Blacks Making Solid Progress in Graduate School Enrollments

A new report by the Council of Graduate Schools finds that African Americans continue to make strong progress in enrollments in master’s and doctoral degree programs.

The data shows that in 2007 there were 170,167 African Americans enrolled in graduate education in the United States. They made up 13 percent of all graduate students. This equals the black percentage of the U.S. population.

The progress has been steady and significant. From 1997 to 2007 black enrollments in graduate education have increased an average of 8 percent each year. This compares to an overall increase in graduate school enrollments of 2 percent a year.

Of the 170,167 African Americans who are enrolled in graduate school, 34 percent are enrolled in programs in the field of education. For whites, 29 percent of all graduate students are enrolled in education programs.

Business is the second most popular field for black graduate students, followed by social sciences and health sciences.