The two pie charts show the proportion of qualified graduates in a Arts and Science in a particular country in 1980 and 2008.
Overall, Science qualifications became much more common, especially at PhD level, while the share of Arts graduates, particularly those with first degrees, declined.
In 1980, the largest group was master’s science at 29%, followed by first degree Arts at 25%. First degree Science accounted for 19%, whereas Master’s Arts and PhD Science made up 12% and 13% respectively. PhD Arts was the smallest category, at only 2%.
By 2008, PhD science had increased sharply to 30%, becoming the biggest proportion, while Master’s Science remained unchanged at 29%. In contrast, first degree Arts fell markedly to 11%. Higher qualifications in Arts rose slightly, with Master’s Arts at 13% and PhD arts at 7%, but they were still lower than the figure for science.
