Arizona universities report historic increase in degrees awarded
Apr 23, 2020, 4:25 AM
(Arizona State University Photo)
(Arizona State University Photo)
PHOENIX — The three public universities in Arizona awarded a state record 45,885 undergraduate and graduate degrees to students in the fiscal year 2019, according to a report released from the Arizona Board of Regents on Wednesday.
Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University set university records in 2019, as ASU awarded 27,485 degrees and NAU awarded 7,565 degrees.
The University of Arizona awarded 10,835 degrees in 2019, a 7% increase in bachelor’s degrees and a 5% bump in graduate degrees when compared with 2018.
Total degrees given out by each public university mark a 30.4% increase over the last five years, keeping up with the Arizona Board of Regents’ expectation that more than 56,000 degrees will be awarded by the three universities by 2025.
It’s the 14th consecutive year the number of degrees awarded in the state has risen.
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While Arizona public universities awarded a record number of degrees in 2019, the report states only 29% of the Arizona population holds a bachelor’s degree, compared to the national mark of 35%.
“This report indicates positive trends for Arizona, but our state is still behind when it comes to the education of its citizens,” ABOR Executive Director John Arnold said in a press release.
“Increasing educational attainment is not only a boon for individuals who earn higher wages, have less unemployment and better quality of life, but Arizona benefits with a highly skilled workforce ready for the challenges of the future,” he added.
The number of Arizonans with a bachelor’s degree may rise in the future, as more than half of the degrees handed out by the three universities went to Arizona residents.
According to the report, 20,495 of the degrees were awarded to students residing in Arizona.
This aligns with positive trends of Arizona highschoolers opting for higher education within their home state, as 104,494 of the 195,672 students that attended the three public universities were Arizona residents.
The Arizona Board of Regents 2018 wages of graduates report stated 80% of resident students have a job in Arizona within six months of graduation.
A record number of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2019 had a focus on STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), an increase of 62% from 2014, according to the report.
Health-related bachelor’s degrees also saw a 63% increase, which Arizona Board of Regents Chair Larry Edward Penley said in the release was an important factor in the state’s readiness for the coronavirus outbreak.
Bachelor’s degrees awarded with a focus on education, meanwhile, declined by 2.4% over the last five years, according to the report.
