After three years of treading water (2005, 2006, and 2007), in 2008 (academic year 2007-08), undergraduate degrees in economics awarded by U.S. colleges and universities resumed the strong upward trajectory they exhibited from 1997 through 2004, when they rose almost 60 percent over seven years. This trend has continued unabated since 2007, with annual growth rates of 6.2, 4.2, 2.6, and 4.0 percent, respectively, from 2008 through 2011. In the last three years, the strongest growth has been among public colleges and universities, whose degrees awarded have increased by 11 percent (compared to a 4 percent increase among private institutions). (Contains 3 tables.)