Percentage of graduates by field of education (tertiary education)

Definition

Number of graduates from each ISCED field of education in tertiary education, expressed as a percentage of the total number of graduates in tertiary education.

Data source

Census or records of tertiary educational institutions and programmes.

Source definition

UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Calculation method

Number of graduates in each field of education expressed as percentage of the total number of graduates in tertiary education in a given academic-year.

Data required

Graduates in tertiary education by field of education.

Interpretation

Relative concentration of graduates in particular fields of education depicts high preference and capacity in these programmes as well as related job opportunities.

Limitations

Cross-country comparisons rely heavily on how far countries have used consistent field definitions. Detailed or aggregated information may not be fully comparable at the international level due to exclusions, double counting of students, partial data, etc. Also, differences in duration, intensity and degree of theoretical and applied content can bias comparisons between countries.

Purpose

To show the distribution of tertiary graduates over different fields of education. The indicator also reflects the development of tertiary education in terms of the range of fields offered as well as the supply of qualified human resources in different specializations.

Quality standards

This indicator requires complete and reliable data on the number of graduates by field of education in tertiary level and clear distinction between different fields of education. The percentage in all fields of tertiary education must sum up to 100.

The UIS sets standards, develops questionnaires and quality control protocols for country data reporting, and maintains the global database on the structure of education, and data on graduates in tertiary education by field of education.

Types of disaggregation

By sex and ISCED levels of tertiary education.