Graduate School Completion

About 1.15 million graduate degrees and certificates were earned in 2021. Of these, 75.5 percent were master’s degrees, 10.6 percent were professional or other doctoral degrees, 7.5 percent were postbaccalaureate certificates, and 6.3 percent were research doctoral degrees. The distribution of types of credentials varied across racial and ethnic groups. Research doctoral degrees accounted for 12.5 percent of graduate completions by international students, much higher than the corresponding percentages for domestic student groups. Among all graduate completions by domestic students, the share of research doctoral degrees ranged from 4.0 percent for Hispanic or Latino students to 6.0 percent for Black or African American students. In contrast, professional or other doctoral degrees were uncommon among international students (2.2 percent). Among graduate completions by domestic students, the share of professional or other doctoral degrees ranged from 7.4 percent for Black or African American students to 21.6 percent for Asian students. Among Black or African American students, 9.0 percent earned a postbaccalaureate certificate. In contrast, 4.1 percent of international students did so.