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University degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded
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University students received a record number of bachelor's and master's degrees in 2004, as the overall number of degrees, certificates and diplomas rose for the sixth straight year.
Universities granted a record high 209,100 degrees, diplomas and certificates in 2004, up 5.3% from 2003, and an increase of more than 30,000 over the last three years.
An all-time high of 168,700 students received an undergraduate degree, a 4.7% gain from 2003 and the sixth consecutive annual increase.
Just over 31,600 students received a master's level qualification in 2004, up 9.0% from the previous year and the seventh annual increase in a row. For the first time, master's level qualifications represented more than 15% of all qualifications awarded.
The number of doctorates granted reached a record 4,200, up 7.7% from 2003. These account for 2.0% of all qualifications awarded.
Between 1996 and 2004, the number of bachelor's and other undergraduate degrees rose 15.8%, offsetting an overall decline in undergraduate diplomas and certificates of 6.4% for the same period.
Women continue to outnumber men at graduation ceremonies. About 124,800 women received some form of qualification in 2004, making up about 60% of the total number of graduates for the third year in row.
However, a record 57,400 men received a bachelor's and other undergraduate degree in 2004, a 4.7% gain from the previous year. Despite this increase, they represented almost 40% of all bachelors and other undergrad degrees.
In 2004, universities awarded master's degrees to 15,200 men, up 9.4% from 2003, and to 16,300 women, a 7.9% increase.
The number of degrees, diplomas and certificates rose in all fields of study in 2004, except one: agriculture, natural resources and conservation. Qualifications awarded in this field declined 5.3%, returning its share of the total to 1.7% where it was in 1996.
The largest gains occurred in health, parks, recreation and fitness, where qualifications rose 11.0%, and in visual and performing arts, and communications technologies, where they rose 9.0%.
For the first time, qualifications awarded in the social and behavioural sciences, and law field surpassed the 40,000-mark, reaching 41,800. This was a 6.9% increase from 2003.
For the third year in a row, the business, management and public administration field ranked above all others, with 43,200 qualifications awarded in 2004. They accounted for 20.6% of all qualifications.
Note: For Quebec and most of Alberta institutions, the Classification of Instructional Programs codes assigned to programs are under review. In addition, qualifications awarded in Quebec do not include microprogrammes and attestations.
The data are subject to revision.
Data on immigration status, country of citizenship and age should be used with caution due to a high level of non-response.
Available on CANSIM: table 477-0014.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5017.
Data tables are also available in the Summary tables module of our website
For general information, to order data, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this releae, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-7608; fax: 613-951-9040; educationstats@statcan.gc.ca), Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.
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