Top Study Abroad Fields of Study
Here are the top U.S. study abroad fields of study. The data is current for 2008. Our observations are as follows:
- Between the year 2000 and 2007 the total number of U.S. students studying abroad has increased steadily by a yearly average of 7.74%
- The 3 most popular fields, Social Sciences, Business & Management, and Humanities, account for more than 50% of the fields of study for U.S. study abroad.
- Contrary to what many would assume, the Foreign Language field of study component accounts for just 7.2% of U.S. study abroad fields.
| Field of Study | 01/02 | 02/03 | 03/04 | 04/05 | 05/06 | 06/07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 21.9 | 21.3 | 22.6 | 22.6 | 21.7 | 21.4 |
| Business & Management | 17.6 | 17.7 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.7 | 19.1 |
| Humanities | 13.8 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 14.2 | 13.2 |
| Fine or Applied Arts | 8.5 | 9.0 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.7 |
| Physical or Life Sciences | 7.6 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 7.3 |
| Foreign Languages | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.2 |
| Education | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Health Sciences | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Engineering | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Math or Computer Science | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Agriculture | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Other | 5.2 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 6.6 |
| Undeclared | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Social Sciences & Humanities | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Dual Major | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Totals | 161k | 175k | 191k | 206k | 225k | 242k |
Data source: IIE Network's OpenDoors 2008: Report on International Educational Exchange
*Less than 1%