1

February 2004

This Issue Brief examines postsecondary vocational education within the context of all undergraduate education. The

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has traditionally reported data on postsecondary vocational education using a taxonomy that divides subbaccalaureate

postsecondary education into academic and vocational areas

of study (Choy and Horn 1992; Levesque et al. 2000). To

better reflect the correspondence between instructional fields

and the educational requirements of careers in today’s

economy, NCES recently developed the new taxonomy described in this Issue Brief.1

 The new taxonomy classifies all

undergraduate majors as academic majors or career majors.

Because federal law defines vocational education as instruction for careers below the baccalaureate level,2

 the new taxonomy further divides career majors into subbaccalaureate

and baccalaureate level majors. At the baccalaureate level,

career majors are considered nonvocational and at the

subbaccalaureate level they are considered vocational (see

table 1). These majors are defined as follows:

Academic majors—Formal programs of study designed to

impart knowledge and skills that represent the accumulated

knowledge base in a subject area. The instruction is typically

designed to be comprehensive, theoretical, and

decontextualized (from a labor market perspective). For example, a mathematics major typically provides instruction

across a broad range of mathematical content areas, including in-depth study of historical and theoretical perspectives,

with minimal regard to specific occupational applications.

Career majors—Formal programs of study designed to impart knowledge and skills that represent the relevant accumulated knowledge within the context of occupation-specific

job requirements. The knowledge and skills imparted typically involve less theory, more application, and a narrower

focus than what is taught in an academic major; they are also

often explicitly linked to occupational skill demands. For example, an engineering major (or engineering technology major) focuses on the mathematical principles and applications

that are required for practice as an engineer (or engineering

technologist), with more limited attention to areas of mathematics that do not have engineering applications. Career

majors can be either vocational or nonvocational:

Vocational career majors—A subset of career majors consisting of formal programs of study that impart the knowledge and skills required for semiskilled, skilled, technical, and paraprofessional occupations that typically reUndergraduate Enrollments in Academic,

Career, and Vocational Education

U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2004–018

IssueBrief

quire education below the baccalaureate level (such as

engineering technology).

Nonvocational career majors—A subset of career majors

consisting of formal programs of study that impart the

knowledge and skills required for technical and professional occupations that typically require education at the

baccalaureate or higher level (such as engineering).

Table 1. Percentage distribution of degree-seeking undergraduates, baccalaureate students, and subbaccalaureate

students, by educational orientation: 1999–2000

†Not applicable. Federal legislation defines vocational education as

career education at the subbaccalaureate level.

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

for this table are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/

pubinfo.asp?pubid=2004018.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study

(NPSAS:2000).

Other NCES publications (e.g., Snyder 2002) list the distribution of students by specific major. For this Issue Brief, specific majors were aggregated into the 19 broad areas of study

listed in table 2; these areas of study include 7 academic and

12 career areas of study. (A 20th category includes students

with no declared major.) These classifications are used here

to describe (1) the distribution of undergraduates across academic and career education, including vocational and

nonvocational career education (referred to here as educational orientation); and (2) the distribution of baccalaureate

and subbaccalaureate students among the broad areas of study

within these educational orientations. The analysis uses data

from a national sample of students enrolled in postsecondary

education, collected through the NCES 1999–2000 National

Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000).3

 The analysis

includes only NPSAS:2000 undergraduates who are seeking

a postsecondary credential, referred to here as degree-seeking students.4

All degree- Bacca- SubbaccaEducational seeking laureate laureate

orientation undergraduates students students

 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0

Academic 26.3 32.9 20.4

Career 66.2 60.7 71.2

 Vocational career 37.6 † 71.2

 Nonvocational career 28.6 60.7 †

No major declared 7.5 6.5 8.4
2

Areas of Study Among Subbaccalaureate Versus

Baccalaureate Students

Although academic education is more common at the baccalaureate than at the subbaccalaureate level, only five of the

seven academic areas of study—English/literature and humanities, fine and performing arts, mathematics, science, and social sciences—were majored in by a higher proportion of baccalaureate than subbaccalaureate students in 1999–2000 (table

2). No measurable difference was detected in the proportions

of subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate students majoring in

interdisciplinary studies. In contrast, the proportion of

subbaccalaureate students majoring in liberal arts/general studies was about four times larger than the proportion of baccalaureate students majoring in this area of study.5

Again, although career education is more common at the

subbaccalaureate than at the baccalaureate level, the results

for specific areas of study within career education are more

mixed. Six of the 12 career areas—computer science, health

care, legal services, personal and consumer services, protective services, and trade and industry—were more commonly

majored in by subbaccalaureate students. No measurable difference was detected in the proportions of subbaccalaureate

and baccalaureate students majoring in public, social, and

human services, and four career areas—business/marketing,

communications/design, education, and engineering/architectural sciences—were more commonly majored in by baccalaureate than subbaccalaureate students.6

Subbaccalaureate Areas of Study

Fifty-three percent of all degree-seeking undergraduates in

1999–2000 were subbaccalaureate students (not in tables).

While these students majored in a broad range of subject areas, four areas—the vocational career areas of business/marketing, computer science, and health care, and the academic

area of liberal arts/general studies—accounted for about half

of all subbaccalaureate majors (table 2). This pattern of enrollment reflects the dual role of community colleges (which

serve most subbaccalaureate students) as providers of job training and as transfer institutions.7

Looking at academic and vocational students separately provides another perspective on subbaccalaureate enrollments.

About half (48 percent) of all academic students at this level

majored in liberal arts/general studies; no other area enrolled

more than 14 percent of academic subbaccalaureate students.

Among subbaccalaureate students with vocational career majors, 42 percent majored in the two fields of business/marketing and health care, and over half (57 percent) majored in the

three fields of business/marketing, computer science, and health

care.

Discussion

Using the new taxonomy, most baccalaureate and

subbaccalaureate students are enrolled in career-oriented majors, as opposed to academic majors. Subbaccalaureate stuTable 2. Percentage distribution of degree-seeking baccalaureate students and subbaccalaureate students, by area

of study: 1999–2000

†Not applicable.

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

this table are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/

pubinfo.asp?pubid=2004018.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study

(NPSAS:2000).

Educational Orientation

Table 1 shows that, based on the new taxonomy, most degreeseeking undergraduate education is career related. Overall,

about two-thirds of degree-seeking undergraduates were majoring in a career field in 1999–2000, and over one-third were

majoring in a vocational career field. In comparison, approximately one-quarter of degree-seeking undergraduates were

majoring in an academic field.

Although career education predominates at both the baccalaureate and subbaccalaureate levels, it is more common at

the subbaccalaureate level, where 71 percent of students (compared to 61 percent of baccalaureate students) had career

majors. Conversely, academic education is more common at

the baccalaureate than at the subbaccalaureate level (33 vs.

20 percent, respectively). Nonetheless, about 1 in 5

subbaccalaureate students majored in academic fields, most

often in liberal arts/general studies (table 2).

SubBacca- bacca- Vocational

laureate laureate Academic career

Area of study students students majors majors 

 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Academic area of study

 English/literature and 

 humanities 5.0 1.8 8.6 †

 Fine and performing arts 3.7 2.2 10.9 †

 Interdisciplinary studies 1.2 1.4 6.7 †

 Liberal arts/general studies 2.2 9.8 48.1 †

 Mathematics 0.9 0.6 2.8 †

 Science 7.0 1.8 8.9 †

 Social sciences 12.9 2.9 14.1 †

Career area of study

 Agriculture/natural resources 1.1 0.6 † 0.8

 Business/marketing 18.9 15.5 † 21.7

 Communications/design 6.9 5.8 † 8.2

 Computer science 5.4 10.4 † 14.6

 Education 8.4 6.0 † 8.4

 Engineering/architectural 

 sciences 6.3 3.8 † 5.3

 Health care 8.0 14.4 † 20.3

 Legal services 0.7 1.6 † 2.3

 Personal and consumer 

 services 1.1 3.1 † 4.3

 Protective services 1.5 2.9 † 4.1

 Public, social, and human 

 services 1.8 1.5 † 2.1

 Trade and industry 0.7 5.7 † 8.1

No major declared 6.5 8.4 † †

Subbaccalaureate

students with:
3

The Issue Brief series presents information on education topics of current interest. All estimates shown are based on samples and are subject to sampling

variability. All differences are statistically significant at the 0.05 level. In the design, conduct, and data processing of National Center for Education Statistics

(NCES) surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors, such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other

systematic error.

This Issue Brief was prepared by Lisa Hudson of NCES and Linda Shafer of the Education Statistics Services Institute. This Issue Brief was desktopped by Carol Rohr

of Pinkerton Computer Consultants, Inc. For further information, contact Lisa Hudson, NCES, at 202–502–7358 or Lisa.Hudson@ed.gov. To order additional copies

of this Issue Brief or other NCES publications, call 1–877–4ED–Pubs. NCES publications are also available on the Internet at http://nces.ed.gov or www.edpubs.org.

dents are more likely than baccalaureate students to enroll in

career majors, with about 7 out of 10 subbaccalaureate students having vocational career majors. But these distinctions

are far from clear-cut, since students tend to have a mix of

educational goals; the NPSAS:2000 data show that no major

fits exclusively into the academic, nonvocational career, or

vocational career definition. For example, 12 percent of students majoring in liberal arts (an academic major in the taxonomy) at less-than-4-year institutions said their main reason

for enrolling was to learn job skills; conversely, 12 percent of

less-than-4-year marketing majors (a vocational career major

in the taxonomy) reported that their main goal was to transfer to a 4-year institution (data not in tables). The taxonomy

does reflect general differences in the focus of educational programs and the occupations for which programs prepare students; however, as the labor market and education systems

continue to evolve, the classification system for postsecondary

vocational education may need to be periodically revisited.

Footnotes

1

The revision process included the following steps: a review of

community college course catalogs; a review of the taxonomy

developed by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges’ 1998

Curriculum Project (Schuyler 1999); an analysis of data on students’

majors and degree expectations using the 1999–2000 National

Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000); an analysis of

student postsecondary completions data using the NCES 1999–2000

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS); an

examination of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the

educational attainment of workers in over 800 occupational fields;

and a one-day expert panel meeting of postsecondary faculty,

administrators, and researchers. The new taxonomy classifies majors

using the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) (see

U.S. Department of Education 2002); the taxonomy is available from

the authors upon request. The taxonomy used here is a slight variation

of the new taxonomy, which separates English/literature from

humanities and includes liberal arts/general studies as part of

humanities.

2

The 1998 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act,

Section 3(29).

3

The NPSAS:2000 methodology report (Riccobono et al. 2002)

provides detailed information on the design and administration of

this survey.

4

In NPSAS:2000, non-degree-seeking students comprise 7 percent of

all undergraduates. The analysis reported here is based on a sample

of 45,778 degree-seeking undergraduates, for a weighted degreeseeking undergraduate population of 14,754,953. Degree-seekers

were defined using the variable DEGFIRST, which was based first

on students’ self-report of the credential (degree or certificate) they

were seeking at their current postsecondary institution, and, where

this information was not available, on the institutions’ records of

students’ degree program. Subbaccalaureate students include (among

others) students enrolled at 4-year institutions who reported that

they were seeking a degree below the baccalaureate level. Students’

majors were defined using the variable MAJORS, which was based

first on students’ self-report of their current major; where this

information was not available, institutions’ records were used.

5

Liberal arts/general studies is often taken at the subbaccalaureate

level by students who intend to transfer to a 4-year program; for

example, in NPSAS:2000, 20 percent of subbaccalaureate students

with this major reported that their main goal was to transfer to a 4-

year program, compared to 11 percent of subbaccalaureate students

in other majors.

6

For agriculture/natural resources, small sample sizes resulted in data

that were too unreliable to analyze.

7

In 1999–2000, public 2-year institutions (community colleges)

enrolled 89 percent of all students in less-than-4-year degree-granting

institutions, and produced 73 percent of associate degree recipients

and about 54 percent of all subbaccalaureate degree and award

recipients (Snyder 2002, p. 204).

References

Choy, S.P. and Horn, L.J. (1992). A Guide to Using Postsecondary

Transcript Data and an Overview of Course Taking in Lessthan-Four-Year Postsecondary Institutions. Berkeley, CA:

National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

Levesque, K., Lauen, D., Teitelbaum, P., Alt, M., and Librera, S.

(2000). Vocational Education in the United States: Toward

the Year 2000 (NCES 2000–029). U.S. Department of

Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education

Statistics.

Riccobono, J.A., Cominole, M.B., Siegel, P.H., Gabel, T.J., Link,

M.W., and Berkner, L.K. (2002). National Postsecondary

Student Aid Study 1999–2000 (NPSAS:2000) Methodology

Report. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC:

National Center for Education Statistics.

Schuyler, G. (ed.) (1999). New Directions for Community Colleges:

Trends in Community College Curriculum, 108 (winter), San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Snyder, T.D. (2002). Digest of Education Statistics, 2001 (NCES

2002–130). U.S. Department of Education, National Center

for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government

Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Education (2002). Classification of Instructional

Programs: 2000 Edition (NCES 2002–165). U.S. Department

of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education

Statistics.
Undergraduate Enrollments in Academic, Career, and

Vocational Education NCES 2004–018

The Issue Brief series presents information on education topics of current interest.

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