U.S. Department of Education 

Institute of Education Sciences 

NCES 2005–174 

1992–93 Bachelor’s 

Degree Recipients and 

Their Opinions About 

Education in 2003 

E.D. TAB 

July 2005 

Ellen M. Bradburn 

Stephanie Nevill 

Emily Forrest Cataldi 

MPR Associates, Inc. 

Kristin Perry 

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 

Grover J. Whitehurst 

Acting Commissioner 

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and 

reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate 

to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United 

States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such 

statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and 

report on education activities in foreign countries. 

NCES activities are designed to address high-priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, 

complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high-quality 

data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, 

practitioners, data users, and the general public. Unless specifically noted, all information contained herein is 

in the public domain. 

We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a 

variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information 

effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any other NCES product or report, we would 

like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to 

 National Center for Education Statistics 

 Institute of Education Sciences 

 U.S. Department of Education 

 1990 K Street NW 

 Washington, DC 20006-5651 

July 2005 

The NCES World Wide Web Home Page is http://nces.ed.gov. 

The NCES World Wide Web Electronic Catalog is http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch. 

This publication is only available online. To download, view, and print the report as a PDF file, go to the NCES 

World Wide Web Electronic Catalog address shown above. 

Suggested Citation 

Bradburn, E.M., Nevill, S., and Cataldi, E.F. (2005). 1992–93 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients and Their Opinions 

About Education in 2003 (NCES 2005–174). 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 is the first publication using data from the final follow-up of the 1993/03 

Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03) conducted by the National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. B&B:93/03 is a longterm study of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who were interviewed in 1993, 1994, 1997, 

and 2003. 

The sample was originally obtained by identifying eligible respondents from the 1992–93 

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:93), a nationally representative cross section 

of all students in postsecondary education institutions (from less-than-2-year institutions through 

those offering advanced degrees) in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As 

part of NPSAS:93, information was obtained from postsecondary institutions and through 

telephone interviews with students. Those members of the NPSAS:93 sample who completed a 

bachelor’s degree between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1993, were identified and contacted for 

follow-up interviews in 1994, 1997, and 2003. 

This E.D. TAB presents the percentages of students who reported important relationships 

between their undergraduate education and their lives in 2003; the percentages who enrolled for 

further postsecondary education; and, for those who completed graduate programs, their 

satisfaction with those programs and the programs’ importance to their lives. These estimates are 

presented by baccalaureate major, undergraduate grade point average (GPA), control of 

institution, highest degree attained, and field of advanced degree. 

The estimates presented in the E.D. TAB were produced using the NCES Data Analysis 

System Online (DAS), a web-based table-generating application that provides the public with 

direct, free access to the B&B:93/03 study as well as other postsecondary datasets collected by 

NCES. The B&B:93/03 estimates are subject to sampling and nonsampling errors. The DAS 

produces the design-adjusted standard errors necessary for testing the statistical significance of 

differences in the estimates. All comparisons made in the text were tested using Student’s t

statistic for comparing two numbers, and all differences cited were statistically significant at the 

.05 level. For more information about public access to the data files with DAS, readers should 

consult appendix B of this E.D. TAB.
iv 

Acknowledgments 

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

this E.D. TAB. At MPR Associates, the production team under the direction of Barbara Kridl 

edited, proofed, and formatted the E.D. TAB. Stephen Lew conducted invaluable programming, 

testing, and evaluation of the data files, particularly the derived variables. Vicky Dingler and 

Joanna Wu assisted with these tasks and produced the final data files. 

The contribution of the data collection team at RTI International, the primary contractor for 

this study, cannot be overstated. Without their hard work, this dataset would not even exist. 

Although the personnel from RTI who worked on this project are too numerous to mention, 

special thanks are due to Jennifer Wine, the project director at RTI. In addition, Kimberly Ault 

and Sara Wheeless contributed sections to the technical appendix regarding bias analysis and 

imputation procedures. 

At NCES, Kristin Perry shepherded the E.D. TAB through the review process. Paula 

Knepper provided a careful technical review. Other reviewers at NCES included Marilyn 

Seastrom, Dennis Carroll, James Griffith, Tracy Hunt-White, and Aurora D’Amico. We also 

appreciate the thoughtful reviews provided by David Bergeron, Office of Postsecondary 

Education, U.S. Department of Education; Joan Burrelli, National Science Foundation; Dongbin 

Kim, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Catherine Millett, 

Educational Testing Service; and Dawn Terkla, Tufts University. 
v 

Contents 

Page 

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

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

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

Introduction............................................................................................................................... 1 

Selected Results ......................................................................................................................... 3 

Importance of Undergraduate Education .............................................................................. 3 

Undergraduate Education and Occupational Training.......................................................... 4 

Enrollment and Completion of Graduate Education............................................................. 4 

Satisfaction and Importance of Graduate Education............................................................. 5 

References.................................................................................................................................. 7 

Tables.......................................................................................................................................... 9

Appendix A—Glossary ............................................................................................................. A–1 

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

The 2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study.................................................... B–1 

Weighting.............................................................................................................................. B–3 

Quality of Estimates.............................................................................................................. B–3 

Imputation ............................................................................................................................. B–6 

Data Analysis System............................................................................................................ B–9 

Statistical Procedures .......................................................................................................... B–11 
vi 

List of Tables 

Table Page 

1 Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who reported that various 

characteristics of their undergraduate education were very important to their lives 

now, by education characteristics: 2003 ......................................................................... 11

2 Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who reported that their 

undergraduate education was very important preparation for various areas of their 

lives now, by education characteristics: 2003................................................................. 12

3 Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who enrolled in subsequent 

undergraduate programs, and of those, percentage who completed such a program, 

by education characteristics: 2003 .................................................................................. 13

4 Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who took training or classes 

outside a postsecondary degree or certificate program, by education characteristics: 

2003................................................................................................................................. 14

5 Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who enrolled in a 

postbaccalaureate certificate or advanced degree program, by education 

characteristics: 2003........................................................................................................ 15

6 Percentage distribution of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients’ highest degree 

attained, by education characteristics: 2003.................................................................... 16

7 Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients with advanced degrees, percentage who 

reported being very satisfied with various characteristics of their graduate education,

by education characteristics: 2003 .................................................................................. 17

8 Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients with advanced degrees, percentage who 

reported that various characteristics of their graduate education were very important

to their lives now, by education characteristics: 2003 .................................................... 18

9 Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients with advanced degrees, percentage who 

reported their graduate education was very important preparation for various areas of 

their lives now, by education characteristics: 2003......................................................... 19
List of Tables 

vii 

Table Page 

Appendix 

B-1 B&B:93/03 variables in this publication that were imputed, with percentage of cases 

that were imputed............................................................................................................ B–7 

B-2 Standard errors for table 1: Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who 

reported that various characteristics of their undergraduate education were very 

important to their lives now, by education characteristics: 2003.................................. B–10 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
1 

Introduction 

In the 1992–93 academic year, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 

embarked on its first long-term study of bachelor’s degree recipients, the 1993/03 Baccalaureate 

and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03). The B&B:93/03 sample was obtained by 

identifying eligible respondents from the 1992–93 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 

(NPSAS:93), a nationally representative cross section of students in all sectors of postsecondary 

education in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.1 For NPSAS:93, 

information was obtained from more than 1,000 postsecondary institutions on approximately 

50,000 undergraduate students and more than 13,000 graduate students. Those members of the 

NPSAS:93 sample who completed a bachelor’s degree between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1993, 

were identified and contacted for a 1-year follow-up interview in 1994 and a 4-year follow-up in 

1997. In 2003, 10 years after they had completed a bachelor’s degree, the final follow-up of this 

cohort took place. This E.D. TAB provides some selected results on the opinions about education 

expressed by this cohort of college graduates at the time of their interviews in 2003. 

Specifically, this E.D. TAB presents the percentages of bachelor’s degree recipients who 

reported important relationships between their undergraduate education and their lives in 2003; 

further education since completion of the 1992–93 bachelor’s degree; and, for those who 

completed graduate programs, important relationships between their graduate education and their 

lives.2 These tabulations are presented by baccalaureate major, undergraduate grade point 

average (GPA), control of institution, highest degree completed, and field of advanced degree. 

More information about the variables used in this E.D. TAB can be found in the glossary in 

appendix A. 

The estimates in this E.D. TAB are based on the results of surveys with almost 9,000 

bachelor’s degree recipients, representing about 1.2 million students who completed a bachelor’s 

degree in 1992–93. The Internet-based survey could be self-administered by the respondent or 

completed over the telephone with a trained interviewer. The weighted overall response rate for 

the B&B:93/03 interview was 74 percent, reflecting an institution response rate of 88 percent and 

 

1 All tables in this report show totals for college graduates both with and without Puerto Rico. Breakouts by other variables include college graduates from Puerto Rico. 

2 Because the median time between completing a bachelor’s degree and completing a Ph.D. is 10 years (Hoffer et al. 2004) and 

for some fields is much longer, many graduates will not have had time to complete an advanced degree. Therefore, the size of 

this group will tend to be underestimated. 
Introduction

2 

a student response rate of 83 percent. All comparisons made in the text were tested using 

Student’s t statistic for comparing two numbers or F tests for overall significance and linear 

trends for comparisons across ordered categories. All differences cited were statistically 

significant at the .05 level. The analysis conducted for this E.D. TAB does not include 

longitudinal analysis of change over time and does not control for interrelationships among the 

variables. To avoid confounding influences of previous undergraduate experience, all analyses in 

this E.D. TAB are restricted to those for whom the 1992–93 bachelor’s degree was the first 

bachelor’s degree received (about 93 percent of the sample). More information about the sample, 

data files, and analysis is provided in appendix B. 
3 

Selected Results 

Importance of Undergraduate Education 

The 2003 follow-up concludes the study of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients, and as 

the final installment of information about their postbaccalaureate paths, represents an appropriate 

time to ask graduates to reflect on their college years. Respondents were asked about both the 

importance of specific aspects of their college education to them now and the usefulness of their 

undergraduate education as a whole to some broad areas of their lives. For each item, the 

graduates were asked whether or not the item was “very important.” 

• Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients, about three-fifths reported that the quality of 

instruction they received as undergraduates (61 percent) and their undergraduate major field 

(58 percent) remained very important to their lives 10 years later (table 1). 

• The relative importance of various characteristics of undergraduate education varied by 

control of the institution from which students graduated. That is, graduates of public 

institutions were more likely than graduates of private not-for-profit institutions to report that 

their major field, the professional classes they had taken, and their internship or other work 

opportunities as undergraduates were very important in 2003. On the other hand, graduates of 

private not-for-profit institutions were more likely than graduates of public institutions to 

report that liberal arts courses and the quality of instruction they received were very 

important. 

• Nearly four out of five graduates (78 percent) reported that their undergraduate education as 

a whole was very important in preparing them for work and career; a majority also indicated 

that their college years were very important preparation for their further education (56 

percent) and financial security (57 percent; table 2). 

• Graduates with an undergraduate major in health, science, mathematics, or engineering, or 

business were more likely than those who majored in arts and humanities, social and 

behavioral sciences, or “other” fields to feel that their undergraduate education was very 

important preparation for their work and career (80–86 percent vs. 70–77 percent; table 2). 

• Graduates with higher undergraduate GPAs were more likely than those with lower GPAs to 

report that their undergraduate education was very important preparation for work and career 

and for further education. For example, 84 percent of graduates with cumulative 

undergraduate GPAs of 3.75 or higher reported that their undergraduate education was very 

important for work and career, compared with 80 percent whose GPAs were 2.75–3.74 and 

76 percent whose GPAs were less than 2.75. 
Selected Results

4 

Undergraduate Education and Occupational Training 

Although students in this study had completed a bachelor’s degree in 1992–93, a number of 

them pursued additional undergraduate education. In addition, some completed an occupational 

license or professional certification. Finally, others had taken either work-related or personal 

enrichment classes without pursuing a particular degree or credential. 

• Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients, 9 percent had subsequently enrolled in at least 

one undergraduate program within 10 years of completing a bachelor’s degree: 2 percent 

enrolled in a diploma/certificate program, 2 percent in an associate’s degree program, and 6 

percent in an additional bachelor’s degree program (table 3). Of those who enrolled in an 

undergraduate program, 59 percent completed a certificate or degree. 

• After completing a bachelor’s degree, one-fourth of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients 

obtained an occupational license and 30 percent obtained a professional certification (table 

4). Also, as of 2003, 45 percent had participated in work-related training and 18 percent had 

taken personal enrichment classes in the past year. 

• Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients, those who majored in health as undergraduates 

were more likely than those with all other majors to enroll in an occupational license 

program (36 vs. 21–28 percent; table 4). Those who majored in education or health were 

more likely than those with all other majors to enroll in a professional certification program 

(46 and 39 vs. 25–29, respectively). 

Enrollment and Completion of Graduate Education 

Graduates were also asked about any graduate degree or certificate programs that they 

pursued since completing their bachelor’s degree. These included postbaccalaureate certificates 

and master’s, first-professional, and doctoral degrees.3

• By 2003, 43 percent of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients had enrolled in a 

postbaccalaureate certificate, master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree program. Of 

those, 63 percent had completed such a program, and 24 percent had left without completing 

(table 5). As of 2003, 10 years after bachelor’s degree completion, 17 percent of those who 

had ever enrolled were currently pursuing a graduate program of some type. 

• As of 2003, the highest degree of about three-fourths of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients 

was a bachelor’s degree or postbaccalaureate certificate (table 6). Twenty percent of students 

earned a master’s degree, 4 percent earned a first-professional degree, and 2 percent earned a 

doctoral degree. 

 

3 The terms “graduate program” and “postbaccalaureate education” are used to refer to postbaccalaureate certificate and master’s, 

first-professional, and doctoral degree programs combined. First-professional degrees are also simply referred to as “professional 

degrees.” The term “advanced degree” refers to master’s, first-professional, and doctoral degrees (i.e., excludes postbaccalaureate 

certificates). First-professional degree programs include a number of professional degrees such as medicine (M.D.), chiropractic 

(D.C. or D.C.M.), dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), optometry (O.D.), osteopathic medicine (D.O.), pharmacy (D.Pharm.), podiatry 

(Pod.D. or D.P.M.), veterinary medicine (D.V.M.), law (L.L.B. or J.D.), and theology (M.Div., M.H.L., or B.D.). 
 Selected Results 

5 

• College graduates with a bachelor’s degree in science, mathematics, or engineering were 

more likely than those who majored in all other subjects to earn a doctoral degree (7 vs. 0–4 

percent; table 6). Graduates with majors in science, mathematics, or engineering or in social 

and behavioral sciences were also generally more likely than those with all other majors to 

earn a first-professional degree (8 and 6 percent vs. 2–4 percent, respectively), although no 

difference could be detected between social and behavioral sciences and arts and humanities. 

On the other hand, graduates who earned a bachelor’s degree in education were more likely 

than those in all other subjects (except arts and humanities) to earn a master’s degree by 2003 

(26 vs. 15–21 percent). 

Satisfaction and Importance of Graduate Education 

Finally, bachelor’s degree recipients with any enrollment at the graduate level since the 

previous interview in 1997 were asked how satisfied they were with various aspects of their 

graduate experience. They were also asked whether areas of their graduate education were very 

important to their lives overall, and whether their graduate education as a whole was important to 

specific areas of their lives. For graduates who had completed an advanced degree (a master’s, 

first-professional, or doctoral degree) by 2003, this section describes their responses.4

• Overall, bachelor’s degree recipients who had completed an advanced degree were very 

satisfied with their graduate education (table 7). Seventy-one percent were very satisfied with 

the faculty and the teaching, 70 percent were very satisfied with the course offerings, 64 

percent were very satisfied with the availability of courses, and 58 percent were very 

satisfied with the career preparation they received. 

• Bachelor’s degree recipients with graduate or professional degrees in the health field were 

more likely than those with degrees in all other fields to report being very satisfied with the 

career preparation aspect of their graduate education (77 vs. 49–59 percent; table 7). 

• Most bachelor’s degree holders who had completed a graduate or professional degree 

considered their course of study, instructional quality, interaction with faculty, internship and 

work opportunities, and social contacts while enrolled in their graduate program to be very 

important to their lives now (table 8). About four out of five (79 percent) said their course of 

study was very important to their lives now, and two-thirds (68 percent) reported that the 

quality of instruction was very important. 

• Bachelor’s degree recipients who had completed an advanced degree generally felt that their 

graduate education was very important preparation for many aspects of their lives now (table 

9). For example, 89 percent felt their graduate education was very important preparation for 

their work and career, 77 percent felt it was very important for taking on new challenges, 70 

 

4 The tables referenced in this section include people who had obtained an advanced degree at any time by 2003, and were enrolled in graduate education at some point since 1997. Thus, people who completed an advanced degree before 1997, but then 

enrolled in a graduate program since 1997 (whether or not they completed it), were asked these questions about their graduate 

education. People whose only graduate enrollment (whether or not they completed a program) was prior to 1997 are not included. 
Selected Results

6 

percent felt it was very important for establishing financial security, and 60 percent reported 

that it was very important preparation for helping them make informed choices. 
7 

References 

Green, P.J., Meyers, S.L., Giese, P., Law, J., Speizer, H.M., and Tardino, V.S. (1996). 

Baccaulaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study: 1993/94 First Follow-up Methodology 

Report (NCES 96–149). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education 

Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

Green, P., Myers, S., Veldman, C., and Pedlow, S. (1999). Baccalaureate and Beyond 

Longitudinal Study: 1993/97 Second Follow-up Methodology Report (NCES 1999–159). 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: 

U.S. Government Printing Office. 

Hoffer, T.B., Selfa, L., Welch Jr., V., Williams, K., Hess, M., Friedman, J., Reyes, S.C., Webber, 

K., and Guzman-Barron, I. (2004). Doctorate Recipients From United States Universities: 

Summary Report 2003. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center. Retrieved June 20, 

2005, from http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/issues/docdata.htm. 

Kass, G.V. (1980). An Exploratory Technique for Investigating Large Quantities of Categorical 

Data. Applied Statistics, 29: 119–127. 

Loft, J.D., Riccobono, J.A., Whitmore, R.W., Fitzgerald, R.A., and Berkner, L.K. (1995). 

Methodology Report for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 1992–93 (NCES 95–

211). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

Wine, J.S., Cominole, M.B., Wheeless, S., Dudley, K., and Franklin, J. (forthcoming). 1993/03 

Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03) Methodology Report (NCES 

2005–166). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education 

Statistics. 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
9 

Tables 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
 Tables 

11 

Table 1.—Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who reported that various characteristics of 

Table 1.—their undergraduate education were very important to their lives now, by education 

Table 1.—characteristics: 2003

Under- Internship

graduate and other

Under- profes- work

graduate Liberal arts sional Quality of opporEducation characteristics major courses courses instruction tunities None

 U.S. total (excluding 

 Puerto Rico) 58.4 36.4 49.7 60.7 41.8 8.8

 Total (50 states, D.C., 

 and Puerto Rico) 58.3 36.3 49.8 60.7 41.8 8.8

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 62.8 28.4 58.6 60.3 43.4 8.6

 Business and management 58.3 25.0 56.3 55.8 35.5 11.1

 Education 65.0 38.2 55.4 64.4 50.9 6.5

 Health 73.8 20.9 72.5 67.7 55.9 4.3

 Arts and sciences 55.5 42.2 42.7 61.3 39.2 8.8

 Arts and humanities 52.4 60.9 34.9 66.5 34.1 8.2

 Social and behavioral sciences 46.4 47.0 42.6 58.0 40.2 11.4

 Science/math/engineering 66.4 25.6 47.6 61.2 41.5 6.7

 Other 54.0 41.5 46.3 60.3 45.2 8.9

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 55.0 34.1 49.4 57.6 40.2 10.2

 2.75–3.74 60.3 38.1 50.5 64.3 44.1 7.2

 3.75 or higher 68.4 38.7 51.2 64.5 43.3 6.7

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 59.8 32.4 51.7 57.8 43.0 9.1

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 55.6 46.0 46.4 67.5 39.4 7.1

 Other 54.4 20.7 46.7 53.4 42.6 19.0

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 56.6 34.5 50.6 58.6 41.3 9.5

 Master’s degree 64.7 39.8 49.5 65.5 44.0 7.0

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 59.3 48.4 41.6 71.4 41.1 5.7

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 54.7 32.1 47.7 62.4 35.1 10.7

 Education 66.1 43.0 54.7 65.3 50.0 5.3

 Health 57.6 30.6 51.7 68.0 43.9 7.7

 Arts and humanities 55.3 71.7 36.5 76.1 38.0 7.6

 Social and behavioral sciences 71.6 55.8 44.6 62.9 41.7 3.3

 Science/math/engineering 77.9 33.6 45.0 73.4 51.6 4.3

 Other 64.2 47.8 44.0 66.6 41.7 6.1

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
Tables

12 

Table 2.—Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who reported that their undergraduate

Table 2.—education was very important preparation for various areas of their lives now, by education

Table 2.—characteristics: 2003

Establishing

Work and Further financial

Education characteristics career education security None

 U.S. total (excluding 

 Puerto Rico) 78.5 55.9 57.1 8.0

 Total (50 states, D.C., 

 and Puerto Rico) 78.5 55.9 57.2 8.1

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 82.2 52.9 60.5 7.1

 Business and management 82.6 46.4 61.7 7.6

 Education 79.8 60.5 53.3 7.1

 Health 86.0 60.1 70.6 5.3

 Arts and sciences 75.5 60.2 55.6 8.6

 Arts and humanities 69.7 60.3 47.7 11.0

 Social and behavioral sciences 71.0 61.0 50.7 11.1

 Science/math/engineering 83.6 59.4 65.5 4.6

 Other 76.7 51.6 52.1 9.4

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 76.5 51.9 56.7 9.4

 2.75–3.74 80.4 60.0 58.7 6.0

 3.75 or higher 83.7 63.7 56.1 6.0

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 78.9 54.8 58.2 7.9

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 77.9 58.6 55.4 8.3

 Other 76.7 52.2 53.2 9.5

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 78.0 48.0 57.3 9.7

 Master’s degree 81.0 76.7 58.1 3.4

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 76.3 85.8 52.2 3.7

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 82.0 73.6 62.2 2.1

 Education 83.5 75.3 59.1 3.7

 Health 74.9 83.8 46.7 4.9

 Arts and humanities 79.7 77.0 35.6 2.8

 Social and behavioral sciences 74.5 88.4 47.2 1.7

 Science/math/engineering 86.1 84.5 67.8 2.3

 Other 75.5 79.0 58.4 5.4

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
 Tables 

13 

Table 3.—Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who enrolled in subsequent undergraduate

Table 3.—programs, and of those, percentage who completed such a program, by education 

Table 3.—characteristics: 2003

Of those

Technical enrolled,

 diploma/ Associate’s Bachelor’s percent

Education characteristics certificate degree degree Any completed

 U.S. total (excluding Puerto Rico) 2.2 1.9 5.7 9.3 58.4

 Total (50 states, D.C.,

 and Puerto Rico) 2.2 1.9 5.6 9.2 58.6

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 1.6 1.7 5.1 7.7 63.3

 Business and management 1.5 1.7 3.6 6.4 54.2

 Education 1.7 1.6 7.2 9.9 73.0

 Health 1.9 1.9 5.8 8.0 64.7

 Arts and sciences 2.3 2.0 6.4 10.3 55.9

 Arts and humanities 2.9 2.2 5.1 9.9 53.5

 Social and behavioral sciences 2.7 3.0 6.9 12.1 51.8

 Science/math/engineering 1.4 0.9 6.7 8.8 62.9

 Other 3.8 2.3 5.1 10.4 56.5

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 2.6 2.4 6.0 10.3 56.6

 2.75–3.74 1.6 1.3 5.3 7.8 64.6

 3.75 or higher 1.8 1.1 5.1 7.9 58.1

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 2.4 2.3 6.9 10.9 59.5

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 1.8 1.3 3.4 6.3 56.4

 Other 1.3 0.4 2.0 3.7 ‡

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 2.6 2.2 6.1 10.2 57.7

 Master’s degree 1.6 0.8 4.7 6.8 68.1

 Doctoral/first-professional degree # 2.1 3.7 5.8 ‡

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 3.1 1.4 1.9 6.4 ‡

 Education 1.3 0.7 8.2 10.1 72.2

 Health 0.5 0.8 4.9 6.2 ‡

 Arts and humanities 0.6 # 0.5 1.0 ‡

 Social and behavioral sciences # 1.5 3.0 3.6 ‡

 Science/math/engineering 0.6 0.4 4.3 5.3 ‡

 Other 0.6 2.0 4.4 6.8 ‡

#Rounds to zero.

‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases).

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

NOTE: Detail does not sum to totals because respondents could enroll in more than one type of program.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).

Percent who enrolled in
Tables

14 

Table 4.—Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who took training or classes outside a 

Table 4.—postsecondary degree or certificate program, by education characteristics: 2003

Personal

Occupational Professional Work-related enrichment

Education characteristics license1 certification1 classes2 classes2

 U.S. total (excluding Puerto Rico) 24.9 30.2 44.5 18.1

 Total (50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico) 25.1 30.2 44.5 18.2

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 25.7 34.0 44.4 16.7

 Business and management 21.5 25.5 41.3 13.6

 Education 27.8 46.4 49.0 19.5

 Health 36.4 39.3 46.2 21.5

 Arts and sciences 24.7 26.9 44.3 18.7

 Arts and humanities 20.6 27.2 39.1 21.4

 Social and behavioral sciences 27.8 26.8 46.4 19.4

 Science/math/engineering 24.4 26.9 45.3 16.3

 Other 24.1 28.7 45.5 20.8

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 24.5 29.2 43.7 16.1

 2.75–3.74 25.4 31.0 43.6 20.4

 3.75 or higher 26.5 33.7 49.5 22.5

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 24.7 31.6 46.1 17.7

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 25.8 27.7 41.2 18.8

 Other 25.3 25.1 45.4 21.8

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree3 22.4 28.5 42.7 17.8

 Master’s degree 26.6 36.5 52.0 20.4

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 53.8 30.9 42.8 15.7

Field of advanced degree4

 Business and management 17.5 23.4 44.7 16.9

 Education 35.4 59.2 60.5 20.2

 Health 55.8 44.6 47.2 20.5

 Arts and humanities 17.7 24.2 45.8 17.5

 Social and behavioral sciences 41.1 27.1 54.7 22.9

 Science/math/engineering 14.5 21.6 48.1 20.9

 Other 44.0 29.4 46.0 19.0

1

Since 1993.

2

In the past 12 months.

3

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

4

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
 Tables 

15 

Table 5.—Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who enrolled in a postbaccalaureate

Table 5.—certificate or advanced degree program, by education characteristics: 2003

Never

Ever Ever completed, no Currently

Education characteristics enrolled completed1 longer enrolled enrolled

 U.S. total (excluding Puerto Rico) 42.5 63.4 23.5 17.2

 Total (50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico) 42.5 63.4 23.5 17.1

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 37.4 60.7 24.8 18.3

 Business and management 27.5 65.0 22.5 15.9

 Education 54.6 56.5 27.1 20.4

 Health 38.0 61.8 24.1 18.4

 Arts and sciences 49.3 64.8 22.4 17.3

 Arts and humanities 46.6 62.7 24.2 18.6

 Social and behavioral sciences 49.3 62.2 22.5 19.9

 Science/math/engineering 51.1 68.4 21.2 14.0

 Other 36.1 65.7 24.4 13.4

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 63.5 59.5 25.4 18.5

 2.75–3.74 51.5 66.1 21.5 17.0

 3.75 or higher 43.7 70.0 22.0 13.1

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 40.6 61.2 24.6 18.0

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 47.1 66.3 22.5 16.0

 Other 33.7 75.3 11.3 14.3

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 77.3 7.9 59.1 33.9

 Master’s degree 100.0 100.0 # 7.1

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 100.0 100.0 # 2.9

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 100.0 100.0 # 3.4

 Education 100.0 100.0 # 7.4

 Health 100.0 100.0 # 4.3

 Arts and humanities 100.0 100.0 # 7.1

 Social and behavioral sciences 100.0 100.0 # 9.2

 Science/math/engineering 100.0 100.0 # 10.7

 Other 100.0 100.0 # 4.5

#Rounds to zero.

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates. People in this group could also be currently enrolled in another graduate program. 2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree. These graduates could also have 

left without completing, or be currently enrolled in, another graduate program.

NOTE: Columns are not mutually exclusive; bachelor’s degree recipients who are currently enrolled could have completed 

a prior graduate program.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).

Of those ever enrolled
Tables

16 

Table 6.—Percentage distribution of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients’ highest degree attained, by

Table 6.—education characteristics: 2003

FirstBachelor’s Master’s professional Doctoral

Education characteristics degree1 Total degree degree degree

 U.S. total (excluding Puerto Rico) 74.4 25.6 19.7 4.0 1.9

 Total (50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico) 74.4 25.6 19.7 4.0 1.9

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 78.7 21.3 19.0 1.8 0.5

 Business and management 83.3 16.7 14.7 1.8 0.2

 Education 71.1 28.9 26.3 1.5 1.1

 Health 77.9 22.1 19.4 2.1 0.6

 Arts and sciences 69.4 30.7 20.8 6.3 3.6

 Arts and humanities 73.0 27.1 21.5 4.3 1.2

 Social and behavioral sciences 70.8 29.2 21.1 6.1 2.0

 Science/math/engineering 65.7 34.3 20.1 7.7 6.6

 Other 77.6 22.4 18.0 3.4 1.0

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 79.7 20.4 16.8 2.20 1.34

 2.75–3.74 69.4 30.6 21.3 7.10 2.25

 3.75 or higher 61.6 38.4 30.1 4.28 4.10

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 76.6 23.4 18.1 3.5 1.9

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 70.0 30.0 22.7 5.3 2.0

 Other 74.6 25.4 22.5 1.6 1.3

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 100.0 † † † †

 Master’s degree † 100.0 100.0 † †

 Doctoral/first-professional degree † 100.0 † 67.5 32.5

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management † 100.0 98.4 # 1.6

 Education † 100.0 98.3 0.3 1.4

 Health † 100.0 48.7 48.1 3.2

 Arts and humanities † 100.0 86.6 3.6 9.9

 Social and behavioral sciences † 100.0 89.4 # 10.6

 Science/math/engineering † 100.0 76.3 # 23.7

 Other † 100.0 43.5 45.1 11.4

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).

Advanced degree
 Tables 

17 

Table 7.—Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients with advanced degrees, percentage who reported

Table 7.—being very satisfied with various characteristics of their graduate education, by education

Table 7.—characteristics: 2003

Faculty/ Courses Course Career

Education characteristics teaching offered availability preparation None

 U.S. total (excluding 

 Puerto Rico) 71.3 70.2 64.3 58.4 4.4

 Total (50 states, D.C., 

 and Puerto Rico) 71.2 70.3 64.2 58.5 4.4

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 70.8 69.9 64.4 59.7 3.6

 Business and management 68.0 67.6 61.2 53.0 5.5

 Education 73.7 72.2 66.1 65.4 2.8

 Health 70.2 69.7 67.6 61.8 1.1

 Arts and sciences 72.6 71.8 64.9 59.5 4.7

 Arts and humanities 76.4 75.0 65.2 56.2 6.4

 Social and behavioral sciences 69.2 68.4 64.1 56.7 5.6

 Science/math/engineering 73.6 73.0 65.4 63.3 3.3

 Other 65.9 64.3 60.0 50.0 5.1

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 70.2 71.6 67.4 54.6 4.0

 2.75–3.74 73.4 71.1 60.7 62.7 4.3

 3.75 or higher 69.9 67.9 63.3 59.7 4.9

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 72.3 71.2 65.3 58.8 4.2

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 70.9 70.3 62.5 57.7 4.7

 Other ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 † † † † †

 Master’s degree 69.8 70.6 65.8 55.3 4.0

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 75.4 69.5 59.6 67.6 5.5

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 68.5 74.0 66.7 53.0 3.1

 Education 69.4 68.0 67.0 59.2 5.2

 Health 73.2 66.3 63.5 76.5 2.2

 Arts and humanities 78.6 74.0 60.0 56.8 7.6

 Social and behavioral sciences 61.5 65.0 57.4 54.8 7.8

 Science/math/engineering 70.6 72.8 64.9 48.9 3.0

 Other 75.2 70.0 62.1 58.7 5.0

†Not applicable.

‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases).

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

NOTE: Graduates whose only graduate education took place before 1997 were not asked about their satisfaction with that 

education.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
Tables

18 

Table 8.—Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients with advanced degrees, percentage who reported

Table 8.—that various characteristics of their graduate education were very important to their lives now, 

Table 8.—by education characteristics: 2003

Internship

and other

work

Course Quality of Interaction oppor- Social

Education characteristics of study instruction with faculty tunities contacts None

 U.S. total (excluding 

 Puerto Rico) 78.5 67.6 57.5 54.9 57.1 4.4

 Total (50 states, D.C., 

 and Puerto Rico) 78.5 67.7 57.6 54.9 57.1 4.4

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 75.0 66.9 55.6 51.4 53.7 5.0

 Business and management 65.8 59.6 56.7 42.0 50.0 6.1

 Education 83.6 71.6 52.2 55.9 56.7 4.1

 Health 76.2 73.8 61.6 64.2 55.4 4.3

 Arts and sciences 81.0 69.9 60.8 57.8 59.5 3.6

 Arts and humanities 80.5 71.8 54.2 51.1 53.2 4.7

 Social and behavioral sciences 79.4 64.8 59.5 63.7 64.4 3.3

 Science/math/engineering 82.4 72.9 64.8 56.4 58.8 3.2

 Other 78.2 59.5 49.0 52.2 56.4 6.5

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 73.0 65.6 56.4 50.7 58.6 5.4

 2.75–3.74 80.4 72.6 58.3 58.4 57.4 4.1

 3.75 or higher 86.8 62.6 59.9 59.7 55.2 3.0

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 79.1 68.2 59.3 55.6 58.3 3.5

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 77.2 68.4 56.0 53.0 54.8 5.8

 Other ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 † † † † † †

 Master’s degree 76.9 65.5 54.4 49.6 55.9 4.7

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 82.9 73.4 66.2 69.1 60.3 3.6

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 70.3 63.9 49.3 40.0 61.8 4.0

 Education 77.4 65.8 55.4 54.8 54.8 6.1

 Health 85.3 80.3 70.2 73.1 59.6 1.4

 Arts and humanities 82.9 71.4 58.6 55.0 50.4 5.8

 Social and behavioral sciences 83.3 56.8 65.4 67.4 69.4 1.5

 Science/math/engineering 82.7 63.9 65.3 54.8 50.5 5.7

 Other 80.7 69.6 55.6 57.9 55.3 4.3

†Not applicable.

‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases).

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

NOTE: Graduates whose only graduate education took place before 1997 were not asked about the relationship of that 

education to their lives in 2003.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
 Tables 

19 

Table 9.—Among 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients with advanced degrees, percentage who reported 

Table 9.—that their graduate education was very important preparation for various areas of their lives now,

Table 9.—by education characteristics: 2003

Establishing Establishing Taking on Making

Work and financial place in new informed

Education characteristics career security community challenges choices None

 U.S. total (excluding 

 Puerto Rico) 88.9 70.4 48.4 76.7 60.4 1.8

 Total (50 states, D.C., 

 and Puerto Rico) 89.0 70.5 48.4 76.8 60.4 1.8

Undergraduate major

 Professional fields 87.7 68.0 40.4 75.4 57.0 1.4

 Business and management 84.6 65.8 28.2 69.3 55.5 2.7

 Education 90.2 70.1 46.6 78.0 57.4 0.6

 Health 89.3 68.4 54.9 84.2 60.0 #

 Arts and sciences 90.1 74.1 54.7 78.6 63.1 1.5

 Arts and humanities 86.0 62.2 54.5 74.5 61.9 3.4

 Social and behavioral sciences 90.0 73.3 54.5 79.7 67.2 1.6

 Science/math/engineering 92.0 80.1 55.0 79.7 60.5 0.6

 Other 87.3 60.8 44.0 72.3 57.9 4.6

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 88.4 68.1 48.4 77.5 63.5 1.7

 2.75–3.74 89.9 75.0 49.0 74.3 57.1 2.0

 3.75 or higher 88.1 70.0 47.8 80.3 60.6 1.7

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 89.9 72.7 48.5 77.5 61.8 1.5

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 86.8 67.0 49.1 75.2 59.5 2.5

 Other ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree1 † † † † † †

 Master’s degree 87.7 67.4 44.7 76.7 60.0 1.6

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 92.3 78.6 58.3 76.9 61.3 2.4

Field of advanced degree2

 Business and management 81.7 67.5 33.0 76.3 60.9 3.2

 Education 90.5 70.8 50.5 72.4 57.9 0.9

 Health 96.3 82.4 63.7 79.9 59.3 #

 Arts and humanities 83.4 44.5 56.0 81.4 64.9 1.9

 Social and behavioral sciences 92.4 72.8 65.7 80.1 70.2 #

 Science/math/engineering 92.8 73.2 40.7 76.4 52.1 2.1

 Other 89.5 72.3 50.1 78.5 63.2 2.9

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases).

1

Includes postbaccalaureate certificates.

2

Only includes respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree.

NOTE: Graduates whose only graduate education took place before 1997 were not asked about the relationship of that 

education to their lives in 2003.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
A–1 

Appendix A—Glossary 

This glossary describes the variables used in this E.D. TAB. The items were taken directly from the NCES 

B&B:93/03 Data Analysis System (DAS), a web-based NCES analysis tool that generates tables from the 

B&B:93/03 data. (See appendix B for a description of DAS.) In the index below, the variables are listed in the order 

in which they are discussed in the text. The glossary is in alphabetical order by variable name (displayed in capital 

letters to the right of the label below). 

GLOSSARY INDEX

FILTER VARIABLES

Prior attainment ..........................................HIOTHDEG 

Puerto Rico indicator ..................................COMPTO87 

EDUCATION CHARACTERISTICS

Baccalaureate degree major......................... BAMAJOR 

Cumulative undergraduate GPA.................... GPACUM 

Type of institution....................................... SECTOR_B 

Highest degree attained as of 2003 ................B3HDG03 

Field of advanced degree ........................... B3HDGMAJ 

IMPORTANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

Aspects of undergraduate education that are very 

important now: 

Major.........................................................B3UGVLA 

Liberal arts courses ...................................B3UGVLB 

Professional courses ..................................B3UGVLC 

Quality of instruction ................................B3UGVLD 

Internship/other work opportunities .......... B3UGVLE 

None ......................................................... B3UGVLF 

Undergraduate education was very important preparation for: 

Work and career ........................................ B3UGPRA 

Further education ...................................... B3UGPRB 

Financial security ...................................... B3UGPRC 

None ......................................................... B3UGPRD 

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AND OCCUPATIONAL 

TRAINING

Enrolled in diploma/certificate program since 

 1993 .............................................................B3ATTCT 

Enrolled in associate’s degree program since 

 1993 ............................................................ B3ATTAA 

Enrolled in bachelor’s degree program since 

 1993 ............................................................ B3ATTBA 

Enrolled in any undergraduate program since 

 1993 ............................................................ B3ATTUG 

Completed undergraduate program since 

 1993 ........................................................... B3CMPUG 

Enrolled for occupational license .................B3ENRLIC 

Enrolled for professional certification...........B3ENRCT 

Participated in work-related classes ...........B3WRKCLS 

Took personal enrichment classes ............... B3ENRICH 

ENROLLMENT AND COMPLETION OF GRADUATE 

EDUCATION

Ever enrolled in a graduate degree 

program.......................................................B3ENRPG 

Ever completed graduate degree ...................B3ATTEN 

Currently enrolled in graduate program ........B3ATTEN 

SATISFACTION AND IMPORTANCE OF GRADUATE 

EDUCATION

Very satisfied with graduate schools attended: 

Faculty/teaching......................................... B3GSAFT 

Courses offered..........................................B3GSACO 

Course availability.....................................B3GSACA 

Career preparation ..................................... B3GSACP 

None ......................................................... B3GSANO 

Aspects of graduate education that are very important 

now: 

Course of study......................................... B3GRVLA 

Quality of instruction.................................B3GRVLB 

Interaction with faculty..............................B3GRVLC 

Internship/other work opportunities ......... B3GRVLD 

Social contacts ...........................................B3GRVLE 

None ......................................................... B3GRVLF 

Graduate education was very important preparation for: 

Work and career.........................................B3GRPRA 

Establishing financial security ...................B3GRPRB 

Establishing a place in community ............ B3GRPRC 

Taking on new challenges..........................B3GRPRD 

Making informed choices .......................... B3GRPRE 

None .......................................................... B3GRPRF 
Appendix A—Glossary 

DAS variable name 

A–2 

Enrolled in associate’s degree program since 1993 B3ATTAA

Indicates whether the respondent ever enrolled in an associate’s degree program after attaining the bachelor’s degree 

in 1992–93 (yes/no). 

Enrolled in bachelor’s degree program since 1993 B3ATTBA

Indicates whether the respondent ever enrolled in another bachelor’s degree program after completing the bachelor’s 

degree in 1992–93 (yes/no). 

Enrolled in diploma/certificate program since 1993 B3ATTCT

Indicates whether the respondent has enrolled in a technical diploma or certificate program since 1992–93 (yes/no). 

Ever completed graduate degree 

Currently enrolled in graduate program B3ATTEN

Indicates the respondent’s current degree attainment status and enrollment status at the graduate level as of 2003. 

Attained graduate degree, currently enrolled 

Attained graduate degee, not currently enrolled

No graduate attainment, currently enrolled 

No graduate attainment, not currently enrolled 

Enrolled in any undergraduate program since 1993 B3ATTUG

Indicates whether the respondent enrolled in, since the 1992–93 bachelor’s degree, any of the following types of 

undergraduate degree or certificate programs: diploma or certificate, an associate’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree 

program (yes/no). 

Completed undergraduate program since 1993 B3CMPUG

Indicates whether the respondent completed, since the 1992–93 bachelor’s degree, any of the following types of 

undergraduate degree or certificate programs: diploma or certificate, an associate’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree 

program (yes/no). 

Enrolled for professional certification B3ENRCT

Indicates whether the respondent enrolled in a professional certification program after attaining the bachelor’s 

degree in 1992–93 (yes/no). 

Took personal enrichment classes B3ENRICH

Response to the question “In the last twelve months, have you participated in any classes for personal enrichment?” 

(yes/no). 
 Appendix A—Glossary 

DAS variable name 

A–3 

Enrolled for occupational license B3ENRLIC

Indicates whether the respondent enrolled in an occupational license program after attaining the bachelor’s degree in 

1992–93 (yes/no). 

Ever enrolled in a graduate degree program B3ENRPG

Indicates whether respondents had enrolled in a graduate degree program after attaining a bachelor’s degree in the 

1992–93 school year. 

Never enrolled 

Enrolled 

Graduate education very important preparation for: 

Work and career B3GRPRA

Establishing financial security B3GRPRB

Establishing a place in community B3GRPRC

Taking on new challenges B3GRPRD

Making informed choices B3GRPRE

None B3GRPRF

Respondents who had any graduate education since 1997 were asked, “For which of the following aspects of your 

life now would you say your graduate education was very important preparation?” (yes/no for each item). 

B3GRPRF indicates respondents who did not say that their graduate education was very important preparation for 

any item listed. 

Aspects of graduate education that are very important now: 

Course of study B3GRVLA

Quality of instruction B3GRVLB

Interaction with faculty B3GRVLC

Internship/other work opportunities B3GRVLD

Social contacts B3GRVLE

None B3GRVLF

Respondents who had attended a graduate program since 1997 were asked to indicate whether various aspects of 

their graduate education were very important to their life now (yes/no for each item). 

Satisfied with graduate schools attended: 

Faculty/teaching B3GSAFT

Courses offered B3GSACO

Course availability B3GSACA

Career preparation B3GSACP

None B3GSANO

Respondents who had enrolled in a postbaccalaureate certificate or an advanced degree program since 1997 were 

asked whether they were “very satisfied” with these aspects of their graduate education (yes/no for each item). 

B3GSANO indicates respondents who did not report that they were very satisfied with any item listed. 
Appendix A—Glossary 

DAS variable name 

A–4 

Highest degree attained as of 2003 B3HDG03

The highest degree the respondent had attained as of 2003. 

Bachelor’s (includes postbaccalareate certificates) 

Master’s (includes post-master’s certificates) 

Doctoral/first-professional 

Field of advanced degree B3HDGMAJ

For respondents who completed a master’s, doctoral, or first-professional degree, this variable indicates the 

respondent’s major field of study for the highest degree program that the respondent completed. If the highest 

degree program information was collected in 2003, the major code was recoded to match the major codes collected 

in 1997. The major field for the most recent degree program was used if there were two or more programs that 

qualified for the highest degree. 

Business and management Includes business and public administration, marketing, 

accounting 

Education Includes education, teaching, administration 

Health Includes nursing, health sciences, medicine, other medical 

fields 

Arts and humanities Includes library science, fine/applied arts, philosophy, 

religion, communications 

Social and behavioral sciences Includes social work, psychology, other social sciences 

Science/mathematics/engineering Includes life sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer 

science 

Other Includes law and all other fields not listed above 

Undergraduate education was very important preparation for: 

Work and career B3UGPRA

Further education B3UGPRB

Financial security B3UGPRC

None B3UGPRD

Response to the question “For which of the following aspects of your life now would you say your undergraduate 

education was very important preparation?” (Yes/no for each item.) B3UGPRD indicates respondents who reported 

that their undergraduate education was very important to none of these areas. 

Aspects of undergraduate education that are very important now: 

Major B3UGVLA

Liberal arts courses B3UGVLB

Professional courses B3UGVLC

Quality of instruction B3UGVLD

Internship/other work opportunities B3UGVLE

None B3UGVLF

Response to the question “Which of the following aspects of your undergraduate education would you consider to be 

very important to your life now?” (Yes/no for each item.) B3UGVLF indicates respondents who reported that none 

of these aspects of their undergraduate education were very important to their lives now. 
 Appendix A—Glossary 

DAS variable name 

A–5 

Participated in work-related classes B3WRKCLS

Respondents were asked in 2003, “In the last twelve months, have you participated in any work-related training or 

other professional development classes?” (yes/no). 

Baccalaureate degree major BAMAJOR

Major field of study for the bachelor’s degree. “Other” includes such fields as agriculture, communications, 

consumer and personal services, home economics, interdisciplinary studies, industrial arts, and general or basic 

studies. 

Professional fields 

 Business and management 

 Education 

 Health 

Arts and sciences 

 Arts and humanities 

 Social and behavioral sciences 

 Science/mathematics/engineering 

Other 

Puerto Rico indicator COMPTO87

This variable identifies whether the institution at which the respondent was sampled was located in Puerto Rico or 

not (yes/no). 

Cumulative undergraduate GPA GPACUM

Self-reported student grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. The following categories are used: 

Less than 2.75 

2.75–3.74 

3.75 or higher

Prior attainment HIOTHDEG

The highest degree the respondent had completed prior to completing the 1992–93 bachelor’s degree. This variable 

was used to restrict the sample used in the main analysis to those who did not hold a bachelor’s degree before the 

degree completed in 1992–93. 

 Held a bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree 

 Did not hold a bachelor’s degree No prior attainment 

 Certificate or license 

 Associate’s degree 

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution SECTOR_B

Describes the type of institution from which respondents had received the 1992–93 bachelor’s degree. This variable 

takes into account both institutional level (the institution’s highest offering, length of program, and type of 

certificate, degree, or award), and control (the institution’s source of revenue and control of operations). 
Appendix A—Glossary 

DAS variable name 

A–6 

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution (continued) SECTOR_B

Public 4-year Public non-doctorate-granting 4-year, Public doctorategranting 4-year 

Private not-for-profit 4-year Private not-for-profit non-doctorate-granting 4-year, Private 

not-for-profit doctorate-granting 4-year 

Other Private for-profit, unknown (a small percentage of respondents 

were selected from institutions that were not the bachelor’s 

granting institution)
B–1 

Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

The 2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study 

The estimates and statistics reported in the tables and figures of this E.D. TAB are based on 

data from the first, second, and third follow-ups of the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal 

Study (B&B:93/94, B&B:93/97, and B&B:93/03), a study that tracks the experiences of a cohort 

of college graduates who received a baccalaureate degree during the 1992–93 academic year and 

were first interviewed as part of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:93), 

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

NPSAS:93 is based on a nationally representative sample of all students in postsecondary 

education institutions, including undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students. For 

NPSAS:93, information was obtained from more than 1,000 postsecondary institutions on 

approximately 50,000 undergraduates and over 13,000 graduate students. For B&B:93/03, those 

members of the NPSAS:93 sample who completed a bachelor’s degree between July 1, 1992, 

and June 30, 1993, were identified and contacted for a 1-year follow-up interview in 1994 

(B&B:93/94). The second follow-up (B&B:93/97) of the B&B cohort occurred 4 years later in 

1997. The final follow-up, 10 years later (B&B:93/03), is the focus of this E.D. TAB. The 

estimates are based on the results of surveys with approximately 9,000 bachelor’s degree 

recipients, representing about 1.2 million bachelor’s degree completers from 1992–93. For more 

information on the final 2003 data collected in the B&B series, consult the 1993/03 

Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03) Methodology Report (Wine et al. 

forthcoming). 

The NPSAS:93 sample, while representative and statistically accurate, was not a simple 

random sample. Instead, the survey sample was selected using a more complex three-step 

procedure with stratified samples and differential probabilities of selection at each level. 

Postsecondary institutions were initially selected within geographic strata. Once institutions were 

organized by zip code and state, they were further stratified by control (i.e., public, private notfor-profit, or private for-profit) and degree offering (less-than-2-year, 2- to 3-year, 4-year nondoctorate-granting, and 4-year doctorate-granting). For more information about the NPSAS:93 

survey, refer to the 1992–93 NPSAS methodology report (Loft et al. 1995). 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B–2 

The B&B:93/94 survey was the first follow-up interview of NPSAS:93 participants who 

received their bachelor’s degrees between July 1992 and June 1993. Of 12,500 NPSAS:93 

respondents who were identified as potentially eligible for the first follow-up survey, about 1,500 

were determined to be ineligible. A total of about 10,000 eligible individuals completed the 1994 

interview. The B&B:93/97 survey was the second follow-up interview of the B&B cohort. Data 

collection for B&B:93/97 took place between April and December 1997. A total of over 11,000 

individuals in the B&B cohort were determined eligible for follow-up in 1997. For the second 

follow-up, over 10,000 individuals completed the interview, yielding a response rate of 90 

percent. For more information on procedures for the first and second follow-ups, consult their 

respective methodology reports (Green et al. 1996 for the first follow-up and Green et al. 1999 

for the second follow-up). 

In spring 2003, the third and final follow-up of the 1992–93 cohort of bachelor’s degree 

recipients was conducted. For the first time, students were offered the opportunity to conduct 

their own B&B interview via the Internet. A single, web-based interview was designed and 

programmed for use as a self-administered interview, a telephone interview, and an in-person 

interview. All B&B:93/97 respondents were included for participation in B&B:93/03. A 

subsample of about one-third of the B&B:93/97 nonrespondents was also included, for a final 

sample of about 10,400. Almost 9,000 individuals responded, yielding a weighted overall 

response rate of 74 percent, reflecting an institution response rate (in 1992) of 88 percent and a 

student response rate (in 2003) of 83 percent. For more details about these and other 

methodological procedures, consult the methodology report (Wine et al. forthcoming). 

The B&B:93/03 data provide a current profile of the 1992–93 cohort of college graduates, 

including degree recipients who have been enrolled sporadically over time as well as those who 

went to college right after completing high school. The dataset contains comprehensive data on 

graduate enrollment, attendance, attainment, and student demographic characteristics. It provides 

a unique opportunity to understand variations in labor force participation, career stability, and 

financial worth over the past 10 years. There are data limitations, however. This follow-up was 

the conclusion of a 10-year study, and some attrition from the study is to be anticipated, although 

bachelor’s degree recipients are likely to be relatively easier to locate than other populations and 

considerable efforts were undertaken both to minimize the extent of this problem and to adjust 

for its effects in the data (see Wine et al. forthcoming). Second, the previous waves of data 

collection for B&B:93/03 collected detailed information about complete education and 

employment histories for periods of 1 and 3 years, respectively; the final follow-up collected 

information for a period of 6 years, from the second follow-up in 1997 to the third in 2003. To 

ease respondent burden, summary information about employment histories were collected rather 

than complete, detailed information about each job held in the interim. For information on steps 
 Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B–3 

taken to ensure data quality by evaluating instrument usability, effectiveness of the instrument in 

different modes, and data collection design, see the methodology report (Wine et al. 

forthcoming). 

Weighting 

All estimates in this E.D. TAB are weighted to compensate for unequal probability of 

selection into the B&B sample and to adjust for nonresponse. Two weights were developed. 

Cross-sectional weights were constructed for analyzing respondents to B&B:93/03. In addition, a 

panel (longitudinal) weight was constructed for analyzing those students who responded to all 

four surveys: B&B:93/03, B&B:93/97, B&B:93/94, and NPSAS:93 (computer-assisted 

telephone interview component). The weights for the B&B:93/03 respondents were constructed 

by applying a series of adjustments to the B&B:93/94 base weight. Specifically, adjustments 

were made to account for subsampling of the B&B:93/97 nonrespondents, for those not located, 

for refusals among those who were located, and for types of nonresponse other than refusals 

among those who were located and did not refuse. Construction of the panel (or longitudinal) 

weight to be used for analyzing those who responded to all three surveys consisted of an 

additional adjustment for nonresponse for the B&B:93/03 respondents who did not respond to all 

three of the previous surveys. The weight variable used in this E.D. TAB is WTC00. For more 

information on weighting, consult chapter 6, “Weighting and Variance Estimation,” of the 2003 

methodology report (Wine et al. forthcoming). 

Quality of Estimates 

Survey weights are computed with the goal of removing any bias that might result due to 

differential nonresponse and undercoverage. In order to measure the efficacy of bias-reducing 

adjustments, a series of analyses were conducted at the item and record levels. In the subsequent 

sections highlights of these analyses are summarized. 

Unit Response Rates and Bias Analysis 

For the approximately 10,400 sample students who were still eligible for B&B, the 

unweighted response rate was 86.3 percent, and the weighted response rate was 83.4 percent. For 

some items, the weighted response rate at the national level was also less than 85 percent. The 

effects of any potential bias due to nonresponse can influence overall data quality with greater 

proportions of missing information. Consequently, nonresponse bias analyses were conducted at 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B–4 

the student and item levels when the corresponding weighted response rates were below 85 

percent. 

The bias in an estimated mean based on respondents, R y , is the difference between this 

estimate and the target parameter, μ, which is the mean that would result if a complete census of 

the target population was conducted and all units responded. This bias can be expressed as 

follows: 

B(yR ) = yR − μ

However, for variables that are available from the frame and base year (NPSAS:93) respondents, 

μ can be estimated by μˆ without sampling error, in which case the bias in R y can then be 

estimated by: 

( ) μˆ Bˆ yR = yR −

Moreover, an estimate of the population mean based on respondents and nonrespondents can be 

obtained by: 

( ) R NR μˆ = 1−ηˆ y +ηˆ y

whereηˆis the weighted unit nonresponse rate, based on weights prior to nonresponse adjustment. 

Consequently, the bias in R y can then be estimated by: 

( ) R R NR B(y ) = ˆ y − y ˆ η 

That is, the estimate of the nonresponse bias is the difference between the mean for respondents 

and nonrespondents multiplied by the weighted nonresponse rate, using the student base weight 

prior to nonresponse adjustment. 

Student-Level Nonresponse Bias Analysis 

A student respondent is defined as any sample member who is determined to be eligible for 

the study and has valid data for the selected set of analytical variables. As noted earlier, the 

unweighted student response rate was 86.3 percent, and the weighted response rate was 83.4 

percent. A nonresponse bias analysis was conducted as a part of the nonresponse adjustment for 

the analysis weight. The nonresponse bias was estimated for the variables known for both 

respondents and nonrespondents within each institution type. These variables included the 

following: 

• Age in the base year (NPSAS:93), 

• Race/ethnicity, 
 Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B–5 

• Gender, 

• U.S. citizenship status, 

• Attendance status in the base year, 

• Institution control, 

• Bureau of Economic Analysis Code (OBE) Region, 

• Type of institution/enrollment category, 

• B&B institution stratum, 

• B&B student stratum, 

• Whether applied for aid in the base year, 

• Receipt of federal aid in the base year, 

• Receipt of Pell Grant in the base year, 

• Receipt of Stafford Loan in the base year, 

• Receipt of state aid in the base year, 

• Receipt of institution aid in the base year, 

• Receipt of any aid in the base year, 

• Prior respondent to either B&B:93/94 or B&B:93/97, 

• Income in the base year (parent income for dependent students and student 

income for independent students), 

• Number of telephone numbers available during B&B:93/03 data collection, 

• Number of times an answering machine was encountered during B&B:93/03, and 

• Whether the student was located in a field cluster for B&B:93/03. 

The steps for nonresponse bias analysis included estimating the nonresponse bias and 

testing (adjusting for multiple comparisons) to determine if the bias is significant at the .05 level. 

Second, nonresponse adjustment factors were computed using a subset of variables listed above. 

The nonresponse adjustments were designed to significantly reduce or eliminate nonresponse 

bias for variables included in the corresponding models. Third, after the weights were computed, 

any remaining bias was estimated for the variables listed above and statistical tests were 

performed to determine the significance of any remaining nonresponse bias. 

The weighting adjustments reduced, and in some cases eliminated, bias for students. Prior 

to the nonresponse weighting adjustment, the response bias was statistically significantly 

different from zero for 21 percent of the variables; the mean of the absolute values of the biases 

was 0.40 and the median was 0.20. After the nonresponse weighting adjustment, none of the 

biases were significantly different from zero; the mean of the absolute values of the biases was 

0.01 and median was 0.002. 

Item-Level Bias Analysis 

Item response rates (RRI) are calculated as the ratio of the number of respondents for whom 

an in-scope response was obtained (I

x

 for item x) to the number of respondents who are asked to 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B–6 

answer that item. The number asked to answer an item is the number of unit level respondents (I) 

minus the number of respondents with a valid skip item for item x (Vx

). 

x

x

x

I V

I RRI − =

As indicated above, nonresponse bias analysis was conducted for the variables with item 

response rates below 85 percent. This analysis was further restricted to items with at least 50 

students who were either eligible to answer the item based on their response to the gate question, 

or did not respond to the gate question for an item. This bias analysis compared the distributions 

of respondents and nonrespondents to the item for the variables age, race/ethnicity, gender, 

control of the base year institution, and OBE region of the base year institution. Overall, item 

nonresponse analysis was conducted for 117 items, but 106 of these had response rates below 85 

percent because the respondent did not respond to the gate question. The nonresponse bias 

analysis indicated that some items do have statistically significant bias due to item nonresponse, 

but the magnitude of the bias is generally small. None of the 117 items were used in this 

publication. For detailed information about the items analyzed for nonresponse bias, see the 

B&B:93/03 methodology report (Wine et al. forthcoming). 

Imputation 

Selected variables from the 2003 interview had missing values imputed for nonresponse. 

The imputations were performed in three steps. In the first step, the interview variables were 

imputed using the procedures described in the next section. Then, using the interview variables, 

including the newly imputed variable values, the set of derived variables was constructed. In the 

final step, the derived variables were imputed again, using the procedures described below. Table 

B-1 lists the 11 interview variables and the three derived variables used in the E.D. TAB that 

were imputed, with the percentage of cases imputed. 

Sequential hot deck imputation, a common procedure for managing item nonresponse, uses 

respondent data as donors to provide surrogate values for records with missing data. In 

sequential hot deck imputation, imputation classes are defined, generally consisting of a crossclassification of covariates, and then missing values are replaced sequentially from a single pass 

through the data within the imputation classes. A related procedure, weighted sequential hot deck 

imputation, takes into account the unequal probabilities of selection into the original sample by 

using the sampling weights to specify the expected number of times a particular respondent’s 

answer will be used to replace a missing item. The expected selection frequencies are specified 

such that, over repeated applications of the algorithm, the expected value of the weighted 
 Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B–7 

distribution of the imputed values will equal in expectation, within imputation class, the 

weighted distribution of the reported answers. 

Weighted sequential hot deck imputation was selected for B&B:93/03 in part because it has 

the advantage of controlling the number of times a respondent record can be used for imputation 

and gives each respondent record the chance to be selected for use as a hot deck donor. To 

implement the procedure, imputation classes and sorting variables relevant to each item being 

imputed were defined. If more than one sorting variable was used, a serpentine sort was 

performed in which the direction of the sort (ascending or descending) changed each time the 

value of the previous sorting variable changed. The serpentine sort minimized the change in 

student characteristics every time one of the sorting variables changed its value. 

Imputation classes for the B&B:93/03 interview variables, and some of the derived 

variables, were developed using a Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis 

where only respondent data were modeled (Kass 1980). The CHAID segmentation process first 

divided the data into groups based on categories of the most significant predictor of the item 

being imputed, and then split each of the groups into smaller subgroups based on the other 

predictor variables. The CHAID process also merged categories for variables found not to be 

significantly different. This splitting and merging process continued until no additional 

statistically significant predictors were found. Imputation classes for B&B:93/03 were then 

defined from the final CHAID segments. 

Table B-1.—B&B:93/03 variables in this publication that were imputed, with percentage of cases that were

Table B-1.—imputed

Variable label (variable name) Percent imputed

Interview variables

Undergraduate value: particular major(s) chosen (B3UGVLA) 0.02

Undergraduate value: professional courses taken (B3UGVLC) 0.02

Undergraduate value: quality of instruction (B3UGVLD) 0.02

Undergraduate value: internship and other work (B3UGVLE) 0.02

Undergraduate value: none of the above (B3UGVLF) 0.02

Undergraduate preparation: work and career (B3UGPRA) 0.02

Undergraduate preparation: further education (B3UGPRB) 0.02

Undergraduate preparation: financial security (B3UGPRC) 0.02

Derived variables

Highest degree attained (B3HDG03) 1.95

Had ever enrolled in a degree program after BA in 1993 6.53

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B–8 

Imputation of Interview Variables 

The B&B:93/03 computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) variables were separated 

into two groups depending on the respondent base (or variable conditions). The first, 

unconditional group consisted of variables that applied to all respondents. The second, 

conditional group consisted of variables that applied to only a subset of respondents. Within the 

unconditional group, variables were sorted by percentage missing and then imputed in order, 

from lowest percentage missing to highest. Within the conditional group, the variables were first 

sorted by conditionality and percentage missing, then imputed in the appropriate sequence. A 

constant set of predictor variables was used in a CHAID analysis to determine imputation classes 

for each imputation variable. The analysis used the following set of predictor variables: age, 

gender, race/ethnicity, U.S. citizenship, dependency status, prior respondent, receipt of federal 

aid, and institutional region, institutional type, and institutional level. Some of these predictor 

variables were missing for a small percentage of cases and were imputed first with a weighted 

sequential hot deck imputation. 

Imputation of Derived Variables 

Selected derived variables (those created by combining information from two or more 

interview variables) for B&B:93/03 were imputed sequentially in four batches, using a specific 

order determined by the variable conditions resulting from the longitudinal nature of this study. 

Imputing sequentially allowed these derived variables (or further derived variables resulting 

from them) to be used as class variables for imputing variables in subsequent batches. The 

process helped to ensure consistency across derived variables. 

Most of the derived variables had several constraints defined by different combinations of 

data collected in prior rounds of the study. Therefore, a procedure for finding appropriate donor 

cases was developed before the imputation was performed. The procedure involved defining 

mutually exclusive groups or classes of respondents that met the constraints. The groups were 

used as the imputation classes for the weighted sequential hot deck imputation procedure. For the 

derived variables that did not have any constraints, a CHAID analysis was performed. The 

predictor variables included any prior imputed variables, including interview variables. 

Evaluation of Imputations 

Comparing imputation distributions within imputation classes is a key measure for 

determining whether or not the weighted sequential hot deck imputation procedure produced 

acceptable results. The more similar the distributions, the more successful the imputation 

process. For evaluation of the B&B:93/03 imputation results, distributions were considered to be 
 Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B–9 

similar when absolute differences were less than 5 percent. Absolute difference was calculated 

by subtracting the before-imputation weighted percentage from the after-imputation weighted 

percentage. If absolute differences greater than 5 percent were found, then the unweighted 

distributions were examined to see if the large differences were due to small sample sizes. No 

absolute differences greater than 5 percent were found for any comparison. 

After imputation, weighted item response rates were calculated for all the variables used in 

this E.D. TAB by dividing the weighted number of valid responses by the weighted population 

for which the item was applicable. All of the items used in this E.D. TAB had weighted item 

response rates above 90 percent. 

Data Analysis System 

The estimates presented in this E.D. TAB were produced using the B&B:93/03 Data 

Analysis System Online (DAS) which includes data from NPSAS:93, B&B:93/94, B&B:93/97, 

and B&B:93/03. The DAS application on the Web makes it possible for users to specify and 

generate their own tables. With DAS, users can replicate or expand upon the tables presented in 

this E.D. TAB. In addition to the table estimates, DAS calculates proper standard errors1 and 

weighted sample sizes for these estimates. For example, table B-2 contains standard errors that 

correspond to estimates in table 1. If the number of valid cases is too small to produce a reliable 

estimate (fewer than 30 cases), DAS prints the message “low-N” instead of the estimate. All 

standard errors for estimates presented in this E.D. TAB can be viewed at 

http://nces.ed.gov/DAS/library/reports.asp. In addition to tables, 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 survey. 

The DAS can be accessed electronically at http://nces.ed.gov/DAS/. For more information 

about the B&B:93/03 Data Analysis System, contact: 

 

1 The B&B sample is not a simple random sample, 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. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B–10 

Table B-2.—Standard errors for table 1: Percentage of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients who reported

Table B-2.—that various characteristics of their undergraduate education were very important to their lives 

Table B-2.—now, by education characteristics: 2003

Under- Internship

graduate and other

Under- profes- work

graduate Liberal arts sional Quality of opporEducation characteristics major courses courses instruction tunities None

 U.S. total (excluding 

 Puerto Rico) 0.83 0.96 0.84 0.73 0.76 0.43

 Total (50 states, D.C., 

 and Puerto Rico) 0.83 0.96 0.83 0.72 0.76 0.43

Baccalaureate degree major

 Professional fields 1.24 1.28 1.08 1.11 1.53 0.77

 Business and management 1.92 1.71 1.52 1.61 1.93 1.17

 Education 1.51 1.76 1.73 1.42 1.99 0.98

 Health 2.13 2.00 1.92 2.37 3.75 0.97

 Arts and sciences 1.19 1.28 1.07 1.00 1.07 0.59

 Arts and humanities 2.57 2.70 2.18 2.10 2.21 1.89

 Social and behavioral sciences 1.77 1.90 1.71 1.54 1.37 1.13

 Science/math/engineering 1.85 1.58 1.61 2.00 1.86 0.72

 Other 2.16 2.03 1.81 2.13 1.93 1.08

Cumulative undergraduate GPA

 Less than 2.75 1.11 1.05 1.06 0.97 1.17 0.47

 2.75–3.74 1.25 1.71 1.51 1.58 1.11 0.81

 3.75 or higher 1.70 2.41 2.08 2.15 2.51 1.20

Bachelor’s degree-granting institution

 Public 4-year 0.81 0.99 0.92 0.88 0.92 0.47

 Private not-for-profit 4-year 1.70 2.00 1.43 1.14 1.07 0.70

 Other 6.73 4.69 7.54 7.57 4.99 6.68

Highest degree attained as of 2003

 Bachelor’s degree 1.77 2.07 2.08 2.11 1.97 1.24

 Master’s degree 0.96 1.14 0.92 0.94 1.07 0.60

 Doctoral/first-professional degree 1.54 1.65 1.56 1.23 1.46 1.11

Field of advanced degree

 Business and management 3.58 3.72 3.60 3.06 3.16 2.38

 Education 2.39 3.70 2.72 2.64 2.35 1.22

 Health 2.96 3.32 3.91 3.56 4.17 1.28

 Arts and humanities 4.59 4.40 4.30 4.69 4.66 2.81

 Social and behavioral sciences 3.51 4.50 4.66 4.64 3.86 1.39

 Science/math/engineering 3.15 3.56 3.40 3.74 3.67 1.90

 Other 2.16 3.34 3.04 2.96 3.26 1.62

NOTE: Standard error tables for the remaining report tables are available at http://nces.ed.gov/DAS/library/reports.asp.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993/03 Baccalaureate and Beyond

Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03).
 Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B–11 

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

Statistical Procedures 

Two types of statistical procedures were used in this report: testing differences between 

means (or proportions) and testing linear trends. Each procedure is described below. 

Differences Between Means 

The descriptive comparisons were tested in this E.D. TAB using Student’s t statistic. 

Differences between estimates are tested against the probability of a Type I error,2 or 

significance level. The significance levels were determined by calculating the Student’s t values 

for the differences between 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

+

− = 

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 

where r is the correlation between the two estimates.3 This formula is used when comparing two 

percentages from a distribution that adds to 100. If the comparison is between the mean of a 

subgroup and the mean of the total group, the following formula is used: 

 

2 A 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. 

3 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, A Note from the Chief Statistician, no. 2, 1993. 
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

B–12 

t =

2 2 2

sub tot 2 sub

sub tot

se se p se

E E

+ −

− 

where p is the proportion of the total group contained in the subgroup.4 The estimates, standard 

errors, and correlations can all be obtained from 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 E.D. TAB 

indicates that a difference of a certain magnitude or larger would be produced no more than one 

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. Failing to 

detect a difference, however, does not necessarily imply the values are the same or equivalent. 

Linear Trends 

While many descriptive comparisons in this report were tested using Student’s t statistic, 

some comparisons across categories of an ordered variable involved a test for a linear trend 

across all categories, rather than a series of tests between pairs of categories. In this report, when 

differences among percentages were examined relative to one of these variables, Analysis of 

Variance (ANOVA) was used to test for a linear relationship between the two variables. To do 

this, ANOVA models included orthogonal linear contrasts corresponding to successive levels of 

the independent variable. The squares of the standard errors, the variance between the means, 

and the unweighted sample sizes were used to partition total sum of squares into within- and 

between-group sums of squares. These were used to create mean squares for the within- and 

between-group variance components and their corresponding F statistics, which were then 

 

4 Ibid. 
 Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology 

B–13 

compared with published values of F for a significance level of .05.5 Significant values of both 

the overall F and the F associated with the linear contrast term were required as evidence of a 

linear relationship between the two variables. Means and standard errors were calculated by 

DAS. Unweighted sample sizes were provided by NCES through a restricted use data license 

agreement. 

 

5 More information about ANOVA and significance testing using the F statistic can be found in any standard textbook on statistical methods in the social and behavioral sciences.