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Which fields attract students?

As researchers expand their understanding of the world, new fields of study emerge and existing fields change. Observing which fields of study are attracting growing proportions of students can provide early insight into where future research breakthroughs may occur.

Doctorates awarded in science and engineering fields of study: 1994–2014

Percent

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 4, 7, 12, 13.

Field trends: Science and engineering

Doctorates in science and engineering (S&E) fields, particularly in life sciences, represent a growing share of all doctorates awarded. S&E doctorates accounted for 75% of all doctorates awarded in 2014, a substantially larger share than 10 years earlier (66%). The relative share of doctorates awarded in life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering increased over the past decade. Despite a 23% increase in the absolute number of social sciences doctorates awarded from 2004 to 2014, the relative share of these doctorates declined over the period.

Doctorates awarded in non-science and engineering fields of study:
1994–2014

Percent

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 4, 8, 12, 13.

Field trends: Non-science and engineering

The number of doctorates awarded in education has declined over the past decade, leading to a large, steady drop in the relative share of doctorates in this field from 16% in 2004 to 9% in 2014. (From 2010 to 2011, the SED reclassified 143 EdD degree programs. See “Data Source” for more information.) Despite an increase in the number of humanities doctorates, the relative share of doctorates awarded in this field fell 2 percentage points from 2004 to 2014. The share of doctorates in other non-S&E fields has remained fairly stable over the past decade.

Doctorates awarded, by citizenship and field of study: 1994 and 2014

Percent

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: table 17.

Temporary visa holders

In every broad field of study, the share of doctorates awarded to temporary visa holders is larger in 2014 than it was 20 years earlier. Temporary visa holders are most prevalent in engineering and physical sciences. In 2014, temporary visa holders represented 55% of doctorate recipients in engineering and 45% of those in the physical sciences.

Doctorates awarded to minority U.S. citizens and permanent residents,
by ethnicity, race, and field of study: 2014

Percent

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 23, 24.

Minority U.S. citizens and permanent residents

Among minority U.S. citizens and permanent residents, doctorate recipients of different racial or ethnic backgrounds are more heavily represented in some fields of study than in others. In 2014, Asians were the largest U.S. minority population in life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering; blacks or African Americans were the largest U.S. minority population in education and other non-S&E fields; and Hispanics or Latinos earned more doctorates in humanities than did any other minority group. In 2014, Asians, Hispanics or Latinos, and blacks or African Americans earned relatively similar proportions of doctorates in social sciences.

Doctorates awarded to women, by field of study: 1994–2014

Percent

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 14, 15, 16.

Women: Field of study

Women's share of doctorates awarded has grown over the past two decades in all broad fields of study. The largest increase in the representation of women occurred in life sciences, where the share of female doctorate recipients increased by 14 percentage points from 1994 to 2014. The smallest increase in the proportion of female doctorates was reported in humanities, with an increase of 4 percentage points over the 20 years. Although women earned only 23% of the 2014 engineering doctorates, this represented a large advance (12 percentage points) over 1994.

Top fields of study for female doctorate recipients, by broad field and select
subfield: 2004–14

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: table 15.

Women: Growing fields

The fastest growing subfields of doctoral study for women over the past decade have been within the physical sciences (led by computer and information sciences) and engineering (led by materials science engineering).