Field of degree data are used by the National Science Foundation to study the characteristics of the population with science and engineering degrees and occupations.

Data on field of bachelor's degree were derived from answers to Question 12 in the 2013 American Community Survey. This question was asked only to person with a bachelor's degree or higher. Eligible respondents were asked to list the specific major(s) of any bachelor's degree received. This question does not ask for the field of any other type of degree earned (such as master's or doctorate).

An automated computer system coded write-in responses to Question 12 into 192 areas. Clerical coding categorized any write-in responses that could not be autocoded by the computer. Respondents listing multiple fields were assigned a code for each field, with a maximum of 10 fields per respondent.
The majors were further classified into a category scheme detailed in Field of Degree Classification table in Appendix A.

Question/Concept History

The field of degree question first appeared in the 2009 ACS. The inclusion of a field of degree question on the ACS was proposed to provide field of degree data annually for small levels of geography and to assist in building a sampling frame for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG).

Comparability

Tables based on 2010-2013 ACS data are not completely comparable to tables based on 2009 ACS data due to slight changes in the field of degree coding and classifications. More information can be found at http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/acs/index.html.

This data may be roughly comparable to the National Survey of College Graduates and the National Survey of Recent College Graduates, although the sampling frame and survey instruments differ between the surveys. Field of degree data was also collected in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) from1984 to 2004. However, these data would not be comparable to ACS due to differences in data collection period, methodology and collection methods. For example, the SIPP only collects data for respondents who are 15 years and older and does not include group quarters.

A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. This category includes people who indicate their race as "American Indian or Alaska Native" or report entries such as Navajo, Blackfeet, Inupiat, Yup'ik, or Central American Indian groups, or South American Indian groups.

Respondents who identified themselves as "American Indian or Alaska Native" were asked to report their enrolled or principal tribe. Therefore, tribal data in tabulations reflect the written entries reported on the questionnaires. Some of the entries (for example, Metlakatla Indian Community and Umatilla) represent reservations or a confederation of tribes on a reservation. The information on tribe is based on self-identification and, therefore, does not reflect any designation of federally or state-recognized tribe. The information for the 2013 ACS Detail Race tables were derived from the American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Classification List for the 2010 Census, which was updated through 2009 based on the annual Federal Register notice entitled "Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs," Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, issued by OMB, and through consultation with American Indian and Alaska Native communities and leaders.

The American Indian categories shown in the 2013 ACS Detailed Race tables represent tribal groupings, which refer to the combining of individual American Indian tribes, such as Fort Sill Apache, Mescalero Apache, and San Carlos Apache, into the general Apache tribal grouping.

The Alaska Native categories shown in the 2013 ACS Detailed Race tables represent tribal groupings, which refer to the combining of individual Alaska Native tribes, such as King Salmon Tribe, Native Village of Kanatak, and Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak, into the general Aleut tribal grouping.