Summary

• Teacher education, business and management, studies in human society, sales and marketing, law and nursing were the most common fields of specialisation for domestic bachelors graduates in 2006.
• The fastest growing areas were biological sciences (up 310 graduates, or 36 percent since 2002), law (up 300, or 28 percent), communication and media studies (up 230, or 54 percent), and social work and counselling (up 210, or 92 percent).
• The fastest declining areas were information technology (down 660 graduates, or 40 percent from 2002), teacher education (down 380, or 15 percent) and education studies (360, or 28 percent), and accountancy (down 230, or 20 percent).
• International students were more likely to study management and commerce or information technology. International graduates outnumbered domestic in the fields of economics, and banking and finance.

A key focus of the New Zealand tertiary education system over the last decade has been on developing a stronger relationship between the supply of skills and knowledge from the education sector and the demand for these skills from the labour market. Improving the knowledge base on what fields tertiary students are graduating in is a key element of this goal, and a primary objective of this report.

This report looks at trends in the fields of study of bachelors degree graduates in New Zealand. It uses newly developed, more detailed, and more reliable information on field of study than has previously been available. Accompanying this report is a set of new statistical tables, which replace and extend existing field of study data on the Ministry of Education's Education Counts website. For graduates' field of specialisation, the new method currently only permits analysis for the years 2002 to 2006. Data for later years will be added as it becomes available. Therefore the trends presented in this report may not reflect environmental changes in the last two years, such as effects from the implementation of recent tertiary sector reforms, or any effects from the current economic recession.

Nearly 26,000 people gained a bachelors degree in 2006.  Teacher education, business and management, and studies in human society have remained the three most common fields of specialisation for domestic bachelors graduates for the last five years. Sales and marketing, law, and nursing were the next three most common specialisations.

One in five graduates was an international student. International students were more likely to study management and commerce or information technology. In fact, international graduates outnumbered domestic in the fields of economics, and banking and finance.

The largest numerical increases over the last five years have been in biological sciences (up by 310 graduates, or 36 percent), law (up 300, or 28 percent), communication and media studies (up 230, or 54 percent), and social work and counselling (up 210, or 92 percent). Other smaller but rapidly growing fields were public health (up 120 or 230 percent), and justice and law enforcement (up 110 or 150 percent). Strong growth also in biotechnology and pharmacology has seen the 'other sciences' group increase by 160 graduates or 56 percent since 2002.

The biggest decreases have been in information technology (down over 660, or 40 percent), teacher education (down 380, or 15 percent) education studies (down 360, or 28 percent), and accountancy (down 230, or 20 percent). In contrast to the decline in information technology, there has been a 25 percent increase in graduates in graphic and design studies, much of which has been due to growth in computer-based multimedia and design courses. Despite the decline in education graduates, teacher education still remains the most common field of specialisation, while information technology fields have now dropped out of the top ten.

Students gained bachelors degrees at over 40 tertiary education providers, including 14 private training establishments. However, 83 percent of graduates were from the eight universities. While institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) produced 15 percent of all graduates, their share was higher in the broad fields of health, creative arts, information technology, and architecture and building. Three-quarters of nursing graduates were from ITPs. Nearly half of graduates in social work and counselling were from ITPs, while around 40 percent of graduates in graphic arts and design, and visual arts and crafts were from ITPs. Just over 700 students (or two percent) gained a bachelors degree from a wānanga or private training establishment.

The number of domestic graduates increased in total by four percent between 2002 and 2006. However, growth in the sciences was higher than this (up 200, or 16 percent), mainly due to growth in the biological sciences. Engineering was stable between 2002 and 2005, but increased by 19 percent in 2006, with growth spread over a number of engineering disciplines.

Graduate numbers in the humanities have remained stable since 2003 at around 1,500 a year. In health, the number of nursing graduates, representing 40 percent of health graduates, fell by 13 percent in 2006. Medical studies graduate numbers have remained relatively constant at between 420 and 450 a year, while dental studies (specifically the allied dental professions) and pharmacy have grown steadily (up 60 percent) since 2002.

Graduate numbers in teacher education declined by 380, or 28 percent, since 2002. Much of the decline was between 2002 and 2003, there was a drop again in 2005 and a slight pick up between 2005 and 2006 graduates. Data for 2007 and 2008 graduates is not yet available to confirm current tends. Over the period of analysis, two of the then four colleges of education merged with their local university, while the remaining two followed in 2007.

The number of graduates in management and commerce fields has increased nine percent since 2002, despite a 20 percent decline in accountancy. Creative arts graduate numbers have been increasing rapidly, and they now number more than those in the sciences. This is largely due to growth in journalism and media studies (up 230, or 54 percent), and graphic and design studies in particular computer-based design fields, which have increased by 150 graduates or 25 percent since 2002.

Teacher education, nursing and studies in human society (the humanities) were the most common specialisations for women bachelors graduates, while business and management, sales and marketing and law were the fields most commonly studied by men.

Women increased their share of graduates in dental studies, agriculture, and justice and law enforcement, while their share of graduates decreased in most engineering disciplines, information technology, tourism, and the performing arts.

At the broad field of study level, domestic Asian graduates were more likely to be found in the sciences, information technology, engineering, and management and commerce. Māori and Pasifika graduates were more likely than European or Asian graduates to be found in education, or society and culture. There were significantly fewer Asian graduates in education, or society and culture.