The pie charts compare the proportions of full-time university students in the UK studying different subject areas in 1995 and 2008.
Overall, humanities remained the most popular field in both years, while combined courses experienced a dramatic decline. In contrast, subjects such as medicine, business, and art and design saw noticeable growth over the period.
In 1995, humanities accounted for the largest share at 31%, followed by other sciences and technology at 26%. Medicine and biology represented a smaller proportion, at 13.4%, while combined courses made up 12.2%. Business and art and design were the least popular subjects, at 10.9% and 6.5% respectively.
By 2008, humanities had increased slightly to 33%, maintaining its leading position. Medicine and biology rose significantly to 21.8%, becoming the second most popular discipline. In contrast, the proportion of students in other sciences and technology fell to 20.8%. Business and art and design also grew, reaching 13% and 10.9% respectively. The most striking change was in combined courses, which dropped sharply from 12.2% to just 0.5%.
In summary, while humanities continued to dominate, there was a clear shift towards more specialized subjects, particularly in medicine and creative fields.