Distribution of Undergraduate Majors by Field and Race
| Selected Fields | 1977 | 1997 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | White | Total | Black | White | Total | |
| Engineering | 1.3% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 3.8% |
| Physical sciences | 0.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| Math & computer sciences | 1.0% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 3.2% | 2.5% | 2.9% |
| Life sciences | 11.6% | 15.2% | 14.8% | 9.0% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| Psychology | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.7% |
| Social sciences | 9.1% | 7.5% | 7.6% | 6.6% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| Education | 20.8% | 15.0% | 15.1% | 9.2% | 11.0% | 10.0% |
| Business & management | 18.2% | 16.8% | 17.0% | 20.3% | 18.4% | 19.1% |
| Total (N = ) | 126,864 | 1,588,962 | 1,860,510 | 217,545 | 1,853,808 | 2,577,065 |
Source: Authors’ tabulations from the Earned Degrees Conferred Survey.