From staff reports Oklahoma’s state higher education institutions have sustained steady growth in degree and certificate completions over the past decade, including substantial increases in degree production in STEM fields and health professions.
According to the latest Degrees Conferred in Oklahoma Higher Education report from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, degree and certificate completion across public higher education has increased more than 15% in the last decade.
“Producing more college graduates remains the top priority for this board and for our state system institutions,” State Regents’ Chairman Courtney Warmington said Thursday. “Continued growth in degrees earned over the last 10 years – including in key sectors such as healthcare and STEM – demonstrates public higher education’s unwavering commitment to affordability, innovation, and student success.”
During the 2024-25 academic year, students from Oklahoma public colleges and universities earned 41,250 degrees and certificates, records reflect. That number included 2,462 certificates, 11,617 associate’s degrees, 17,498 bachelor’s degrees (42.4% of the total awards conferred by state system institutions), 853 graduate certificates, 7,063 master’s degrees, 967 first professional degrees, and 790 doctoral degrees.
That represented an 8.4% increase in degrees conferred over the prior year, an 11% increase over the last five years, and a 15.3% increase over the last 10 years.
“Nearly 88% of degrees and certificates awarded in 2024-25 were in fields of study aligned with Oklahoma’s top 100 critical occupations,” said Chancellor Sean Burrage. “This clear focus on high-demand disciplines reflects our public colleges and universities’ commitment to aligning higher education with Oklahoma’s workforce priorities.”
In the 2024-25 academic year, state system institutions awarded 8,925 degrees and certificates in STEM fields.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree production at all levels has increased more than 9% in the last academic year and nearly 29% over the last 10 years. In the last decade, bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields increased almost 20%, and master’s degrees increased nearly 57%.
The 6,756 degrees and certificates that state system institutions awarded in health professions in 2024-25 marked an increase of 11.1% over the previous year, and 18.5% during the last decade.
Looking at nursing specifically, degree and certificate production numbered 2,968, an increase of 8.1% in the last year and 36.5% in the last 10 years.
Education degree production continues to show signs of recovery after many years of decline. While associate and bachelor’s degrees leading to teacher licensure at state system institutions declined overall during the last five years, this trend appears to have stabilized, with bachelor’s degrees conferred from 2023-24 to 2024-25 remaining essentially flat.
Additionally, the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred in educator preparation programs in 2024-25 is nearly 2% higher than in 2021-22 and more than 4% higher than in 2022-23. This positive shift reflects concerted efforts to address the teacher shortage, such as the Inspired to Teach scholarship and employment incentive program, which will produce the first cohort of graduates over the next couple of academic years.