health professions and related sciences.

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Foreign languages and literature were limited to general foreign languages 

linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation. Discrepancies between the total number of completions in areas of national number of degree completions found in the Digest of Education Statistics may be attributed to the limited fields included in areas of nat

degrees completed have been adjusted to exclude those completed by nonresident alien students.

1Within each area of need, degree completions by gender and race are presented as a percentage of the total degrees awarded in that 

present a distribution of degree completions within that field of study.
Compendium of Tables 

49 

Student characteristics

All areas of 

study

All areas of 

national 

need

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions 

and related 

sciences Nursing

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Student age as of 1999

21 or younger 30.5 26.9 27.9 12.7 19.5 13.4

22 - 24 18.1 19.2 14.1 12.8 24.0 25.6

25 - 29 17.7 19.8 23.3 32.0 16.4 20.4

30 or older 33.8 34.0 34.7 42.5 40.1 40.6

Attendance intensity, Fall 1999

Full-time 61.1 61.3 53.2 47.5 73.3 47.3

Half-time 26.1 26.3 34.2 17.9 15.9 40.4

Less than half-time 12.8 12.5 12.6 34.7 10.8 12.4

Dependency status, 1999–2000

Dependent 37.9 35.2 35.8 24.8 31.7 19.6

Independent without Dependent 28.4 28.2 31.8 31.0 29.0 28.4

Independent with Dependent 33.7 36.7 32.4 44.2 39.3 52.0

Income, dependent, 1998

Less than $25,000 22.4 24.1 29.9‡‡‡

$25,000 - $49,999 26.5 32.0 36.2‡‡‡

$50,000 - $79,999 28.7 23.5 22.8‡‡‡

More than $80,000 22.4 20.4 11.1‡‡‡

Income, independent, 1998

Less than $15,000 25.2 24.0 11.7 ‡ 42.6 15.0

$15,000 - $29,999 28.5 27.4 30.6 ‡ 22.2 39.4

$30,000 - $49,999 24.7 24.3 16.6 ‡ 23.9 29.9

More than $50,000 21.7 24.4 41.1 ‡ 11.3 15.7

Institution type

Public 2-year 65.2 59.3 46.4 53.4 51.3 68.6

Private not-for-profit less-than4-year 2.3 2.6 3.9 2.2 2.3 2.4

Public 4-year or more 9.4 10.5 5.6 19.5 7.5 14.7

Private not-for-profit 4-year 

or more 3.5 4.1 6.7 5.2 3.5 3.4

Private for-profit 2-year or more 12.9 17.1 31.9 18.6 29.5 4.8

Attended more than one 

institution 6.8 6.5 5.6 1.1 5.9 6.0

Table 11. Students who completed an associate's degree in areas of national need, by selected

Table 11. characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000

See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

50 

Student characteristics

All areas of 

study

All areas of 

national 

need

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions 

and related 

sciences Nursing

Cumulative loans through 2000

Less than $10,000 84.4 80.1 78.2 78.7 70.9 74.4

$10,000 - $14,999 9.0 10.3 12.9 10.0 15.9 10.9

$15,000 - $19,999 4.1 7.0 6.6 9.2 11.7 4.8

More than $20,000 2.5 2.7 2.3 2.1 1.6 10.0

Estimated price of attendance

Less than $5,000 29.6 28.2 31.0 38.6 26.3 37.1

$5,000 - $9,999 40.7 37.0 18.9 21.0 31.6 43.2

$10,000 - $14,999 17.4 20.5 25.6 25.9 21.6 13.8

$15,000 - $19,999 8.7 10.6 20.0 13.0 12.9 5.1

More than $20,000 3.7 3.8 4.6 1.4 7.6 0.8

Received Stafford Loan, 1999–2000

No Stafford Loan 75.0 71.0 67.1 75.3 62.5 65.6

Received Stafford Loan 25.0 29.0 32.9 24.8 37.5 34.4

Received Perkins Loan, 1999–2000

No Perkins Loan 98.6 98.7 96.6 100.0 98.8 98.6

Received Perkins Loan 1.4 1.3 3.4 # 1.2 1.4

Received Pell Grant, 1999–2000

No Pell Grant 76.3 75.6 76.2 84.4 72.8 75.7

Received Pell Grant 23.8 24.4 23.8 15.6 27.2 24.3

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999–2000 National 

Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000).

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Degree completers in NPSAS:2000 are students who 

reported that they completed or intended to complete a degree in 1999–2000. Some students may have completed 

associate's degrees at 4-year schools that offer both 2-year and 4-year degrees. The following areas contained too 

few cases and were excluded: agriculture and conservation sciences, education, foreign language and literature, 

biological and life sciences, mathematics, physical sciences, protective services and criminal justice, and social 

work. Dependent students are undergraduates under age 24 who are not married, have no dependents, are not 

veterans, and are not orphans or ward of the courts. Independent students are age 24 or over and students under 

24 who are married, have dependents, are veterans, or are an orphan or ward of the courts. Other undergraduates 

under age 24 are considered to be dependent. For dependent students, income is the income of their parents. 

Independent student income includes the income of a spouse if the student is married. Prior year (1998) income is 

used in federal need analysis. Stafford loans include those administered through the Federal Family Education Loan

and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program. Students may receive both subsidized and unsubsidized loans

Subsidized loans are need-based and students are not charged interest while they are enrolled. Estimates include 

students at postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Table 11. Students who completed an associate's degree in areas of national need, by selected 

‡ Reporting standards not met. (Too few cases for a reliable estimate.)

Table 11. Academic year 1999–2000—Continued
51 

Table 12. 1999–2000

Student characteristics

All 

areas of 

study

All 

areas of 

national need

Agriculture sciences 

and 

conservation

Biological and 

life sciences

Computer 

and 

information sciences Edu- cation

Engineering

and 

engineeringrelated technologies

Foreign 

languages 

and 

literature

Health 

professions 

and 

related 

sciences Nursing Mathe- matics

P

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Student age as of 1999

21 or younger 25.3 23.2 23.5 37.6 20.1 22.4 16.9 28.8 19.0 14.2 35.7 

22 - 24 42.5 43.5 62.1 44.9 35.3 48.0 53.6 37.7 44.1 29.1 47.7 25 - 29 14.6 15.3 12.7 11.9 18.3 15.1 16.7 15.9 14.5 18.2 6.2 30 or older 17.6 18.1 1.7 5.6 26.2 14.5 12.9 17.6 22.5 38.5 10.4 

Attendance intensity, Fall 1999

Full-time 82.9 84.0 80.5 91.3 75.1 92.0 87.2 74.2 81.1 73.0 86.0 Half-time 13.0 12.5 17.9 6.4 18.7 7.1 9.7 23.7 14.6 19.4 11.1 Less than half-time 4.2 3.5 1.6 2.3 6.3 0.9 3.1 2.0 4.4 7.7 2.8 

Dependency status, 1999–2000

Dependent 56.1 53.1 72.1 68.2 45.6 51.8 59.4 51.7 47.5 34.3 71.8 Independent without 

Dependent 26.9 27.5 20.2 24.1 30.0 22.0 29.7 38.0 32.2 29.0 13.6 

Independent with 

Dependent 17.0 19.5 7.8 7.7 24.5 26.2 10.9 10.4 20.3 36.7 14.6 

Income, dependent, 1998

Less than $25,000 11.9 12.9 5.8 13.3 16.7 7.2 15.1 18.8 13.4 15.3 18.0 $25,000 - $49,999 22.4 25.3 38.0 26.4 25.2 27.1 24.1 19.5 21.2 22.2 16.8 $50,000 - $79,999 28.0 27.7 24.2 24.9 26.2 31.2 23.7 22.5 30.7 27.8 31.6 More than $80,000 37.7 34.2 31.9 35.5 31.9 34.5 37.2 39.2 34.6 34.7 33.5 

See notes at end of table.

Table 12. Students who completed a bachelor's degree in areas of national need, by selected characteristics: Aca
Compendium of Tables 

52 

Student characteristics

All 

areas of 

study

All 

areas of 

national need

Agriculture sciences 

and 

conservation

Biological and 

life sciences

Computer 

and 

information sciences Edu- cation

Engineering

and 

engineeringrelated technologies

Foreign 

languages 

and 

literature

Health 

professions 

and 

related 

sciences Nursing Mathe- matics

P

Income, independent, 1998

Less than $15,000 38.6 41.3 76.0 59.6 28.2 43.5 50.9 37.4 46.0 23.6 36.6 $15,000 - $29,999 23.0 22.9 16.2 22.9 29.9 22.7 18.0 29.4 25.9 14.0 36.1 $30,000 - $49,999 17.8 17.8 7.8 10.1 15.1 19.3 15.7 21.1 11.7 30.3 11.8 More than $50,000 20.7 18.0 # 7.4 26.8 14.5 15.5 12.1 16.4 32.1 15.6 

Institution type

Public 4-year or more 62.6 66.4 92.0 64.5 58.5 63.2 76.5 68.8 67.1 61.6 57.4 Private not-for-profit 

4-year or more 29.8 27.4 5.1 29.2 32.0 29.8 17.5 27.0 27.3 34.4 37.1 

Private for-profit 2-year 

or more 1.3 0.7 # # 5.3 # 0.5 # # 0.8 # 

Attended more than one

institution 6.3 5.5 2.9 6.3 4.3 7.0 5.5 4.3 5.6 3.2 5.5 

Cumulative loans through 

Less than $10,000 54.7 52.7 48.8 56.2 55.5 45.7 61.2 59.0 48.8 52.8 53.1 $10,000 - $14,999 12.0 11.5 16.4 11.9 12.9 13.0 9.1 12.3 8.9 10.1 10.1 $15,000 - $19,999 16.2 16.9 13.2 17.4 14.1 23.7 11.0 15.3 18.8 14.2 17.9 More than $20,000 17.1 19.0 21.6 14.6 17.5 17.5 18.7 13.4 23.6 22.9 18.9 

Estimated price of attendance

Less than $5,000 12.1 11.0 14.3 8.9 11.1 8.9 10.8 10.1 10.0 16.8 6.0 $5,000 - $9,999 24.5 25.7 27.3 20.3 26.8 30.9 26.2 21.0 28.6 22.7 21.5 $10,000 - $14,999 33.2 35.0 42.3 38.0 31.7 34.7 36.4 45.1 31.0 29.6 29.8 $15,000 - $19,999 11.9 11.9 5.9 9.8 15.0 10.3 12.6 4.0 14.4 14.9 15.4 More than $20,000 18.4 16.4 10.3 23.1 15.4 15.2 14.1 19.9 16.1 16.0 27.2 

Table 12. Students who completed a bachelor's degree in areas of national need, by selected characteristics: Aca

See notes at end of table.

Table 12. 1999–2000—Continued
53 

Student characteristics

All 

areas of 

study

All 

areas of 

national need

Agriculture sciences 

and 

conservation

Biological and 

life sciences

Computer 

and 

information sciences Edu- cation

Engineering

and 

engineeringrelated technologies

Foreign 

languages 

and 

literature

Health 

professions 

and 

related 

sciences Nursing Mathe- matics

P

Received Stafford Loan, 1999–2000

No Stafford Loan 56.4 52.6 47.0 56.9 55.9 45.4 61.7 52.3 49.8 54.6 55.4 Received Stafford Loan 43.6 47.4 53.0 43.1 44.1 54.6 38.3 47.7 50.2 45.4 44.6 

Received Perkins Loan, 1999–2000

No Perkins Loan 94.6 94.1 93.2 94.2 94.5 95.3 95.4 94.2 94.0 93.2 89.8 Received Perkins Loan 5.4 5.9 6.8 5.8 5.5 4.7 4.6 5.8 6.0 6.8 10.2 

Received Pell Grant, 1999–2000

No Pell Grant 79.5 76.6 74.8 79.8 78.6 72.0 80.3 71.6 74.7 81.7 74.9 Received Pell Grant 20.5 23.5 25.3 20.2 21.4 28.0 19.7 28.4 25.3 18.3 25.1 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Stu

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Degree completers in NPSAS:2000 are students who reported that they com

complete a degree in 1999–2000. Dependent students are undergraduates under age 24 who are not married, have no dependents, ar

not orphans or ward of the courts. Independent students are age 24 or over and students under 24 who are married, have dependents, orphan or ward of the courts. Other undergraduates under age 24 are considered to be dependent. For dependent students, income is 

parents. Independent student income includes the income of a spouse if the student is married. Prior year (1998) income is used in fedStafford loans include those administered through the Federal Family Education Loan program (FFELP) and the William D. Ford FederStudents may receive both subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Subsidized loans are need-based and students are not charged interes

Estimates include students at postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.# Rounds to zero.

Table 12. Students who completed a bachelor's degree in areas of national need, by selected characteristics: AcaTable 12. 1999–2000—Continued
Compendium of Tables 

54 

Student characteristics

All areas 

of study

All areas 

of need

Biological 

and life 

sciences

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences Education

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions and 

related 

sciences Nursin

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100

Student age as of 1999

21 or younger # # # # # # # 

22 - 24 13.0 14.0 19.3 14.1 8.8 16.9 20.4 25 - 29 38.1 42.8 47.5 35.8 35.7 48.8 56.3 1730 or older 48.8 43.2 33.2 50.1 55.6 34.0 23.3 82

Attendance intensity, Fall 1999

Full-time 56.3 62.0 77.0 50.9 39.6 58.1 83.2 51Half-time 25.3 19.6 19.0 36.1 29.5 11.9 9.4 20Less than half-time 18.4 18.4 4.0 13.0 30.9 30.0 7.3 28

Dependency status, 1999–2000

Dependent †††††††

Independent without Dependent 62.9 64.5 73.6 64.8 49.5 80.4 75.8 48Independent with Dependent 37.1 35.5 26.4 35.2 50.5 19.6 24.2 51

Income, dependent, 1998

Less than $25,000 †††††††$25,000 - $49,999 †††††††$50,000 - $79,999 †††††††More than $80,000 †††††††

Income, independent, 1998

Less than $15,000 26.5 31.5 33.0 22.6 14.4 37.0 56.2 10$15,000 - $29,999 17.8 18.8 37.6 19.2 12.8 23.3 16.5 2$30,000 - $49,999 18.5 16.4 10.6 17.4 21.2 9.8 14.4 13More than $50,000 37.2 33.3 18.7 40.8 51.7 30.0 12.9 73

Table 13. characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000

See notes at end of table.

Table 13. Students who completed a master’s, doctoral or first-professional degree in areas of national need, by s
55 

Student characteristics

All areas 

of study

All areas 

of need

Biological 

and life 

sciences

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences Education

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions and 

related 

sciences Nursin

Institution type

Public 4-year or more 53.6 59.5 51.8 46.7 60.9 63.5 60.9 57Private not-for-profit 4-year 41.2 36.1 45.6 36.2 34.9 34.9 37.5 35

or more

Private for-profit 2-year or more 2.6 1.5 # 11.9 # # 0.2 5Attended more than one 2.7 2.9 2.6 5.3 4.3 1.6 1.3 1

institution

Cumulative loans through 2000

Less than $10,000 56.0 56.5 68.8 68.5 71.8 84.2 26.7 54$10,000 - $14,999 6.4 5.0 12.0 5.8 5.1 0.9 3.7 10$15,000 - $19,999 5.5 5.8 3.3 6.3 6.0 7.8 2.9 6More than $20,000 32.1 32.8 15.9 19.5 17.2 7.1 66.7 29

Estimated price of attendance

Less than $5,000 15.2 15.1 9.6 6.1 25.6 16.8 6.8 27$5,000 - $9,999 19.7 17.4 9.4 24.7 26.0 25.7 8.4 16$10,000 - $14,999 16.5 16.4 19.4 17.6 20.8 6.4 11.5 21$15,000 - $19,999 18.1 19.7 26.4 23.5 14.5 23.9 18.8 20More than $20,000 30.6 31.4 35.2 28.2 13.1 27.3 54.5 14

Table 13. Students who completed a master’s, doctoral or first-professional degree in areas of national need, by sTable 13. characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000—Continued

See notes at end of table.
Compendium of Tables 

56 

Student characteristics

All areas 

of study

All areas 

of need

Biological 

and life 

sciences

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences Education

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions and 

related 

sciences Nursin

Received Stafford Loan, 1999–2000

No Stafford Loan 68.2 67.8 83.4 80.8 81.5 93.7 37.7 63Received Stafford Loan 31.8 32.2 16.6 19.2 18.5 6.3 62.3 36

Received Perkins Loan, 1999–2000

No Perkins Loan 96.5 96.6 99.4 100.0 99.1 100.0 90.4 100Received Perkins Loan 3.5 3.4 0.6 # 1.0 # 9.6 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Stu

† Not applicable.NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Degree completers in NPSAS:2000 are students who reported that they com

complete a degree in 1999–2000. The following areas contained too few cases and were excluded: agriculture and conservation scienc

and literature, mathematics, and protective services and criminal justice. Independent students are age 24 or over and students under 

dependents, are veterans, or are an orphan or ward of the courts. Other undergraduates under age 24 are considered to be dependent

income includes the income of a spouse if the student is married. Prior year (1998) income is used in federal need analysis. Stafford lo

administered through the Federal Family Education Loan program (FFELP) and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program. Stud

subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Subsidized loans are need-based and students are not charged interest while they are enrolled. Es

at postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.# Rounds to zero.

Table 13. Students who completed a master’s, doctoral or first-professional degree in areas of national need, by sTable 13. characteristics: Academic year 1999–2000—Continued
57 

References 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1993). A Note from the 

Chief Statistician, no. 2. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2002a). National 

Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 1999–2000 (NPSAS:2000), CATI Nonresponse Bias 

Analysis Report (NCES 2002-03) Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2002b). National 

Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 1999–2000 (NPSAS:2000), Methodology Report (NCES 

2002-152). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Postsecondary 

Institutions in the United States: Fall 2001 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred 2000–

01 (NCES 2003-158). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education. (2004). Meeting the Highly 

Qualified Teachers Challenge: The Secretary’s Third Annual Report on Teacher Quality. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
A-1 

Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

This appendix describes the IPEDS:2002 and NPSAS:2000 data used in this E.D. Tab. The items were taken directly 

from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Data Analysis System (DAS). The DAS is a web-based NCES 

analysis tool that generates tables from the data available in IPEDS:2002 and NPSAS:2000. (See appendix B for a 

description of the DAS.) In the index below, the variables are organized by each data source and then listed in the 

order in which they are discussed in the text. The glossary presents variables and terms in alphabetical order by 

variable name (displayed in capital letters to the right of the label below). 

GLOSSARY INDEX (IPEDS) 

COMPLETIONS

Award level...............................................AWLEVEL 

Areas of national need ................................CIPAREA 

Total degrees awarded, 2001–02 .............CRACE24A 

Total degrees awarded, Male, 2001–02 ...CRACE15A 

Total degrees awarded, Female, 

2001–02 ...............................................CRACE16A 

Total degrees awarded, Black, 

non-Hispanic, 2001–02 ........................CRACE18A 

Total degrees awarded, Hispanic 

2001–02 ...............................................CRACE19A 

Total degrees awarded, Asian or 

Pacific Islander, 2001–02 .....................CRACE20A 

Total degrees awarded, American Indian/ 

Alaska Native, 2001–02........................CRACE21A 

Total degrees awarded, White, 

non-Hispanic, 2001–02 .........................CRACE22A 

Total degrees awarded, Unknown, 

2001–02 ................................................CRACE23A 

Total degrees awarded, 1996–97 .............CRACE24B 

Total degrees awarded, Male, 1996–97 ...CRACE15B 

Total degrees awarded, Female, 

1996–97 ................................................CRACE16B 

Total degrees awarded, Black, 

non-Hispanic, 1996–97 .........................CRACE18B 

Total degrees awarded, Hispanic, 

1996–97 ................................................CRACE19B 

Total degrees awarded, Asian or 

Pacific Islander, 1996–97 .....................CRACE20B 

Total degrees awarded, American Indian/ 

Alaska Native, 1996–97........................CRACE21B 

Total degrees awarded, White, 

non-Hispanic, 1996–97 .........................CRACE22B 

Total degrees awarded, Unknown, 

1996–97 ................................................CRACE23B 

INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sector of institutions, 2001–02 .................... SECTOR 

Carnegie Classification, 2000 ..................... CARNEG 

Total enrollment, fall 2001 .......................EFRACE24 

Percentage of first-time, full-time, degree/ 

certificate seeking undergraduates 

receiving federal grants, 2001–02........... FGRNT_P 

In-state average tuition for full-time 

undergraduates, 2001–02 ....................... TUITION2 

In-state tuition for full-time graduates, 

2001–02 ................................................. TUITION6 

Tuition for medical school, 2001–02 ........... ISPROF2 

Tuition for dental school, 2001–02.............. ISPROF3 

Tuition for pharmacy school, 2001–02 ........ ISPROF6 

Tuition for veterinary school, 2001–02........ ISPROF8 

Degree of urbanicity, 2001–02 ................... LOCALE 

Region, 2001–02 .........................................OBEREG 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

A-2 

GLOSSARY INDEX (NPSAS) 

Degree program, 1999–2000 ...................DEGFIRST 

Graduate degree type, 1999–2000 .......... GRADDEG 

Field of study/major (99 categories), 

1999–2000 ................................................ MAJORS 

Student completed degree program, 

1999–2000 ........................................... PROGSTAT 

Age as of 12/31/99...............................................AGE 

Attendance intensity in fall 1999 .................ATTEND 

Dependency status for financial aid 

1999–2000 ..............................................DEPEND2 

Income of parents of dependent students, 

1998–99 ..................................................... DEPINC 

Income of independent students, 

1998–99................................................. INDEPINC 

Institution type (with multiple), 

1999–2000...............................................AIDSECT 

Title IV loans excluding PLUS - cumulative 

through 2000 (NSLDS).......................T4TOXCUM 

Student budget (attendance adjusted), 

1999–2000 ...........................................BUDGETA2 

Perkins loan, 1999–2000 ..........................PERKAMT 

Pell Grant total, 1999–2000...................... PELLAMT 

Stafford total subsidized + unsubsidized, 

1999–2000 ...........................................STAFFAMT 

Highest level of offering, 1999–2000 ........ HLOFFER 

Institution state, 1999–2000......................INSSTATE 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-3 

GLOSSARY OF IPEDS VARIABLES

Award level AWLEVEL

The level of degree awarded. 

Associate’s 

 Bachelor’s 

 Master’s 

 Doctoral 

 First-Professional 

Carnegie Classification, 2000 CARNEG

Indicates the 2000 Carnegie Classification code of the reporting institution. The 2000 Carnegie Classification 

includes all colleges and universities in the United States that are degree-granting and accredited by an agency 

recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The 2000 edition classifies institutions based on their degree-granting 

activities from 1995–96 through 1997–98. 

• Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive: These institutions typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate 

programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the doctorate. They award 50 or more 

doctoral degrees per year across at least 15 disciplines 

• Doctoral/Research Universities-Intensive: These institutions typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate 

programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the doctorate. They award at least 10 

doctoral degrees per year across three or more disciplines, or at least 20 doctoral degrees per year overall. 

• Master’s Colleges and Universities I: These institutions typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate 

programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the master’s degree. They award 40 or 

more master’s degrees per year across three or more disciplines. 

• Master’s (Comprehensive) Colleges and Universities II: These institutions typically offer a wide range of 

baccalaureate programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the master’s degree. They 

award 20 or more master’s degrees per year. 

• Baccalaureate Colleges-Liberal Arts: These institutions are primarily undergraduate colleges with major 

emphasis on baccalaureate programs. They award at least half of their baccalaureate degrees in liberal arts 

fields. 

• Baccalaureate Colleges-General: These institutions are primarily undergraduate colleges with major 

emphasis on baccalaureate programs. They award less than half of their baccalaureate degrees in liberal arts 

fields. 

• Baccalaureate/Associate’s Colleges: These institutions are undergraduate colleges where the majority of 

conferrals are at the sub-baccalaureate level (associate’s degrees and certificates), but bachelor’s degrees 

account for at least 10 percent of undergraduate awards. 

• Associate’s Colleges: These institutions offer associate’s degree and certificate programs but, with few 

exceptions, award no baccalaureate degrees. 

• Specialized Institutions: These institutions offer degrees ranging from the bachelor’s to the doctorate, and 

typically award a majority of degrees in a single field. The list includes only institutions that are listed as 

separate campuses in the Higher Education Directory.1 Examples of specialized institutions include 

theological seminaries, medical schools, schools of engineering, law schools, and teachers colleges. This 

group of institutions also includes tribal colleges. 

 

1 The Higher Education Directory lists institutions that offer degrees whose accreditations are recognized by the U.S. Secretary

of Education and the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) approved programs by former COPA and CORPA 

members. More information can be found online at http://www.hepinc.com/. 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-4 

Areas of National Need CIPAREA 

Those programs of study in which degree recipients are eligible for Title IV loan cancellation, those included in the 

Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP), and those in which students are eligible to 

receive Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) funding. See Appendix B—Technical Notes and 

Methodology and table B4 for more details. 

 Agriculture and conservation sciences (CIP codes: 02 excluding 02.0501; 03.0102; 03.0301; 03.0502; 

 03.0509; 03.0599) 

 Computer and information sciences (CIP codes: 11 excluding 11.0301; 30.0601; 30.1501) 

 Education (CIP codes: 13.02; 13.10 excluding 13.1004; 13.1202; 13.1306; 13.1307; 13.1311; 13.1316; 

 13.1322; 13.1323; 13.1325; 13.1326; 13.1327; 13.1329; 13.1330; 13.1401) 

 Engineering and engineering-related technologies (CIP codes: 14; 15) 

 Foreign languages and literatures (CIP codes: 16.01) 

 Biological and life sciences (CIP codes: 26; 30.0101; 30.1001; 14.0101; 42.1101) 

 Mathematics (CIP codes: 27; 30.0801) 

 Physical sciences: (CIP codes: 40 excluding 40.0799; 41.02; 41.03) 

 Protective services and criminal justice (CIP codes: 43.01 excluding 43.0109 and 43.0199; 45.0401) 

 Social work (CIP codes: 44) 

 Nursing (CIP codes: 51.16) 

 Health professions and related sciences (CIP codes: 19.0502; 19.0503; 30.11; 51 excluding 51.07, 51.0899, 

 51.15, 51.16, 51.2206) 

 Other areas, non-need: (CIP codes: all others not listed above excluding 99) 

 Total awards (CIP code: 99) 

Total degrees awarded, Male, 2001–02 CRACE15A 

Total degrees awarded, Female, 2001–02 CRACE16A 

Total degrees awarded, Black, non-Hispanic, 2001–02 CRACE18A 

Total degrees awarded, Hispanic, 2001–02 CRACE19A 

Total degrees awarded, Asian or Pacific Islander, 2001–02 CRACE20A 

Total degrees awarded, American Indian/Alaska Native, 2001–02 CRACE21A 

Total degrees awarded, White, non-Hispanic, 2001–02 CRACE22A 

Total degrees awarded, Unknown, 2001–02 CRACE23A 

Total degrees awarded, 2001–02 CRACE24A 

Total degrees awarded, Male, 1996–97 CRACE15B 

Total degrees awarded, Female, 1996–97 CRACE16B 

Total degrees awarded, Black, non-Hispanic, 1996–97 CRACE18B 

Total degrees awarded, Hispanic, 1996–97 CRACE19B 

Total degrees awarded, Asian or Pacific Islander, 1996–97 CRACE20B 

Total degrees awarded, American Indian/Alaska Native, 1996–97 CRACE21B 

Total degrees awarded, White, non-Hispanic, 1996–97 CRACE22B 

Total degrees awarded, Unknown, 1996–97 CRACE23B 

Total degrees awarded, 1996–97 CRACE24B 

Total number of degrees awarded by institutions in the study universe as indicated in each label for 1996–97 and 

2001–02, qualified by award level (AWLEVEL) and area of national need (CIPAREA). 

Total enrollment, fall 2001 EFRACE24 

Total head-count enrollment in fall 2001, including undergraduate, graduate and first-professional students. 

Less than 1,000 

1,000 – 4,999 

5,000 – 9,999 

10,000 or more 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-5 

Percentage of first-time, full-time, degree/certificate seeking 

undergraduates receiving federal grants, 2001–02 FGRNT_P

The percentage of first-time, full-time degree/certificate seeking undergraduate students who received federal grant 

monies in the 2001–02 academic year. 

 Less than 20 

 30 - 39 

 40 - 59 

 60 - 79 

 80 or more 

Tuition for medical school, 2001–02 ISPROF2 

Tuition charged to students in medical school in 2001–02. 

Less than $10,000 

$10,000 - $19,999 

$20,000 or more 

Tuition for dental school, 2001–02 ISPROF3 

Tuition charged to students enrolled in dental school in 2001–02. 

Less than $10,000 

$10,000 - $19,999 

$20,000 or more 

Tuition for pharmacy school, 2001–02 ISPROF6 

Tuition charged to students enrolled in pharmacy school in 2001–02. 

Less than $10,000 

$10,000 - $19,999 

$20,000 or more 

Tuition for veterinary school, 2001–02 ISPROF8 

Tuition charged to students enrolled in veterinary school in 2001–02. 

Less than $10,000 

$10,000 - $19,999 

$20,000 or more 

Degree of urbanicity, 2001–02 LOCALE 

The degree of urbanization of the institution’s location. 

Large City 

Midsize City 

Urban Fringe of Large City 

Urban Fringe of Midsize City 

Large Town 

Small Town 

Rural 

Not available/assigned 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-6 

Region, 2001–02 OBEREG 

Geographic region code. 

US Service schools 

New England CT ME MA NH RI VT 

Mid East DE DC MD NJ NY PA 

Great Lakes IL IN MI OH WI 

Plains IA KS MN MO NE ND SD 

South AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC SC TN VA WV 

Southwest AZ NM OK TX 

Rocky Mountains CO ID MT UT WY 

Far West AK CA HI NV OR WA 

Outlying areas AS FM GU MH MP PR PW VI 

Sector of institutions, 2001–02 SECTOR 

One of nine institutional categories resulting from dividing the universe according to control and level. 

Public, less than 2-year 

Public, 2-but-less-than 4-year (2 year) 

Public, 4-year and higher 

Private not-for-profit, less than 2-year 

Private not-for-profit, 2-but-less-than 4-year (2 year) 

Private not-for-profit, 4-year and higher 

Private for-profit, less than 2-year 

Private for-profit, 2-but-less-than 4-year (2 year) 

Private for-profit, 4-year and higher 

In-state average tuition for full-time undergraduates, 2001–02 TUITION2 

Less than $5,000 

$5,000 - $9,999 

$10,000 - $14,999 

$15,000 - $19,999 

$20,000 or more 

In-state average tuition for full-time graduates, 2001–02 TUITION6 

Less than $5,000 

$5,000 - $9,999 

$10,000 - $14,999 

$15,000 - $19,999 

$20,000 or more 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-7 

GLOSSARY OF NPSAS VARIABLES

Age as of 12/31/99 AGE 

Student’s age on December 31 of the sampled academic year. 

 21 or younger 

 22 - 24 

 25 - 29 

 30 or older 

Institution type (with multiple), 1999–2000 AIDSECT 

Indicates the level and control of the institution attended. Students who attended more than one institution are coded 

in a separate category. 

Public 2-year 

 Private not-for-profit less-than-4-year 

 Public 4-year or more 

 Private not-for-profit 4-year or more 

 Private for-profit 2-year or more 

 Attended more than one institution 

Attendance intensity in fall 1999 ATTEND 

Student’s attendance status during the fall term (in September or October, 1999). 

Full-time 

Half-time 

Less than half-time 

Student budget (attendance adjusted), 1999–2000 BUDGETA2 

The attendance-adjusted student budget at the sampled NPSAS institution for students who attended only one 

institution and did not change their status from undergraduate to graduate/first-professional during 1999–2000. For 

full-time students, this is the same as the full-time budget. For less than full-time students, non-tuition costs are 

reduced and then added to the actual tuition paid. 

Less than $5,000 

$5,000 - $9,999 

$10,000 - $14,999 

$15,000 - $19,999 

More than $20,000 

Degree program, 1999–2000 DEGFIRST 

Undergraduate degree program, indicating the lower level program if the student was in more than one during the 

year. 

Associate’s 

Bachelor’s 

Dependency status for financial aid, 1999–2000 DEPEND2 

Student dependency status for financial aid. 

Dependent 

Independent without Dependent 

Independent with Dependent 

 
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-8 

Income of parents of dependent students, 1998–99 DEPINC 

Dependent student parents’ total income for 1998. Most undergraduates under age 24 are considered to be dependent 

for financial aid purposes. 

 Less than $25,000 

 $25,000 - $49,999 

 $50,000 - $49,999 

 $50,000 - $79,999 

 More than $80,000 

Graduate degree type, 1999–2000 GRADDEG 

Type of graduate degree program in which the student was enrolled in 1999–2000. 

Master’s 

Doctorate 

First-Professional 

Highest level of offering, 1999–2000 HLOFFER 

Highest level of offering at NPSAS institution where the student was sampled. 

Associate’s 

Bachelor’s 

Graduate or First-Professional 

Income of independent students, 1998–99 INDEPINC 

Total income of independent students in 1998, including income of a spouse. 

 Less than $15,000 

 $15,000 - $29,999 

 $30,000 - $49,999 

 More than $50,000 

Institution state, 1999–2000 INSSTATE 

State where sampled NPSAS institution is located. 

Field of study/major (99 categories), 1999–2000 MAJORS 

The major or field of study of the student during 1999–2000. Lumped into the following categories (for more details, 

please see Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology): 

Agriculture and conservation sciences (MAJORS codes: 010 1; 020 2; 030 3; 031 4) 

Computer and information sciences (MAJORS codes: 110 20; 112 22) 

Education (MAJORS codes: 130 25; 131 26; 132 27; 133 28) 

Engineering and engineering-related technologies (MAJORS codes: 140 31; 141 32; 142 33; 143 34; 144 

35; 150 36) 

Foreign languages and literature (MAJORS codes: 160 37; 161 38; 162 39) 

Biological and life sciences (MAJORS codes: 260 64; 261 64; 262 64; 264 64; 263 64) 

Mathematics (MAJORS codes: 270 65; 271 65) 

Physical sciences (MAJORS codes: 400 74; 401 74; 402 74; 403 74) 

Protective services and criminal justice (MAJORS codes: 430 76) 

Social work (MAJORS codes: 440 77) 

Nursing (MAJORS codes: 175 50; 185 50) 

Health professions and related sciences (MAJORS codes: 170 40; 171 41; 172 42; 174 44; 180 45; 181 46; 

182 47; 183 48; 184 49; 190 54; 193; 53; 194 53; 195 53; 196 56; 197 53)
Appendix A—Glossary of Variables and Terms 

DAS Variable

A-9 

Pell Grant total, 1999–2000 PELLAMT 

The federal Pell grant amount received at all institutions attended during 1999–2000. 

No Pell Grant 

Received Pell Grant 

Perkins loan, 1999–2000 PERKAMT 

Indicates the federal Perkins loan amount received during 1999–2000. 

No Perkins Loan 

Received Perkins Loan 

Student completed degree program, 1999–2000 PROGSTAT 

Indicates whether student reported that they completed or expected to complete a degree program in 1999–2000. 

 Completed 

Stafford total subsidized + unsubsidized, 1999–2000 STAFFAMT 

The total amount of Stafford loans (Direct, FFEL, subsidized, and unsubsidized) received during 1999–2000, 

including loans borrowed to attend schools other than the NPSAS sample school. 

 No Stafford Loan 

 Received Stafford Loan 

Title IV loans excluding PLUS - cumulative through 2000 (NSLDS) T4TOXCUM 

The cumulative amount of Title IV loans excluding PLUS borrowed through July 1, 2000. 

Less than $10,000 

$10,000 - $14,999 

$15,000 - $19,999 

More than $20,000
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
B-1 

Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

Data Sources 

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is designed to collect data 

from postsecondary institutions in the United States (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) 

and other jurisdictions, such as Puerto Rico.1 For IPEDS, a postsecondary institution is defined 

as an organization that is open to the public and has as its primary mission the provision of 

postsecondary education. IPEDS defines postsecondary education as formal instructional 

programs with a curriculum designed primarily for students who are beyond the compulsory age 

for high school. This includes academic, vocational, and continuing professional education 

programs and excludes institutions that offer only avocational (leisure) and adult basic education 

programs. Participation in IPEDS is a requirement for institutions that participate in Title IV 

federal student financial aid programs (such as Pell Grants or Stafford Loans) during the 

collection year. Title IV schools include traditional colleges and universities, 2-year institutions, 

and for-profit degree- and non-degree-granting institutions (such as schools of cosmetology), 

among others. In addition, all U.S. Service Academies are included in IPEDS as if they were 

Title IV institutions. Institutions that do not participate in Title IV programs may participate in 

the IPEDS data collection on a voluntary basis. Collection occurs in the fall, winter, and spring, 

although data collection for each component occurs only once annually. For example, in 2001–

02, the Institutional Characteristics and Completions surveys were collected in the fall semester. 

Institutions were provided with the option to complete the Enrollment component during this 

cycle, or they could wait until the spring 2002 collection period. Student Financial Aid surveys 

were collected in the spring. 

For this report, a new variable for areas of national need was created from the Completions 

survey data (see Areas of National Need Variable later in this appendix). In addition, the 2001–

02 IPEDS Institutional Characteristics (IC), Enrollment (EF) and Student Financial Aid (SFA) 

components provide information on the characteristics of the institutions in the study universe. 

 

1 The other jurisdictions surveyed in IPEDS are American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, 

Marshall Islands, Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-2 

1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 

The 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000) is a 

comprehensive study of the United States and Puerto Rico conducted by the U.S. Department of 

Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to determine how students and their 

families pay for postsecondary education (U.S. Department of Education 2002b). It also 

describes demographic and other characteristics of students enrolled. The institutional sampling 

frame for NPSAS:2000 was constructing from the 1998–99 Integrated Postsecondary Education 

Data System (IPEDS) Institutional Characteristics (IC) file and, because NPSAS:2000 also 

served as the base-year survey for a longitudinal study of baccalaureate recipients, the 1996–97 

IPEDS Completions file. Eligible institutions were partitioned into 22 institutional strata based 

on institutional control, highest level of offering, and percentage of baccalaureate degrees 

awarded in education. Approximately 1,100 institutions were initially selected for NPSAS:2000, 

and all but 10 of these institutions were found to be eligible. Sampling frames for selecting 

students consisted of enrollment lists or data files provided by the institutions for those students 

enrolled during the NPSAS:2000 year. 

The results from NPSAS:2000 are based on a nationally representative sample of all 

students in postsecondary education institutions, including undergraduate, graduate, and firstprofessional students. Information was obtained from more than 900 postsecondary institutions 

on approximately 50,000 undergraduate, 9,000 graduate, and 3,000 first-professional students. 

These data represented about 16.5 million undergraduates, 2.4 million graduate students, and 

300,000 first-professional students who were enrolled at some time between July 1, 1999, and 

June 30, 2000. Approximately 17 percent of all undergraduates reported that they completed or 

intended to complete a degree, representing roughly 2.8 million undergraduates. For graduate and 

first-professional students the reported rate of completion or intended completion was 23 percent, 

representing just over 600,000 students.2

Accuracy of Estimates 

The institution-based statistics in this report are derived from IPEDS:2002, which is a 

universe survey. The student-based statistics presented in this report are from NPSAS:2000 data 

and are estimates derived from a sample. Since different accuracy standards apply to each data 

source, they are discussed separately below. 

 

2 This is based on estimates from the NPSAS:2000 Data Analysis System (DAS) using the variable PROGSTAT. 

See the section titled National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) Analysis: Selection Criteria for more 

details. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-3 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 

The risk of sampling error does not occur when using a census of an entire population. 

However, there is still the possibility of nonsampling error. Nonsampling errors can be attributed 

to a number of sources: inability to obtain complete information about all institutions (i.e., some 

institutions refused to participate, or participated but answered only certain items); ambiguous 

definitions; differences in interpreting questions; inability or unwillingness to give correct 

information; mistakes in recording or coding data; and other errors of collecting, processing, and 

imputing missing data. To compensate for nonresponse, NCES often makes adjustments, referred 

to as imputations. Imputations are usually made separately within various groups of institutions 

that have similar characteristics. If a particular institution responded in previous years, those 

values may also be used to substitute for a missing response (U.S. Department of Education 

2003). 

Survey response rates for the universe of institutions in this study were above 95 percent 

(table B1). Because the data are from a census, the results presented in this report are not 

weighted. 

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) 

Nonsampling errors occur not only in censuses of entire populations, but also in sample 

surveys. As outlined above, there are many sources of nonsampling errors for which NCES 

attempts to adjust. Nonsampling errors in sample surveys can be attributed to a number of 

sources: inability to obtain complete information about all students in all institutions in the 

sample (some students or institutions refused to participate, or students participated but answered 

only certain items); ambiguous definitions; differences in interpreting questions; inability or 

unwillingness to give correct information; mistakes in recording or coding data; and other errors 

Respondent Non-respondent Respondent Non-respondent

Completions 84.5 15.5 99.2 0.8

Institutional Characteristics 88.2 11.8 98.6 1.4

Fall 88.3 11.7 99.3 0.7

Winter 86.2 13.8 98.9 1.1

Spring 88.0 12.0 99.3 0.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System (IPEDS:2002).

All institutions Study universe

Table B1. Survey response rates for the institutional universe: 2001–02
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-4 

of collecting, processing, sampling, and imputing missing data. However, unlike data drawn from 

a census, estimates derived from a sample also face sampling errors. Sampling errors occur 

because observations are made only on samples of students, not entire populations. 

Overall Weighted Response Rates 

For NPSAS:2000, the institutional response rate was 95 percent and the weighted overall 

student interview response rate was 66 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2002b). The 

student telephone interview response rate for NPSAS:2000 was less than 70 percent in some 

institutional sectors and an analysis was conducted to determine whether estimates were 

significantly biased due to computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) nonresponse. 

Considerable information was known for CATI nonrespondents and these data were used to 

analyze and reduce the bias. The distributions of several variables using the design-based, 

adjusted weights for study respondents (study weights) were found to be biased before CATI 

nonresponse adjustments. The CATI nonresponse and poststratification procedures, however, 

reduced the bias for these variables; and the remaining relative bias ranged from 0 to 0.35 percent 

(U.S. Department of Education 2002a). 

The weight variable used for analysis of undergraduates in this report is CATIWT for 

NPSAS:2000, which includes all undergraduates in the NPSAS surveys who participated in a 

telephone interview. For graduate and first-professional students, the weight variable used for 

analysis was WTB00, which applies to all CATI graduate and first-professional respondents. 

Some of the individual characteristic variables used in this report, such as institutional sector, 

region, and financial aid amounts, are imputed from non-CATI sources. However, the key 

variables – field of study (from which areas of national need were lumped) and the program 

completion flag – were both CATI variables and thus warranted using CATIWT or WTB00 as 

the weight variables. 

Item Response Bias 

All the NPSAS:2000 variables used in this report and defined in appendix A had item 

response rates above 85 percent: see table 4-24 (U.S. Department of Education 2002, table 4-24). 

Therefore, a bias analysis for individual survey items was not necessary.

Data Analysis System

The estimates presented in this report were produced using the Data Analysis Systems 

(DAS) the IPEDS:2002 surveys and the NPSAS:2000 surveys (both undergraduate and graduate 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-5 

and first-professional). The DAS software makes it possible for users to specify and generate 

their own tables. With the DAS, users can replicate or expand upon the tables presented in this 

report. 

For IPEDS:2002 data, the DAS provides the information for those institutions that 

responded as well as the number of respondents by institutional sector. 

For NPSAS:2000 estimates, the DAS calculates proper standard errors3 and weighted 

sample sizes in addition to the table estimates. For example, table B2 contains standard errors 

that correspond to estimates in table 11 in the report. The DAS prints the message “low n” 

instead of the estimate when the number of valid cases is too small to produce a reliable estimate 

(fewer than 30 cases). All standard errors for estimates presented in this report can be viewed at 

http://nces.ed.gov/das/library/reports.asp. In addition to tables, the DAS will also produce a 

correlation matrix of selected variables to be used for linear regression models. Included in the 

output with the correlation matrix are the design effects (DEFTs) for each variable in the matrix. 

Since statistical procedures generally compute regression coefficients based on simple random 

sample assumptions, the standard errors must be adjusted with the design effects to take into 

account the stratified sampling method used in the NPSAS surveys. 

Each DAS can be accessed electronically at http://nces.ed.gov/DAS. For more information 

about the Data Analysis System, contact: 

Aurora D’Amico 

Postsecondary Studies Division 

National Center for Education Statistics 

1990 K Street NW 

Washington, DC 20006–5652 

(202) 502–7334 

aurora.d’amico@ed.gov

 

3 The NPSAS samples are not simple random samples, and therefore, simple random sample techniques for estimating sampling 

error cannot be applied to these data. The DAS takes into account the complexity of the sampling procedures and calculates 

standard errors appropriate for such samples. The method for computing sampling errors used by the DAS involves 

approximating the estimator by the linear terms of a Taylor series expansion. The procedure is typically referred to as the Taylor 

series method.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-6 

Student characteristics

All areas of 

study

All areas of 

national 

need

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions 

and related 

sciences Nursing

Student age as of 1999

21 or less 4.41 3.91 5.92 5.35 9.37 2.63

22 - 24 2.74 4.57 7.98 11.41 8.39 6.23

25 - 29 1.99 3.30 9.32 9.79 5.32 10.12

30 or older 3.61 3.16 6.43 12.87 5.69 9.07

Attendance intensity, Fall 1999

Full-time 3.18 3.71 8.03 14.11 7.11 5.36

Half-time 3.38 4.21 10.56 12.42 6.53 5.68

Less than half-time 1.55 2.10 7.39 13.84 4.42 8.90

Dependency status, 1999–2000

Dependent 1.74 2.95 8.06 8.41 8.49 9.42

Independent without Dependent 1.22 2.77 9.00 11.22 8.04 13.69

Independent with Dependent 2.01 3.47 5.86 12.84 7.64 10.53

Income, dependent, 1998

Less than $25,000 2.89 5.96 4.82†††

$25,000 - $49,999 4.14 7.43 15.55†††

$50,000 - $79,999 1.83 3.06 9.50†††

More than $80,000 2.83 4.70 3.86†††

Income, independent, 1998

Less than $15,000 2.12 3.02 5.45 † 5.33 6.58

$15,000 - $29,999 2.29 4.18 7.48 † 6.54 8.55

$30,000 - $49,999 2.49 4.12 7.24 † 4.18 15.01

More than $50,000 3.07 3.27 8.79 † 2.46 14.57

Institution type

Public 2-year 2.45 3.64 9.32 10.85 7.77 5.58

Private not-for-profit less-than4-year 0.39 0.64 1.88 1.34 1.49 1.78

Public 4-year or more 1.47 2.18 3.45 8.25 4.51 4.38

Private not-for-profit 4-year 

or more 1.74 2.87 5.38 5.46 4.15 2.71

Private for-profit 2-year or more 2.25 3.87 11.13 10.99 8.73 4.84

Attended more than one 

institution 0.89 0.90 1.97 0.62 5.59 4.21

Cumulative loans through 2000

Less than $10,000 1.44 2.16 6.16 8.40 11.81 7.58

$10,000 - $14,999 1.19 1.58 5.87 6.28 7.85 4.48

$15,000 - $19,999 0.85 1.58 3.96 5.51 4.21 3.77

More than $20,000 0.62 0.84 1.62 2.51 1.79 4.94

Table B2. Standard errors for table 11

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-7 

Student characteristics

All areas of 

study

All areas of 

national 

need

Computer 

and 

information 

sciences

Engineering

and engineeringrelated 

technologies

Health 

professions 

and related 

sciences Nursing

Estimated price of attendance

Less than $5,000 1.54 3.72 11.31 13.59 7.79 6.05

$5,000 - $9,999 2.51 3.69 8.17 13.20 6.72 8.55

$10,000 - $14,999 1.69 2.87 6.80 11.05 4.75 3.67

$15,000 - $19,999 1.50 1.60 6.58 7.91 3.10 3.22

More than $20,000 0.95 1.38 4.75 2.11 4.08 0.73

Received Stafford Loan, 1999–2000

No Stafford Loan 2.00 2.69 5.05 9.05 5.33 7.35

Received Stafford 2.00 2.69 5.05 9.05 5.33 7.35

Received Perkins Loan, 1999–2000

No Perkins Loan 0.58 0.61 2.04 † 1.01 1.08

Received Perkins 0.58 0.61 2.04 † 1.01 1.08

Received Pell Grant, 1999–2000

No Pell Grant 2.87 3.22 5.04 7.54 4.24 8.85

Received Pell Grant 2.87 3.22 5.04 7.54 4.24 8.85

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999–2000 National 

Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000).

Table B2. Standard errors for table 11—Continued
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-8 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Analysis 

Study Universe 

For the IPEDS portion of the analysis, institutions were limited to all those active 

institutions in the 2001–02 IPEDS universe that have a Program Participation Agreement (PPA) 

with the U.S. Department of Education, making them eligible to participate in Title IV programs. 

This criterion excluded all U.S. Service schools except one from the study universe; the U.S. 

Merchant Marine Academy is eligible to participate in Title IV programs and was therefore 

included. Per NCES standards, the variable PSET4FLG was used to determine active status and 

Title IV eligibility. Seventeen institutions were excepted from this rule. These cases met all other 

universe criteria in 2001–02 but PSET4FLG = 9 (inactive in the current universe) and the 

variable for active status, ACT = C (combined with another institution in the study year). These 

institutions reported no completions data in 2001–02 (it was reported by the institutions with 

which they merged) but they did report completions data in 1996–97. Excluding them from the 

universe would have produced lower aggregate totals in 1996–97, resulting in inaccurate 

measures of the percent change in degree completions between the two study years.4 

In addition, institutions must have granted associate’s degrees or higher and have been 

located in the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Six institutional sectors were included in the 

analysis: public 2-year; public 4-year and above; private not-for-profit 2-year; private not-forprofit 4-year and above; private for-profit 2-year; and private for-profit 4-year.5 When taking 

these criteria into consideration the institutional universe contained 3,855 institutions: 609 public 

4-year; 1,475 private not-for-profit, 4-year; and 221 private for-profit, 4-year; 1,045 public 2-

year; 111 private not-for-profit 2-year; and 394 private for-profit 2-year (table B3). 

Areas of National Need Variable 

Since the enactment of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the federal 

government has identified certain fields that are crucial to national innovation, competitiveness, 

and well-being and in which not enough students complete degrees. Amendments to the Higher 

Education Act (HEA) of 1965 have attempted to encourage students to pursue and complete 

 

4 For example, one institution among the 17 granted 56 of the first-professional degrees awarded to Asian/Pacific Islander 

students in 1996–97. Excluding it from the universe would have resulted a growth rate for that group of 94 percent, as opposed 

to 38 percent as reported in table 10. 

5 Note that institutions classified as 4-year institutions may offer only one bachelor’s degree. 
Appendix B—Technical 

B-9 

Public

Private, notfor-profit Private, for- profit Public 

Number of institutions 3,855 1,045 111 394 609 

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Sector of institution, 2001–02

Public 4-year 15.8 † † † 100.0 

Private not-for-profit, 4-year 38.3 † † † † Private for-profit, 4-year 5.7 † † † † Public 2-year 27.1 100.0 † † † Private not-for-profit, 2-year 2.9 † 100.0 † † Private for-profit, 2-year 10.2 † † 100.0 † 

Carnegie classification, 2000

Doctoral/Research Universities 6.7 † † † 27.1 Master's Colleges and Universities 15.4 † † † 44.2 Baccalaureate Colleges 14.7 † † † 12.6 Associates and Baccalaureate/Associates Colleges 38.9 92.5 80.2 79.9 3.0 Theological seminaries and other specialized faithrelated institutions 6.6 † † † 0.0 

Medical schools and medical centers 1.2 † † † 4.4 Other separate health profession schools 2.2 † † † 0.3 Schools of engineering and technology 1.5 † † † 1.5 Schools of business and management 0.9 † † † 0.0 Schools of art, music, and design 2.1 † † † 0.5 Schools of law 0.5 † † † 0.3 Teachers colleges 0.2 † † † 0.2 Other specialized institutions 1.3 † † † 1.0 Tribal Colleges and Universitites 0.8 1.5 5.4 † 0.8 Not applicable 7.1 5.9 14.4 20.1 4.1 

2-year institutions 4-ye

All

Table B3. Characteristics of the institutional universe: 2001–02

See notes at end of table.Institutional characteristics
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-10 

Public

Private, notfor-profit Private, for- profit Public 

Total enrollment, fall 2001

Less than 1,000 36.3 11.3 91.7 91.0 5.8 1,000 - 4,999 39.2 50.1 8.3 9.0 31.3 5,000 - 9,999 12.2 20.6 0.0 0.0 25.7 10,000 or more 12.3 17.9 0.0 0.0 37.2 

Percentage of first-time, full-time, degree/certificate 

seeking undergraduates receiving federal grants, 

Less than 20 16.1 10.2 13.5 2.2 21.5 20 - 39 38.0 41.5 15.4 10.3 49.6 40 - 59 26.0 33.6 33.7 27.7 19.5 60 - 79 14.2 11.5 23.1 40.8 8.1 80 or more 5.7 3.2 14.4 19.0 1.3 

Tuition for full-time undergraduates, 2001–02

Less than $5,000 47.5 96.8 20.8 4.0 88.6 $5,000 - $9,999 19.9 3.2 60.4 62.9 10.9 $10,000 - $14,999 15.5 0.0 14.9 24.8 0.5 $15,000 - $19,999 10.9 0.0 3.0 5.8 0.0 $20,000 or more 6.3 0.0 1.0 2.5 0.0 

Tuition for full-time graduates, 2001–02

Less than $5,000 34.6 † † † 73.7 $5,000 - $9,999 36.2 † † † 24.8 $10,000 - $14,999 15.3 † † † 1.2 $15,000 - $19,999 7.6 † † † 0.2 $20,000 or more 6.4 † † † 0.2 

Table B3. Characteristics of the institutional universe: 2001–02—Continued

See notes at end of table.Institutional characteristics All

2-year institutions 4-ye
Appendix B—Technical 

B-11 

Public

Private, notfor-profit Private, for- profit Public 

Tuition for medical school, 2001–021

Less than $10,000 32.7 † † † 46.2 $10,000 - $19,999 36.4 † † † 48.7 $20,000 or more 30.9 † † † 5.1 

Tuition for dental school, 2001–021

Less than $10,000 21.3 † † † 33.3 $10,000 - $19,999 38.5 † † † 57.7 $20,000 or more 40.2 † † † 9.0 

Tuition for pharmacy school, 2001–021

Less than $10,000 53.8 † † † 81.1 $10,000 - $19,999 31.3 † † † 18.9 $20,000 or more 15.0 † † † 0.0 

Tuition for veterinary school, 2001–021

Less than $10,000 51.7 † † † 60.0 $10,000 - $19,999 37.9 † † † 40.0 $20,000 or more 10.3 † † † 0.0 

Degree of urbanicity, 2001–02

Large city 23.6 10.0 32.4 36.3 17.6 Midsize city 26.0 23.6 23.4 28.4 31.4 Urban fringe of large city 18.9 17.6 20.7 21.3 11.7 Urban fringe of midsize city 6.3 6.3 3.6 4.6 8.7 Large town 3.6 4.7 0.9 4.6 5.9 Small town 15.9 28.9 8.1 3.8 19.7 Rural 5.4 8.3 9.9 0.5 4.9 Not assigned/not available 0.4 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.2 

Institutional characteristics All

2-year institutions 4-ye

Table B3. Characteristics of the institutional universe: 2001–02—Continued

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-12 

Public

Private, notfor-profit Private, for- profit Public 

Region, 2001–02

US service schools # 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 6.5 3.9 6.3 2.5 6.7 Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA) 17.3 8.4 31.5 23.9 19.7 Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 15.4 13.5 10.8 18.5 12.6 Plains (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 10.7 10.5 10.8 8.9 9.5 South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, W 24.3 32.1 17.1 18.8 25.5 

Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX) 8.8 11.5 6.3 9.9 11.3 Rocky Mountains (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) 3.5 3.8 2.7 5.6 4.9 Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA) 13.5 16.3 14.4 11.9 9.5 

† Not applicable.

1This reflects only those institutions reporting separate tuition in these areas and who indicated that they had full-time first-professional 

institutions, tuition reflects charges for in-state students.

NOTES: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Total headcount enrollment is based on the total number of enrolled studen

and graduate, full-time and part-time) reported for fall 1999. Tuition figures reflect only those institutions that reported having full-time ufull-time graduate students and used in-state tuition for public 4-year institutions. Tuition for first professional programs reflect only thos

separate tuition for those programs.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (# Rounds to zero.

Table B3. Characteristics of the institutional universe: 2001–02—Continued

Institutional characteristics All

2-year institutions 4-ye
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-13 

degrees in these particular areas of national need through a series of efforts that include loan 

cancellation and assistance funding. For this E.D. Tab, 12 areas of national need were identified 

by examining the areas of study for which students become eligible for Title IV loan cancellation 

and/or become eligible to receive Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) 

funding, and the areas of study for which institutions are granted funds under the Minority 

Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP). Twelve areas of national need were 

identified as follows: 

1. Agriculture and conservation sciences; 

2. Biological and life sciences; 

3. Computer and information sciences; 

4. Education (elementary, early childhood, special education, mathematics, science, foreign 

languages, bilingual education); 

5. Engineering and engineering-related technologies; 

6. Foreign languages and literature (general foreign languages and literatures, linguistics, 

foreign language interpretation and translation); 

7. Health professions and related sciences; 

8. Mathematics; 

9. Nursing; 

10. Physical sciences; 

11. Protective services and criminal justice; and 

12. Social work. 

In order to examine areas of national need, a new variable (CIPAREA) was created and 

uploaded to the IPEDS:2002 Data Analysis System (DAS) for institutions that met the universe 

criteria described previously. Based on the Classification of Instruction Program (CIP) 2000 

codes, the variable recoded the detailed programs of study into categories that reflected areas of 

national need. Table B4 describes the specific 6-digit CIP codes included in each of the 12 areas 

of national need examined in this E.D. Tab. The categorical titles for each of the 12 areas do not 

reflect the broad 2-digit CIP code areas but rather the specific programs of study that are 

considered areas of national need. It is important to remember that in some cases codes not 

included in an area may be relevant; for example, Spanish or mathematics majors may in fact 

enter into teaching without a degree in education. Indeed, many states now require a content 

specific major for new teachers seeking certification (U.S. Department of Education 2004). 

In addition, degree completion data from 1996–976 were matched to the 2001–02 study 

universe in order to examine changes in completions over the 5-year period. The same recoding 

 

6 Institutions did not need to report completions data in 1996–97 to be included in the study universe. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-14 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes

Area of national need Code Title

Agriculture Sciences and Conservation

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

2.0101 Agriculture/Agricultural Sciences, General

2.0102 Agricultural Extension

2.0201 Animal Sciences, General

2.0202 Agricultural Animal Breeding and Genetics

2.0203 Agricultural Animal Health

2.0204 Agricultural Animal Nutrition

2.0205 Agricultural Animal Physiology

2.0206 Dairy Science

2.0209 Poultry Science

2.0299 Animal Sciences, Other

2.0301 Food Sciences and Technology

2.0401 Plant Sciences, General

2.0402 Agronomy and Crop Science

2.0403 Horticulture Science

2.0405 Plant Breeding and Genetics

2.0406 Agricultural Plant Pathology

2.0407 Agricultural Plant Physiology

2.0408 Plant Protection (Pest Management)

2.0409 Range Science and Management

2.0499 Plant Sciences, Other

2.9999 Agriculture/Agricultural Sciences, Other

3.0102 Environmental Science/Studies

3.0301 Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management

3.0502 Forestry Sciences

3.0509 Wood Science and Pulp/Paper Technology

3.0599 Forestry and Related Sciences, Other

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

1 Agriculture

2 Agricultural Science

3 Natural Resources

4 Forestry

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-15 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Biological Sciences and Life Sciences

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

26.0101 Biology, General

26.0202 Biochemistry

26.0203 Biophysics

26.0301 Botany, General

26.0305 Plant Pathology

26.0307 Plant Physiology

26.0399 Botany, Other

26.0401 Cell Biology

26.0402 Molecular Biology

26.0499 Cell and Molecular Biology, Other

26.0501 Microbiology/Bacteriology

26.0601 Anatomy

26.0603 Ecology

26.0607 Marine/Aquatic Biology

26.0608 Neuroscience

26.0609 Nutritional Sciences

26.0610 Parasitology

26.0611 Radiation Biology/Radiobiology

26.0612 Toxicology

26.0613 Genetics, Plant and Animal

26.0614 Biometrics

26.0615 Biostatistics

26.0616 Biotechnology Research

26.0617 Evolutionary Biology

26.0618 Biological Immunology

26.0619 Virology

26.0699 Miscellaneous Biological Specializations, Other

26.0701 Zoology, General

26.0702 Entomology

26.0704 Pathology, Human and Animal

26.0705 Pharmacology, Human and Animal

26.0706 Physiology, Human and Animal

26.9999 Biological Sciences/Life Sciences, Other

30.0101 Biological and Physical Sciences

30.1001 Biospychology

41.0101 Biological Technology/Technician

42.1101 Physiological Psychology/Psychobiology

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

64 Bio Sci: Zoology/Botany/Biophysics/Other 

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-16 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Computer & Information Sciences

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

11.0101 Computer and Information Sciences, General

11.0201 Computer Programming

11.0401 Information Sciences and Systems

11.0501 Computer Systems Analysis

11.0701 Computer Science

11.9999 Computer and Information Sciences, Other

30.0601 Systems Science and Theory

30.1501 Science, Technology and Society

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

20 Computer Programming

22 Computer/Information Sciences

Education

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

13.0201 Bilingual/Bicultural Education

13.1001 Special Education, General

13.1003 Education of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired

13.1005 Education of the Emotionally Handicapped

13.1006 Education of the Mentally Handicapped

13.1007 Education of the Multiple Handicapped

13.1008 Education of the Physically Handicapped

13.1009 Education of the Blind and Visually Handicapped

13.1011 Education of the Specific Learning Disabled

13.1012 Education of the Speech Impaired

13.1013 Education of the Autistic

13.1099 Special Education, Other

13.1202 Elementary Teacher Education

13.1204 Pre-Elementary/Early Childhood/Kindergarten Teacher 

13.1306 Foreign Languages Teacher Education

13.1307 Health Teacher Education

13.1311 Mathematics Teacher Education

13.1316 Science Teacher Education, General

13.1322 Biology Teacher Education

13.1323 Chemistry Teacher Education

13.1325 French Language Teacher Education

13.1326 German Language Teacher Education

13.1327 Health Occupations Teacher Education (Vocational)

13.1329 Physics Teacher Education

13.1330 Spanish Language Teacher Education

13.1401 Teaching English as a Second Language/

Foreign Language

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-17 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Education—Continued

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

25 Education: Early Childhood

26 Education: Elementary

27 Education: Secondary

28 Education: Special

Engineering and Engineering-Related Technologies

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

14.0101 Engineering, General

14.0201 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

14.0301 Agricultural Engineering

14.0401 Architectural Engineering

14.0501 Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

14.0601 Ceramic Sciences and Engineering

14.0701 Chemical Engineering

14.0801 Civil Engineering, General

14.0802 Geotechnical Engineering

14.0803 Structural Engineering

14.0804 Transportation and Highway Engineering

14.0805 Water Resources Engineering

14.0899 Civil Engineering, Other

14.0901 Computer Engineering

14.1001 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering

14.1101 Engineering Mechanics

14.1201 Engineering Physics

14.1301 Engineering Science

14.1401 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering

14.1501 Geological Engineering

14.1601 Geophysical Engineering

14.1701 Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering

14.1801 Materials Engineering

14.1901 Mechanical Engineering

14.2101 Mining and Mineral Engineering

14.2201 Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

14.2301 Nuclear Engineering

14.2401 Ocean Engineering

14.2501 Petroleum Engineering

14.2701 Systems Engineering

14.2801 Textile Sciences and Engineering

14.2901 Engineering Design

14.3001 Engineering/Industrial Management

14.3101 Materials Science

14.3201 Polymer/Plastics Engineering

14.9999 Engineering, Other

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-18 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Engineering and Engineering-Related Technologies—Continued

CIP 2000 codes and program titles—Continued

15.0101 Architectural Engineering Technology/Technician

15.0201 Civil Engineering/Civil Technology/Technician

15.0301 Computer Engineering Technology/Technician

15.0303 Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering

15.0304 Laser and Optical Technology/Technician

15.0399 Electrical and Electronic Engineering-Related 

15.0401 Biomedical Engineering-Related Technology/Technician

15.0402 Computer Maintenance Technology/Technician

15.0403 Electromechanical Technology/Technician

15.0404 Instrumentation Technology/Technician

15.0405 Robotics Technology/Technician

15.0499 Electromechanical and Instrumentation and Maintenance 

15.0501 Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technologies/ 

15.0503 Energy Management and Systems 

15.0505 Solar Technology/Technician

15.0506 Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment 

15.0507 Environmental and Pollution Control 

15.0599 Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other

15.0603 Industrial/Manufacturing Technology/Technician

15.0501 Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration 

15.0503 Energy Management and Systems 

15.0505 Solar Technology/Technician

15.0506 Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment 

15.0507 Environmental and Pollution Control 

15.0599 Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other

15.0603 Industrial/Manufacturing Technology/Technician

15.0607 Plastics Technology/Technician

15.0611 Metallurgical Technology/Technician

15.0699 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other

15.0701 Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician

15.0702 Quality Control Technology/Technician

15.0799 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, 

15.0801 Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering

15.0803 Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician

15.0805 Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical 

15.0901 Mining Technology/Technician

15.0903 Petroleum Technology/Technician

15.0999 Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians, Other

15.1001 Construction/Building Technology/Technician

15.1101 Engineering Technology/Technician, General

15.1102 Surveying

15.1103 Hydraulics/Technology/Technician

15.9999 Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-19 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Engineering and Engineering-Related Technologies—Continued

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

31 Engineering: Electrical

32 Engineering: Chemical

33 Engineering: Civil

34 Engineering: Mechanical

35 Engineering: Other

36 Engineering Technology

Foreign Languages and Literature

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

16.0101 Foreign Languages and Literatures, General

16.0102 Linguistics

16.0103 Foreign Language Interpretation and Translation

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

37 Spanish

38 Foreign Language: Non-European

39 Foreign Language: European: NOT Spanish

Health Professions and Related Sciences

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

19.0502 Foods and Nutrition Science

19.0503 Dietetics/Human Nutritional Services

30.1101 Gerontology

51.0101 Chiropractic (D.C., D.C.M.)

51.0201 Communication Disorders, General

51.0202 Audiology/Hearing Sciences

51.0203 Speech-Language Pathology

51.0204 Speech Pathology and Audiology

51.0205 Sign Language Interpreter

51.0299 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other

51.0301 Community Health Liaison

51.0401 Dentistry (D.D.S., D.M.D.)

51.0501 Dental Clinical Sciences/Graduate Dentistry (M.S., Ph.D.)

51.0601 Dental Assistant

51.0602 Dental Hygienist

51.0603 Dental Laboratory Technician

51.0699 Dental Services, Other

51.0801 Medical Assistant

51.0802 Medical Laboratory Assistant

51.0803 Occupational Therapy Assistant

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-20 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Health Professions and Related Sciences—Continued

CIP 2000 codes and program titles—Continued

51.0804 Ophthalmic Medical Assistant

51.0805 Pharmacy Tecnician/Assistant

51.0806 Physical Therapy Assistant

51.0807 Physician Assistant

51.0808 Veterinarian Assistant/Animal Health Technician

51.0901 Cardiovascular Technology/Technician

51.0902 Electroardiograph Technology/Technician

51.0903 Electroencephalograph Technology/Technician

51.0904 Emergency Medical Technology/Technician

51.0905 Nuclear Medical Technology/Technician

51.0906 Perfusion Technology/Technician

51.0907 Medical Radiologic Technology/Technician

51.0908 Respiratory Therapy Technician

51.0909 Surgical/Operating Room Technician

51.0910 Diagnostic Medical Sonography Technician

51.0999 Heatlh and Medical Diagnostic and Treatment Services, 

51.1001 Blood Bank Technology/Technician

51.1002 Cytotechnologist

51.1003 Hematology Technician/Technician

51.1004 Medical Laboratory Technician

51.1005 Medical Technology

51.1006 Optometric/Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

51.1099 Health and Medical Laboratory 

51.1101 Pre-Dentistry Studies

51.1102 Pre-Medicine Studies

51.1103 Pre-Pharmacy Studies

51.1104 Pre-Veterinary Studies

51.1199 Health and Medical Preparatory Programs, Other

51.1201 Medicine (M.D.)

51.1301 Medical Anatomy

51.1302 Medical Biochemistry

51.1303 Medical Biomathematics and Biometrics

51.1304 Medical Physics/Biophysics

51.1305 Medical Cell Biology

51.1306 Medical Genetics

51.1307 Medical Immunology

51.1308 Medical Microbiology

51.1309 Medical Molecular Biology

51.1310 Medical Neurobiology

51.1311 Medical Nutrition

51.1312 Medical Pathology

51.1313 Medical Physiology

51.1314 Medical Toxicology

51.1399 Medical Basic Sciences, Other

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-21 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Health Professions and Related Sciences—Continued

CIP 2000 codes and program titles—Continued

51.1401 Medical Clinical Sciences (M.S., Ph.D.)

51.1701 Optometry (O.D.)

51.1801 Opticianry/Dispensing Optician

51.1802 Optical Technician/Assistant

51.1803 Ophthalmic Medical Technologist

51.1804 Orthoptics

51.1899 Ophthalmic/Optometric Services, Other

51.1901 Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

51.2001 Pharmacy (B.Pharm., Pharm.D.)

51.2002 Pharmacy Administration and Pharmaceutics

51.2003 Medical Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences

51.2099 Pharmacy, Other

51.2101 Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., Pod.D.)

51.2201 Public Health, General

51.2202 Environmental Health

51.2203 Epidemiology

51.2204 Health and Medical Biostatistics

51.2205 Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene

51.2207 Public Health Education and Promotion

51.2299 Public Health, Other

51.2301 Art Therapy

51.2302 Dance Therapy

51.2303 Hypnotherapy

51.2304 Movement Therapy

51.2305 Music Therapy

51.2306 Occupational Therapy 

51.2307 Orthotics/Prosthetics

51.2308 Physical Therapy 

51.2309 Recreational Therapy

51.2310 Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling

51.2399 Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Services, Other

51.2401 Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)

51.2501 Veterinary Clinical Sciences (M.S., Ph.D.)

51.2601 Health Aide

51.2701 Accupuncture and Oriental Medicine

51.2702 Medical Dietician

51.2703 Medical Illustrating

51.2704 Naturopathic Medicine

51.2705 Psychoanalysis

51.9999 Health Professions and Related Services, Other

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

40 Health:Dental/Medical

41 Health: Community/Mental Health

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-22 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Health Professions and Related Sciences—Continued

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles—Continued

42 Health: Physical Education/Recreation 

44 Health: General & Other

45 Health: Audiology

46 Health: Clinical Health

47 Health: Dentistry

48 Health: Medicine

49 Health: Veterinary

53 Health: All other 

54 Health: Dietetics

Mathematics

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

27.0101 Mathematics

27.0301 Applied Mathematics, General

27.0302 Operations Research

27.0399 Applied Mathematics, Other

27.0501 Mathematical Statistics

27.9999 Mathematics, Other

30.0801 Mathematics and Computer Science

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

65 Mathematics: Including Statistics

Nursing

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

51.1601 Nursing (R.N. Training)

51.1602 Nursing Administration

51.1603 Nursing, Adult Health (Post-R.N.)

51.1604 Nursing Anesthetist (Post-R.N.)

51.1605 Nursing, Family Practice (Post-R.N.)

51.1606 Nursing, Maternal/Child Health (Post-R.N.)

51.1607 Nursing Midwifery (Post-R.N.)

51.1608 Nursing Science (Post-R.N.)

51.1609 Nursing, Pediatric (Post-R.N.)

51.1610 Nursing, Psychiatric/Mental Health (Post-R.N.)

51.1611 Nursing, Public Health (Post-R.N.)

51.1612 Nursing, Surgical (Post-R.N.)

51.1613 Practical Nurse (L.P.N. Training)

51.1614 Nursing Assistant/Aide

51.1615 Home Health Aide

51.1699 Nursing, Other

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-23 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

50 Health: Nursing

Physical Sciences

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

40.0101 Physical Sciences, General

40.0201 Astronomy

40.0301 Astrophysics

40.0401 Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

40.0301 Astrophysics

40.0501 Chemistry, General

40.0502 Analytical Chemistry

40.0503 Inorganic Chemistry

40.0504 Organic Chemistry

40.0505 Medicinal/Pharaceutical Chemistry

40.0506 Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

40.0507 Polymer Chemistry

40.0599 Chemistry, Other

40.0601 Geology

40.0602 Geochemistry

40.0603 Geophysics and Seismology

40.0604 Paleontology

40.0699 Geological and Related Sciences, Other

40.0701 Metallurgy

40.0702 Oceanography

40.0703 Earth and Planetary Sciences

40.0801 Physics, General

40.0802 Chemical and Atomic/Molecular Physics

40.0804 Elementary Particle Physics

40.0805 Plasma and High-Temperature Physics

40.0806 Nuclear Physics

40.0807 Optics

40.0808 Solid State and Low-Temperature Physics

40.0809 Acousitcs

40.0810 Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

40.0899 Physics, Other

40.9999 Physical Sciences, Other

41.0204 Industrial Radiologic Technology/Technician

41.0205 Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology/Technician

41.0299 Nuclear and Industrial Radiologic 

41.0301 Chemical Technology/Technician

41.0399 Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

74 Physical Sci.: Chemistry/Physics/Other 

See notes at end of table.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-24 

process was completed in the 1996–97 completions data file using the 1990 CIP codes.7

Completion totals were then matched to the 2001–02 institutional universe based on the 

institutional identification number. 

In both years, completions data only count the first major in which a degree was conferred; 

for students with double majors, the second degree area was not included.8 Finally, since areas of 

national need are a domestic priority and the policies to encourage degree completion in these 

 

7 The Completions data from 1996–97 use the CIP codes from 1990, which were revised in 2000. Thus, there is not perfect 

compatibility between the programs of study included in each year; however, an analysis showed that there is little, if any, impact 

on the overall findings. For more information on the changes, as well as a crosswalk between years, please visit 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/. 

8 This was done in order to make both years comparable and may lead to underestimates of the number of degrees awarded in a 

given area. 

Table B4. Areas of national need: detailed program areas and data codes—Continued

Area of national need Code Title

Protective Services/ Criminal Justice

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

43.0102 Corrections/Correctional Administration

43.0103 Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

43.0104 Criminal Justice Studies

43.0106 Forensic Technology/Technician

43.0107 Law Enforcement/Police Science

45.0401 Criminology

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

76 Protective Services

Social Work

CIP 2000 codes and program titles

44.0701 Social Work

NPSAS:2000 codes and program titles

77 Social Work

SOURCE: Classification of Instructional Programs 2000, NPSAS:2000.

NOTES: Areas of study were defined in IPEDS using the 6-digit CIP 2000 codes. Completions data from 1996–97 

used codes from CIP 1990, which were revised in 2000. Thus, there is not perfect compatibility between the 

programs of study included in each year; however, an analysis showed that there is little, if any, impact on the 

overall findings. CIP 1990 codes are not included here. For more information on the changes, as well as a 

crosswalk between years, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/. Programs of study in NPSAS are not 

as well defined; the NPSAS equivalents present approximate estimates of degree completions in areas of national 

need. In some cases CIP 2000 codes not included in an area may be relevant; for example, mathematics majors 

may in fact enter into teaching without a degree in teacher education.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-25 

areas apply to U.S. citizens only, non-resident alien students were excluded from the completions 

data in both years. 

Definition of Terms 

Given the increasing mobility of students across institutions, the analysis looked across all 

2- and 4-year institutions to examine aggregate degree awards. The following measures were 

calculated at the aggregate level:

• Percentage of total degrees completed measures the total number of degrees awarded 

in areas of national need in the given year as a proportion of the total number of 

degrees awarded in that year. Within each area of need, the total number of degrees 

awarded to each gender and race/ethnicity in the given year is expressed as a 

proportion of the total number of degrees awarded in that area in that year. 

• Percentage change between 1996–97 and 2001–02 expresses the change in the number 

of degrees completed between 1996–97 and 2001–02 as a percentage of the total 

number of degrees completed in 1996–97 and measures the magnitude at which 

degrees increased or decreased. 

• Percentage point change measures the difference between the number of degrees 

completed in each area of need (expressed as a proportion of the total number of 

degrees) in 1996–97 and the number of degrees completed in each area of need 

(expressed as a proportion of the total number of degrees) in 2001–02. This takes into 

account the increases or decreases in the distribution among total number of degrees 

awarded over time.

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) Analysis 

Selection Criteria 

In order to examine the characteristics of students attending the institutions included in the 

IPEDS:2002 portion of this analysis, the NPSAS:2000 portion of the study restricted the analysis 

of undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students who received degrees and attended 

institutions that had the same institutional characteristics as those included in the IPEDS:2002 

study universe—Title IV institutions located in the 50 states and District of Columbia in the 

public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit 2-year and 4-year sectors.9 In order to 

examine the characteristics of students completing degrees, this study used the variable 

PROGSTAT which indicates whether a student reported that s/he completed or intended to 

complete a degree in 1999–2000. 

 

9 Perfect comparability between the institutional universes in each data source is not possible. This is due to the fact that 

institutional participation in IPEDS data collection is mandatory, while institutional and student participation in NPSAS surveys 

is not required. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B-26 

Areas of National Need 

Areas of national need were approximated on basis of the program of study in which the 

student reported as a major (MAJORS) and broken out into degree type using the degree program 

in which the student reportedly first enrolled (DEGFIRST). However, using PROGSTAT and 

DEGFIRST in NPSAS:2000 results only in an approximation of completers by the type of degree 

completed. Moreover, the data presented in tables 11, 12, and 13 represent approximate 

equivalents of areas of national need. Programs of study in NPSAS:2000 are not as well defined 

as they are in IPEDS:2002 and therefore areas of national need are not fully comparable across 

both data sources. Table B4 presents the codes from the variable MAJORS used to define areas 

of national need in NPSAS:2000. Moreover, like IPEDS:2002, it is important to recall that some 

programs of study that are not included in an area of national need may be relevant; for example, 

students entering teaching may have majored in an area other than education. 

Differences Between Estimates 

Differences between estimates should be tested against the probability of a Type I error,10

or significance level. The significance levels can be determined by calculating the Student’s t 

values for the differences between the members of each pair of means or proportions and 

comparing these with published tables of significance levels for two-tailed hypothesis testing. 

Student’s t values may be computed to test the difference between estimates with the following 

formula: 

2

2

2

1

1 2

se se

E E

t

+

− = (1) 

where E1 and E2 are the estimates to be compared and se1 and se2 are their corresponding standard 

errors. This formula is valid only for independent estimates. When estimates are not independent, 

a covariance term must be added to the formula:

t =

1 2

2

2

2

1

1 2

se + se - 2(r)se se

E - E (2) 

where r is the correlation between the two estimates (U.S. Department of Education 1993). This 

formula is used when comparing two percentages from a distribution that adds to 100. If the 

 

10 Type I error occurs when one concludes that a difference observed in a sample reflects a true difference in the population from 

which the sample was drawn, when no such difference is present. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B-27 

comparison is between the mean of a subgroup and the mean of the total group, the following 

formula is used: 

t =

2

sub

2

tot

2

sub

sub tot

se se 2 p se

E E

+ −

− (3) 

where p is the proportion of the total group contained in the subgroup.11 The estimates, standard 

errors, and correlations can all be obtained from the DAS. 

There are hazards in reporting statistical tests for each comparison. First, comparisons 

based on large t statistics may appear to merit special attention. This can be misleading since the 

magnitude of the t statistic is related not only to the observed differences in means or percentages 

but also to the number of respondents in the specific categories used for comparison. Hence, a 

small difference compared across a large number of respondents would produce a large t statistic. 

A second hazard in reporting statistical tests is the possibility that one can report a “false 

positive” or Type I error. In the case of a t statistic, this false positive would result when a 

difference measured with a particular sample showed a statistically significant difference when 

there is no difference in the underlying population. Statistical tests are designed to control this 

type of error, denoted by alpha. The alpha level of .05 selected for findings in this report 

indicates that a difference of a certain magnitude or larger would be produced no more than 1 

time out of 20 when there was no actual difference in the quantities in the underlying population. 

When we test hypotheses that show t values at the .05 level or smaller, we treat this finding as 

rejecting the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the two quantities. 

 

11 Ibid.