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NEWSLINE - Fall 1998

Number of Undergraduate Business Degrees Awarded Continues to Plummet; MBA and Some Business Doctoral Degrees on the Increase

Recent reports of increases in undergraduate business enrollments are not yet visible at the output stage, where the number of undergraduate business degrees continues to decline.

The number of students awarded undergraduate business degrees dropped again in 1995-96, continuing a decline first evidenced in the early 1990s. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, 227,102 bachelor's degrees in business were awarded in 1995-96, a shortfall of nearly 30,000 degrees compared to the 256,603 undergraduate business degrees awarded in the record year 1991-92. Of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 1995-96, only 19.4 percent were in business, the lowest percentage since the late 1970s. The data document the dramatic decline in recent years of undergraduate student interest in business as a major and as a career.

The number of MBA degrees awarded in 1995-96 reached 93,982. At the doctoral level, 1,368 students received doctoral degrees in business. The biggest increase occurred in the number of women earning the degree, 394, an all-time high. The figure compares to 380 doctoral degrees awarded to women the year before.

The percentage of women business graduates rose to new highs at the undergraduate, the master's level and at the doctoral level.

Undergraduate Business Degrees

GRADUATES IN ALL DISCIPLINES BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT GRADUATES
 
  Percent of
Business
Graduates		  
BACHELOR'S   BACHELOR'S Percent of
Women
     
 YEAR Male Female Total   Male Female Total
 
1967-68 357,682 274,607 632,289 12.5   72,126 6,948 79,074 8.8
1972-73 518,191 404,171 922,362 13.6   112,783 13,361 126,144 10.6
1977-78 487,347 433,857 921,204 17.3   116,171 43,520 159,691 27.2
1978-79 477,344 444,046 921,390 18.5   118,825 52,416 171,241 30.6
1979-80 473,611 455,806 929,417 19.8   122,508 62,359 184,867 33.7
1980-81 469,883 465,257 935,140 21.2   125,523 73,460 198,983 36.9
1981-82 473,364 479,634 952,998 23.7   129,262 84,112 213,374 39.4
1982-83 479,140 490,370 969,510 23.4   131,538 95,089 226,627 41.9
1983-84 482,319 491,990 974,309 23.5   129,559 99,919 229,478 43.5
1984-85 482,528 496,949 979,477 23.7   127,659 104,977 232,636 45.1
1985-86 485,923 501,900 987,823 24.0   128,780 108,539 237,319 45.7
1986-87 480,782 510,482 991,264 24.2   128,603 111,943 240,548 46.5
1987-88 477,203 517,626 994,829 24.4   129,522 113,469 243,021 46.6
1988-89 483,346 535,409 1,018,755 24.1   131,157 115,242 246,399 46.7
1989-90 491,696 559,648 1,051,344 23.6   132,329 116,369 248,698 46.7
1990-91 504,045 590,493 1,094,538 22.7   131,624 116,687 249,311 46.8
1991-92 520,811 615,742 1,136,553 22.5   135,440 121,163 256,603 47.2
1992-93 532,881 632,297 1,165,178 21.4   132,561 117,150 249,711 46.9
1993-94 532,422 636,853 1,169,275 21.1   129,161 117,493 246,654 47.6
1994-95 526,131 634,003 1,160,134 20.2   121,898 112,425 234,323 48.0
1995-96 522.454 642,338 1,164,792 19.4 116,842 110,260 227,102 48.6
1996-97* 523,000 643,000 1,166,000 NA
*Proposed figures  
Source: "Degrees and Other Awards Conferred by Institutions of Higher Education: 1993-94," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
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MBA Degrees Awarded

GRADUATES IN ALL DISCIPLINES BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT GRADUATES
Percent of
 Business
 Graduates
MASTER'S MASTER'S Percent of
 Women
YEAR Male Female Total Male Female Total
1967-68 113,552 63,197 176,749 10.0 17,186 609 17,795 3.4
1972-73 154,468 108,903 263,371 11.6 29,126 1,510 30,638 4.9
1977-78 161,212 150,408 311,620 15.3 39,743 8,094 47,837 16.8
1978-79 153,370 147,709 301,079 16.5 40,274 9,581 49.855 19.2
1979-80 150,749 147,332 298,081 18.2 42,288 12,196 54,484 22.3
1980-81 147,043 148,696 295,739 19.4 42,980 14,411 57,391 25.1
1981-82 145,532 150,014 295,546 20.5 43,807 16,956 60,763 27.9
1982-83 144,697 145,244 289,921 22.3 45,999 18,759 64,758 28.8
1983-84 143,595 140,688 284,263 23.2 46,178 19,972 66,150 30.1
1984-85 143,390 142,861 286,251 23.4 46,209 20,787 66,996 30.9
1985-86 143,508 145,059 288,567 23.1 45,938 20,751 66,689 31.0
1986-87 141,269 140,080 289,349 23.1 44,913 22,180 67,093 33.0
1987-88 145,163 154,154 299,317 23.1 45,980 23,250 69,230 33.4
1988-89 149,354 161,267 310,621 23.5 48,540 24,525 73,065 33.5
1989-90 153,653 170,648 324,301 23.6 50,585 26,091 76,676 33.9
1990-91 156,482 180,686 337,168 23.2 50,883 27,372 78,255 34.9
1991-92 161,842 190,996 352,838 23.9 54,705 29,937 84,642 35.3
1992-93 169,253 200,327 369,585 24.0 57,327 31,737 89,064 35.6
1993-94 176,085 210,985 387,070 24.1 59,335 34,102 93,437 36.5
1994-95 178,598 219,031 397,629 23.6   59,109 34,700 93,809 37.0
1995-96 179,081 227,220 406,301 23.1   58,685 35,297 93,982 37.6
1996-97* 181,000 221,000 402,000 NA          
*Proposed figures
Source: "Degrees and Other Awards Conferred by Institutions of Higher Education: 1993-94," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

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Doctorates Awarded

GRADUATES IN ALL DISCIPLINES BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT GRADUATES
Percent of
Business
Graduates
DOCTORAL DOCTORAL Percent of
Women
YEAR Male Female Total Male Female Total
1967-68 20,185 2,906 23,089 1.9 427 14 441 3.2
1972-73 28,571 6,206 34,777 2.5 850 52 902 5.7
1977-78 23,658 8,473 32,131 2.5 753 70 823 8.3
1978-79 23,541 9,189 32,730 2.5 724 97 821 11.7
1979-80 22,943 9,672 32,615 2.3 642 111 753 14.4
1980-81 22,711 10,247 32,958 2.4 675 120 795 15.1
1981-82 22,224 10,483 32,707 2.4 668 147 815 17.7
1982-83 21,902 10,873 32,775 2.3 644 132 776 16.8
1983-84 22,064 11,145 33,209 2.7 730 199 929 20.6
1984-85 21,700 11,243 32,943 2.5 688 143 831 17.0
1985-86 21,819 11,834 33,653 2.7 729 205 934 21.6
1986-87 22,061 11,980 34,041 3.1 808 254 1,062 23.5
1987-88 22,615 12,255 34,870 3.0 810 253 1,063 23.0
1988-89 22,648 13,072 35,720 2.9 800 300 1,100 27.1
1989-90 24,401 13,970 38,371 2.8 818 275 1,093 24.8
1990-91 24,756 14,538 39,294 3.0 876 309 1,185 26.0
1991-92 25,557 15,102 40,659 3.0 876 309 1,185 26.0
1992-93 26,073 16,059 42,132 3.1 968 371 1,339 27.7
1993-94 26,552 16,633 43,185 3.2 980 384 1,364 28.2
1994-95 26,916 17,530 44,446 N/A   1,014 380 1,394 27.3
1995-96 26,841 17,811 44,652 3.1 974 394 1,368 28.8
1996-97* 27,100 17,600 44,700 NA
*Proposed figures
Source: "Degrees and Other Awards Conferred by Institutions of Higher Education: 1993-94," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
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