The Gender Gap in Graduate School Enrollments and Degree Attainments

GEDReport_2014 copyThe Council of Graduate Schools recently released a new report on enrollments and degree attainments in master’s and doctoral degree programs at U.S. universities. The report shows that in 2014 there were 1.7 million students enrolled in graduate education programs in the United States. The report stated that first-time enrollments in graduate programs in the fall of 2014 stood at more than 479,642 students. This was up slightly from the previous year.

Among the first-time graduate students in 2014, women were 51.0 percent of the new enrollees in doctoral programs, up slightly from 2013. Women were 57.9 percent of new entrants in master’s degree programs. This was down from the previous year. Women were 57.7 of all graduate enrollments and 59.7 percent of all full-time graduate enrollments.

Women made up 74.6 percent of all students in graduate programs in education and 77.6 percent of all students in the health sciences. In contrast, women were only 24.2 percent of the students in graduate programs in engineering and 30.7 percent of the graduate students in mathematics and computer science.

The report also reveals that during the 2013-14 academic year, women were awarded 308,756 master’s degrees at U.S. graduate schools. This was 59.0 percent of all master’s degrees awarded that year. Women earned 52.2 percent of the more than 73,000 doctorate degrees awarded. This was the sixth consecutive years in which women earned more doctoral degrees than men.

The full report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, 2004 to 2014, may be downloaded by clicking here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Sinda Vanderpool Is the First Woman President of the University of St. Thomas in Houston

“It is a privilege to lead an institution that not only pursues academic excellence, but also forms students in virtue, leadership and service," said Sinda K. Vanderpool. "I am honored to help steward UST’s next chapter of growth and impact.”

Susan Stuebner to Lead Simpson College in Iowa

"The headwinds remain fierce in higher education, but Simpson is clearly poised for a promising future," said Susan Stuebner, who was recently appointed interim president of Simpson College in Iowa. "I look forward to working closely with our outstanding faculty and staff to maximize the great opportunities ahead of us."

Two Women Selected to Lead Community Colleges in Minnesota

Linda Kingston is the new president of Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minnesota, and Pakou Yang has been named interim president of Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Manya Whitaker is the Fifteenth President of Colorado College

"I am inspired daily by our students’ passion, our faculty’s wisdom, our staff’s dedication, and the entire campus community’s commitment to the College’s values," said Dr. Whitaker. "I look forward to working together to build on our strengths and shape an even brighter future for Colorado College."

Three Women Selected to Lead Community Colleges in the United States

Lori Gonko has been named interim president of Henry Ford College in Michigan, Lena Tran has been appointed interim chancellor of Yosemite Community College District in California, and Laura Treanor is the new president of Virginia Western Community College.

MOSDOH – Dean of the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health

The dean serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for MOSDOH, leading a mission-driven dental school known for innovation, community partnerships, and service to the underserved.

Vice President for Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer

The successful candidate will have a strong financial and administrative background and demonstrated ability to excel in a fast-paced, dynamic and complex community college that values integrity, excellence, empowerment, inclusiveness, collaboration and stewardship.

Instructional Professor in Law, Letters, and Society (Open Rank)

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Instructional Professor who will teach in the program in Law, Letters, and Society.

Instructor, Economics

The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago invites applications for tenure-track faculty positions in Economics at the Instructor position level to begin in the 2025-26 academic year and is renewable for up to three years.

Vice Chancellor for Student Success

The Vice Chancellor for Student Success will be a strategic, student-centered, data-informed, systems thinker who thrives in a fast paced, high-achieving environment.