This report analyses the field of study of domestic students/learners in the New Zealand tertiary education system between 2011 and 2015 for below bachelors degree level and between 2008 and 2015 for bachelors level or higher.
Key Results
Our analysis shows that:
- in Level 1 and 2 certificates, there was an increase in the proportion of students/learners in the Mixed field programme field. Changes in the focus of this level of qualification (to give greater emphasis to foundation-level skills) is likely to have driven a change in content
- in Level 3 to 7 certificates/diplomas, the fields of Architecture and building, Society and culture, and Food, hospitality and personal services showed increases in share of students/learners
- at the bachelors or higher level, there was an increase in the proportion of students/learners enrolled in STEM-related subjects
- at the bachelors or higher level, universities had the highest number of students/learners in every field of study
- women were more likely to be studying in fields such as nursing and teaching, while there was a higher proportion of men in areas such as engineering
- Māori and Pasifika were relatively less likely to be enrolled in STEM-related fields at the bachelors or higher level
- overall, the results showed similar trends and patterns to our earlier analysis on the field of study of domestic graduates.