The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is a

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

of academic disciplines at institutions of

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The CIP was originally developed by the

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

(NCES) of the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

in 1980 and was revised in 1985, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. The 2020 edition (CIP 2020) is the fifth and current revision of the taxonomy. Instructional programs are classified by a six-digit CIP at the most granular level and are classified according to the two-digit and four-digit prefixes of the code. For example,
Forensic Science and Technology
has the six-digit code 43.0406, which places it in
Security Science and Technology
(43.04) and
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services
(two-digit CIP 43).

External links

Classification of Instructional Programs
from the

(NCES) of the

Ask the CIP Specialist
blog provides additional information about using the CIP and how to code different academic programs
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 Version 1.0
from

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

Educational classification systems United States Department of Education {{US-edu-stub