Community colleges awarded more than 1.45 million credentials in the 2022-23 academic year, representing a 21% increase from the 1.19 million awarded 10 years earlier in 2012-13.
The total number of credentials awarded was highest during the 2018-19 academic year and started to decline during 2019-20, likely due to the Covid pandemic’s effect on the spring and summer terms that year. All three credential types (baccalaureates, associate degrees and certificates) saw a drop in 2019-20, with the largest percentage decline in bachelor’s degrees (down 6.6% year over year).
Public community colleges are increasingly being granted authority by their states to award baccalaureates in addition to associate degrees and certificates, as reflected in these data. Community colleges awarded slightly more than 21,000 bachelor’s degrees in 2022-23, or roughly 1.5% of all the credentials they awarded that year. Ten years earlier, fewer than 1% of public community college credentials were baccalaureates.
While the number of awarded certificates declined initially during the pandemic, community colleges issued more certificates than ever in the 2022-23 academic year (nearly 628,000), representing a larger share (43.5%) of awards that year compared to previous years. The number of associate degrees awarded rebounded in 2020-21 but declined steadily over the next two years and was at a level below 2015-16.
The collected completion data uses the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) — a taxonomic coding scheme of instructional programs offered in postsecondary education. There are three levels in the taxonomy, from the 2-digit CIP codes that represent the most general association of related programs, to the 6-digit CIP codes that are more specific programs of study. An analysis of 10-year and 5-year shifts in the 2-digit CIP codes provides insight into major trends in programmatic completions at public community colleges.
For associate degrees, the area of ethnic, cultural, gender and group studies saw the largest percentage increase in both the 10-year (298.5% increase in awards) and five-year (70.6% increase in awards) time spans. Psychology-related associate degrees were the second-fastest-growing program areas, increasing by more than 200% over the 10-year period.
While psychology programs saw the second fastest growth in terms of percentage increase, these programs saw the largest numeric increase in both periods, increasing by 12,105 awards over the 10 years and 5,681 over five years. Computer and information sciences and support services programs saw the second-largest numerical increase in the number of associate degrees awarded in both time periods but was not one of the top 10 fastest-growing over the 10-year span. Psychology and computer and information sciences and support services comprised nearly one-third of the increases in associate degrees from 2012-13 to 2022-23.
Philosophy and religious studies was the fastest growing certificate program over the most recent five years in this analysis, increasing by over 200%; however, there are very few certificates awarded in this program area (five in 2012-13, to 19 in 2022-23). Programs in English language and literature/letters was the fastest growing over 10 years and second fastest over five years, increasing by more than 275% in each time period.
In terms of numerical increases, liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities programs saw the largest increase in each period, and they accounted for 45% of the growth in certificates across the 10-year span.
