Appendix

There is considerable variation across the 18 major areas in the number of 4-year and 2-year colleges that have recently offered an undergraduate degree or certificate in that area.

Chart Table
Number of Colleges Awarding Undergraduate Degrees or Certificates by College Level and Major Area
Number of Colleges Awarding Undergraduate Degrees or Certificates by College Level and Major Area
Area of Study 4-Year College 2-Year College
Business 2,254 1,707
Comp. Sci. & Mathematics 2,065 1,433
Social Sciences & Law 1,954 885
Commun, Fam., & Personal Svcs 1,936 2,993
Arts: Visual & Performing 1,743 824
Area, Eth. & Multidiscip. Studies 1,727 946
Health Sci. & Techno. 1,660 2,350
Education 1,445 823
Sciences: Biological & Physical 1,435 502
English & Foreign Lang. 1,418 386
Communications 1,417 651
Philosophy, Religion, & Theology 1,302 81
Health Admin. & Assisting 887 2,082
Agric. & Nat. Res. Cons 827 591
Engineering 743 463
Eng. Tech. & Drafting 672 1,261
Repair, Production, & Construction 251 1,426
Architecture 225 101
 

Graph reads: 225 4-year colleges and 101 2-year colleges have offered an undergraduate degree or certificate in the area of Architecture.

Note: Data come from the 2010, 2011, and 2012 completion data files of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). To be counted within a major area, a college must have awarded at least one undergraduate degree or certificate in that area over the past three academic years.

  • Students who plan to pursue a degree or certificate in areas such as Business; Computer Science and Mathematics; Community, Family, and Personal Services; and Health Sciences and Technologies have a large number of 4-year or 2-year college options, whereas students who plan to pursue a degree or certificate in the areas of Engineering or Architecture have far fewer college options.
  • With some exceptions (e.g., Health Administration and Assisting; and Repair, Production, and Construction), a larger number of 4-year colleges than 2-year colleges offer a degree or certificate in particular major area.