Disaggregate: Postsecondary major Breadcrumb Home Disaggregates Postsecondary Major Definition A student’s postsecondary major(s) Why it matters Some fields of study are more lucrative than others; therefore, a student’s postsecondary major is likely to be linked to longer-term economic outcomes. Degree holders in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields, for example, tend to earn higher wages.1, 2 Degree holders in business and health fields also tend to earn above-average wages, whereas degree holders in arts, social work, and education tend to earn the lowest wages over time, based on an analysis by Georgetown University that analyzed earnings by major groupings.3 The same analysis also noted that, despite being associated with lower earnings, more than 20 percent of students choose to major in education, arts, psychology, or social work. The Postsecondary Value Commission calls these fields “high social value” fields and points out that these professions are systematically undervalued.4 What to know about measurement Postsecondary institutions that receive federal financial aid are required to report students’ field of study across 33 areas; specifically, fields of study are tracked using Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes, which are divided into 60 main areas.5 Information on field of study is also reported in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). CIP codes can be further grouped into STEM fields using a list published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.6 CIP codes can also be linked to occupational categories via Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes, allowing E-W systems to link postsecondary data to labor market data. Source frameworks This disaggregate appeared in two source frameworks reviewed for this report: the California Cradle-to-Career Data System and the Institute for Higher Education Policy Postsecondary Metrics framework. References 5NCES Blog. (2019). Introducing the 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) and its website. NCES Blog. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/post/introducing-the-2020-classification-of-instructional-programs-cip-and-its-website 6ICE.gov. (2016). STEM designated degree program list, effective May 10, 2016. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2016/stem-list.pdf 1Noonan, R. (2017). STEM jobs: 2017 update. U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Office of the Chief Economist. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED594354 2Carnevale, A. P., Cheah, B., & Wenzinger, E. (2021). The college payoff: More education doesn’t always mean more earnings. Georgetown University, McCourt School of Public Policy, Center on Education and the Workforce. https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/collegepayoff2021/3See Carnevale et al. (2021). 4Postsecondary Value Commission (PVC). (2021). Equitable value: Promoting economic mobility and social justicethrough postsecondary education. Institute for Higher Education Policy. https://postsecondaryvalue.org/reports/