The line graph illustrates changes in the number of students in four different fields:MBA, engineering, teaching, and journalism—over a 30-year period, measured in thousands. Overall, the data shows the number of students in MBA and engineering programs increased, while the number of teaching and journalism declined during this time.
Looking at fields that gained popularity, MBA and engineering both began with nearly 300,000 and 500,000, respectively, in 1980. These numbers continued to rise steadliy until 2000. After that point, the growth of engineering students hit a plateau, reaching just above 1.5 million by 2010. In contrast, the number of MBA students surged dramatically, peaking at approximately 2.5 million by 2010.
Regarding the fields that saw a decline in popularity, teaching and journalism started with roughly 800,000 and 400,000, respectively, in 1980. By 1990, both fields experienced a sharp decline, dropping to about 400,000 and 200,000 students. After 1990, the numbers decreased at a more gradual pace, reaching similar level of around 200,000 students by 2010.