Minorities in Philosophy

Bachelors Degrees
In 2009, traditionally underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities received approximately 12 percent of all bachelors degrees in philosophy. This percentage represents an increase of three percentage points from 1995, the first year for which data of this kind are available. The group contributing most to this rise was Hispanics, with completions by students of this ethnicity rising from approximately 4.5 percent to almost 7 percent (Academy of Arts and Sciences).

Masters Degrees
At the masters level, traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities earned approximately 8 percent of philosophy degrees awarded in 2009, up from 6.5 percent in 1995. Among traditionally underrepresented groups, Hispanics, who completed almost 5 percent of philosophy masters in 2009, were the most likely to earn this type of degree. The data also reveal a surge from 2004 to 2009 in the percentage of philosophy masters degrees awarded to students of unknown ethnicity or who identified themselves as being of a race or ethnicity that is not included among the reporting categories employed by the NCES. Whether this increase is indicative of a rise in completions among members of smaller minority groups, an increasing unwillingness of students to report ethnicity data to their institutions, a growing embrace by students of racial/ethnic identifications (e.g., biracial) that could not be accommodated by NCESs classification scheme, or some combination of these phenomena is not clear (Academy of Arts and Sciences).

Doctoral Degrees
By 2006, completions of philosophy doctorates by traditionally underrepresented minorities had reached a high point of almost 8%, a level nearly three times greater than that observed in 1995. After the mid-2000s, however, these students share of degrees declined, and they earned fewer than 5% of philosophy doctorates in 2009. Completing a greater share of philosophy doctorates were temporary residents, students from other nations who come to study in the United States. In 2009, approximately a fifth of all philosophy doctorates from U.S. institutions were awarded to such students (Academy of Arts and Sciences).

See charts and graphs on following pages.

2013 The American Philosophical Association

Percentages of Bachelors Degrees in Philosophy Awarded to Members of Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups, 19952009
Racial/ Ethnic Minorities* Traditionally Underrepresented Minorities** African American, NonHispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic Other/ Unknown Races & Ethnicities Temporary Resident

1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
20.00 18.00 16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00

14.18 14.74 15.20 16.88 15.85 15.92 16.00 15.49 15.32 16.46 16.92 17.37 18.11 18.76

9.00 9.39 8.99 10.97 10.09 10.11 10.56 9.93 9.84 10.98 11.67 11.23 11.89 12.43

3.75 4.22 3.56 4.04 3.92 3.84 4.45 3.65 3.88 4.23 4.92 4.37 4.46 4.77

0.60 0.29 0.49 0.47 0.52 0.81 0.48 0.54 0.68 0.99 0.56 0.73 0.67 0.83

5.19 5.35 6.21 5.91 5.76 5.81 5.44 5.57 5.49 5.48 5.26 6.14 6.22 6.32

4.64 4.88 4.94 6.46 5.64 5.46 5.62 5.74 5.28 5.76 6.18 6.14 6.76 6.83

3.29 4.37 4.50 4.04 6.07 6.41 6.74 8.00 7.37 8.15 8.02 8.38 8.88 8.38

1.81 2.19 1.69 1.77 1.95 2.05 1.94 1.87 1.88 1.55 1.54 1.64 1.33 1.45

Racial/Ethnic Minorities* Traditionally Underrepresented Minorities** African American, NonHispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic Other/Unknown Races & Ethnicities Temporary Resident 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The IPEDS data were accessed and analyzed via the National Science Foundation's online science and engineering resources data system, WebCASPAR (https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/). Data assembled by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for inclusion in the Humanities Indicators 2012. (Figure II-21d)

2013 The American Philosophical Association

Percentages of Masters Degrees in Philosophy Awarded to Members of Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups, 19952009
Racial/ Ethnic Minorities* Traditionally Underrepresented Minorities** African American, NonHispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic Other/ Unknown Races & Ethnicities Temporary Resident

1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
20.00 18.00 16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00

8.09 6.54 8.23 7.49 9.45 10.19 9.66 9.68 12.50 11.70 10.16 9.75 10.89 11.65

6.47 4.71 4.39 4.01 6.51 6.39 5.08 5.13 8.64 7.27 6.84 5.57 6.72 8.27

1.75 1.70 1.65 1.74 2.04 2.72 2.54 2.45 3.18 2.74 2.62 1.50 2.65 3.10

0.81 0.00 0.27 0.53 0.51 0.27 0.25 0.00 0.45 0.53 0.70 0.32 0.19 0.28

1.62 1.83 3.84 3.48 2.94 3.80 4.57 4.55 3.86 4.43 3.32 4.18 4.17 3.38

3.91 3.01 2.47 1.74 3.96 3.40 2.29 2.68 5.00 4.00 3.52 3.75 3.88 4.89

4.99 6.28 6.04 5.48 6.64 6.79 7.62 6.88 7.05 8.75 9.96 11.47 14.96 17.29

7.68 8.12 8.09 8.56 9.07 8.70 7.50 8.75 9.77 9.48 8.55 6.75 7.95 7.33

Racial/Ethnic Minorities* Traditionally Underrepresented Minorities** African American, NonHispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic Other/Unknown Races & Ethnicities Temporary Resident 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The IPEDS data were accessed and analyzed via the National Science Foundation's online science and engineering resources data system, WebCASPAR (https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/). Data assembled by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for inclusion in the Humanities Indicators 2012. (Figure II-21e)

2013 The American Philosophical Association

Percentages of Doctoral Degrees in Philosophy Awarded to Members of Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups, 19952009
Racial/ Ethnic Minorities* Traditionally Underrepresented Minorities** African American, NonHispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic Other/ Unknown Races & Ethnicities Temporary Resident

1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
25.00

5.08 6.31 9.59 7.37 7.59 6.46 6.02 5.99 7.33 8.09 10.99 11.11 9.30 8.13

2.71 3.00 4.93 4.47 4.88 4.39 3.01 3.49 3.66 3.92 7.85 6.76 4.65 4.74

0.68 1.20 2.47 1.84 2.44 1.55 0.60 0.75 1.57 2.09 3.66 2.66 2.33 2.48

0.00 0.30 0.55 0.53 0.27 0.52 0.30 0.00 0.26 0.00 0.52 0.48 0.52 0.45

2.37 3.30 4.66 2.89 2.71 2.07 3.01 2.49 3.66 4.18 3.14 4.35 4.65 3.39

2.03 1.50 1.92 2.11 2.17 2.33 2.11 2.74 1.83 1.83 3.66 3.62 1.81 1.81

5.08 2.10 3.01 4.74 6.23 6.46 5.72 6.23 5.24 4.44 8.64 5.56 8.01 8.80

15.25 15.92 16.71 13.16 15.18 14.47 18.07 16.46 15.18 19.32 13.87 19.81 18.86 19.86

20.00

Racial/Ethnic Minorities* Traditionally Underrepresented Minorities** African American, NonHispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic

15.00

10.00

5.00

Other/Unknown Races & Ethnicities Temporary Resident 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

0.00

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The IPEDS data were accessed and analyzed via the National Science Foundation's online science and engineering resources data system, WebCASPAR (https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/). Data assembled by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for inclusion in the Humanities Indicators 2012. (Figure II-21f)

2013 The American Philosophical Association