The top 100: interpreting the data - Special report: graduate & professional degrees - minorities' education at U.S. universities

Black Issues in Higher Education, July 3, 2003 by Victor M.H. Borden, Pamela C. Brown

Table 1

Proportion of
MASTER'S DEGREES
Conferred to Minorities by Field of Study

                             African             American   Asian
                     Total   American  Hispanic   Indian   American

Education           136,570    8.8%      5.2%     0.64%      2.1%
Business/Marketing  120,723    7.6%      3.7%     0.37%      6.1%
Health Professions
 and Related
 Sciences            43,513    7.0%      3.7%     0.49%      7.1%
Public Admin. and
 Services            31,137   15.3%      5.9%     0.79%      3.0%
Bio/Natural
 Sciences & Math     30,814    3.8%      2.4%     0.30%      9.6%
Social and
 Behavioral
 Science             28,937    9.1%      5.1%     0.60%      3.7%
Engineering and
 Technology          27,473    3.0%      2.7%     0.23%      8.2%
Other Professions    20,139    6.0%      3.6%     0.35%      4.4%
Humanities and
 Languages           18,993    5.1%      4.9%     0.58%      3.6%
All Others           11,909    4.6%      3.3%     0.50%      3.4%
Visual and
 Performing Arts     11,595    4.0%      3.4%     0.42%      4.5%
Grand Total         481,803    7.7%      4.2%     0.50%      4.8%

Note. Cells highlighted in green show where a disproportionately high
percentage (25% above the grand total proportion for that minority
group) attain degrees. Cells highlighted in red show where
disproportionately few students (25% below the grand total for the
group) obtain the degree.

TABLE 2

Proportion of
DOCTORAL DEGREES
Conferred to Minorities by Field of Study

                             African             American   Asian
                      Total  American  Hispanic   Indian   American

Biological,
 Natural Sciences
 & Math               9,997    2.2%      2.1%     0.26%      6.6%
Social and
 Behavioral
 Sciences             8,243    5.3%      4.4%     0.55%      3.9%
Education             6,967   12.3%      4.2%     0.73%      2.5%
Engineering and
 Technology           5,222    1.5%      1.7%     0.11%      6.9%
Humanities and
 Languages            3,600    4.3%      4.8%     0.53%      3.7%

Health Professions
 and Related
 Sciences             3,523    3.4%      2.2%     0.31%      7.0%
Other Professions     1,957    9.7%      1.9%     0.26%      6.4%
All Others            1,600    3.2%      2.2%     0.06%      2.2%
Business/Marketing    1,158    5.6%      1.7%     0.35%      4.2%
Visual and
 Performing Arts      1,114    2.1%      3.1%     0.45%      4.7%
Public Admin. And
 Services               771   10.4%      2.3%     0.26%      4.0%
Grand Total          44,152    5.1%      3.1%     0.40%      4.9%

Note. Cells highlighted in green show where a disproportionately high
percentage (25% above the grand total proportion for that minority
group) attain degrees. Cells highlighted in red show where
disproportionately few students (25% below the grand total for the
group) obtain the degree.

TABLE 3

Proportion of
FIRST PROFESSIONAL DEGREES
Conferred to Minorities by Field of Study

                             African             American   Asian
                     Total   American  Hispanic   Indian   American

Law                 38,722     7.2%      5.6%      0.7%      6.2%
Other Health         17,046    5.2%      3.0%      0.7%     15.6%
Medicine             15,237    7.0%      4.8%      0.8%     18.8%
Divinity              5,129   12.1%      2.5%      0.2%      5.1%
Dentistry             4,239    3.6%      4.0%      0.6%     22.5%
Grand Total          80,373    6.8%      4.6%      0.7%     11.4%

Note. Cells highlighted in green show where a disproportionately high
percentage (25% above the grand total proportion for that minority,
group) attain degrees. Cells highlighted in red show where
disproportionately few students (25% below the grand total for the
group) obtain the degree.