University degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded

University students received a record number of bachelor's and master's degrees in 2005, as the overall number of degrees, diplomas and certificates rose for the seventh consecutive year.

Universities granted a record high 215,400 degrees, diplomas and certificates in 2005, up 2.3% from 2004. This was an increase of more than 43,000 over the level in 1998, which was the lowest in 10 years.

A record 172,700 students received an undergraduate degree, certificate or diploma, a 2.1% gain from 2004 and the seventh consecutive annual increase. This corresponds to the total of all undergraduate and graduate qualifications awarded in 1998.

Some 33,000 students received a master's level qualification in 2005, up 1.9% from the previous year and the eighth annual increase in a row. The 2005 level represents about 8,000 more master's degrees than the level in 2001, which is the equivalent of a 33% increase.

Women continued to outnumber men at graduation ceremonies. The estimated 128,600 women who received some form of qualification in 2005 accounted for 60% of all graduates for the fourth year in row. Women outnumbered men at every level other than at the earned doctorate level.

The number of doctorates granted remained stable at 4,200. However, the number of doctorates earned by women in 2005 was 28% higher than the level in 1998, while the number earned by men was 4% lower.

Universities awarded master's degrees to 15,900 men in 2005, up 1.3% from 2004, and to 17,100 women, a 1.8% increase.

The number of degrees, diplomas and certificates rose in a majority of fields of study in 2005. Notable exceptions were: mathematics, computer and information sciences (-9.1%), agriculture, natural resources and conservation (-8.3%), and education (-0.8%).

The largest gains occurred in health, parks, recreation and fitness, where the number of qualifications granted rose 8.4%. The second largest occurred in humanities, with a 6.2% increase.

For the fourth year in a row, the business, management and public administration field ranked above all others, with 45,318 qualifications awarded in 2005. This field accounted for 21% of all qualifications granted.

The social and behavioural sciences and law field accounted for 20%, and humanities, 11%. With two consecutive years of gains, qualifications in health, parks, recreation and fitness for the first time accounted for just over 10% of qualifications.

The agriculture, natural resources and conservation field has experienced a regular increase of women. In 2005, women accounted for 54% of registrants, compared with 37% in 1992.

Note: Data are subject to revision. For Quebec institutions, the Classification of Instructional Program codes assigned to programs are under review, and qualifications awarded do not include micro programs and attestations. The reconciliation of the 2005/2006 data from Thompson Rivers University is not yet completed. Data for the province of Saskatchewan for 2005/2006 are not complete. Data for the University of Regina were not available. Estimates of change at the national level, from any prior year to 2005/2006, will underestimate the true value. 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 under 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 release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-7608; fax: 613-951-4441; educationstats@statcan.gc.ca), Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics.

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