Degrees Conferred by Connecticut Institutions of Higher Education Highlights, 2007-08. Report

This paper presents the degrees conferred by Connecticut institutions of higher education in 2007-08. Connecticut colleges and universities awarded 36,634 degrees in 2007-08 (up 1.6% over 2006-07), the state's seventh consecutive year of growth and a 28 percent increase since 1998. Once again, the top five degree-producing disciplines were business, health professions, education, social sciences/history and liberal arts and sciences. Those five fields comprise 57 percent of all degrees and are up 22 percent over the last decade. All but business and education (both down 1%) saw gains in 2008. Degrees across the health professions increased seven percent to 4,179 in 2008 and are 29 percent above their production in 2004. Nursing degrees were down two percent (i.e., 20 fewer awards) in 2008, but are up 32 percent above 2004. Degrees across four other fields important to Connecticut's economy (engineering, physical and biological sciences and computer science) increased six percent over 2007 and rose a cumulative 14 percent since 2004. Forty-two percent (1,457) of teacher preparation awards were in the 10 critical shortage areas identified last year by the State Department of Education. Degrees awarded to minority students increased 1.3 percent. Degrees earned by African Americans fell (2.6%) for a second consecutive year, but degrees to Hispanics/Latinos were up 6.0 percent. Minority students earned 17.6 percent of all awards in 2007-08, up from 13.4 percent 10 years ago. Women earned 59.1 percent of all degrees, up from 55.3 percent two decades ago, down slightly from their record high of 60.3 percent set in 2005-06. Appended are: (1) Degrees and Certificates Granted by Colleges and Universities in Connecticut, 2007-08; (2) Degrees and Certificates by Level and Race/Ethnicity Connecticut Colleges and Universities, 2007-08; and (3) Degrees and Certificates by Level, Discipline and Gender of Recipient Discipline Connecticut Colleges and Universities, 2007-08. (Contains 7 tables.)