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Table 12. Doctorate recipients, by major field of study: Selected years, 1985–2015

Field of study 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All fields 31,295 100.0 36,065 100.0 41,747 100.0 41,369 100.0 43,385 100.0 48,031 100.0 55,006 100.0
Life sciences 5,822 18.6 6,655 18.5 7,998 19.2 8,622 20.8 9,310 21.5 11,319 23.6 12,520 22.8
Agricultural sciences and natural resources 1,300 4.2 1,371 3.8 1,293 3.1 1,179 2.8 1,160 2.7 1,100 2.3 1,439 2.6
Biological and biomedical sciences 3,793 12.1 4,328 12.0 5,376 12.9 5,853 14.1 6,367 14.7 8,046 16.8 8,801 16.0
Health sciences 729 2.3 956 2.7 1,329 3.2 1,590 3.8 1,783 4.1 2,173 4.5 2,280 4.1
Physical sciences and earth sciences 3,491 11.2 4,212 11.7 4,540 10.9 4,071 9.8 4,359 10.0 4,995 10.4 5,924 10.8
Chemistry 1,836 5.9 2,100 5.8 2,162 5.2 1,989 4.8 2,126 4.9 2,304 4.8 2,675 4.9
Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 575 1.8 719 2.0 726 1.7 693 1.7 714 1.6 862 1.8 1,057 1.9
Physics and astronomy 1,080 3.5 1,393 3.9 1,652 4.0 1,389 3.4 1,519 3.5 1,829 3.8 2,192 4.0
Mathematics and computer sciences 998 3.2 1,597 4.4 2,187 5.2 1,910 4.6 2,334 5.4 3,223 6.7 3,825 7.0
Computer and information sciences 310 1.0 705 2.0 997 2.4 860 2.1 1,129 2.6 1,633 3.4 2,005 3.6
Mathematics and statistics 688 2.2 892 2.5 1,190 2.9 1,050 2.5 1,205 2.8 1,590 3.3 1,820 3.3
Psychology and social sciences 6,027 19.3 6,331 17.6 6,930 16.6 7,452 18.0 7,149 16.5 7,883 16.4 9,095 16.5
Psychology 3,117 10.0 3,281 9.1 3,429 8.2 3,616 8.7 3,322 7.7 3,421 7.1 3,782 6.9
Anthropology 353 1.1 324 0.9 375 0.9 446 1.1 456 1.1 507 1.1 493 0.9
Economics 811 2.6 862 2.4 979 2.3 948 2.3 1,061 2.4 1,073 2.2 1,256 2.3
Political science and government 406 1.3 462 1.3 599 1.4 669 1.6 618 1.4 728 1.5 859 1.6
Sociology 461 1.5 428 1.2 540 1.3 617 1.5 536 1.2 639 1.3 745 1.4
Other social sciences 879 2.8 974 2.7 1,008 2.4 1,156 2.8 1,156 2.7 1,515 3.2 1,960 3.6
Engineering 3,166 10.1 4,894 13.6 6,008 14.4 5,323 12.9 6,426 14.8 7,578 15.8 9,897 18.0
Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 124 0.4 192 0.5 252 0.6 214 0.5 219 0.5 252 0.5 361 0.7
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 69 0.2 129 0.4 189 0.5 251 0.6 417 1.0 824 1.7 1,129 2.1
Chemical engineering 440 1.4 561 1.6 602 1.4 619 1.5 774 1.8 822 1.7 1,002 1.8
Civil engineering 358 1.1 505 1.4 572 1.4 480 1.2 622 1.4 643 1.3 633 1.2
Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering 629 2.0 1,110 3.1 1,513 3.6 1,330 3.2 1,547 3.6 1,778 3.7 2,004 3.6
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 92 0.3 151 0.4 284 0.7 176 0.4 221 0.5 215 0.4 244 0.4
Materials science engineering 188 0.6 307 0.9 476 1.1 404 1.0 493 1.1 670 1.4 874 1.6
Mechanical engineering 424 1.4 773 2.1 917 2.2 807 2.0 892 2.1 983 2.0 1,467 2.7
Other engineering 842 2.7 1,166 3.2 1,203 2.9 1,042 2.5 1,241 2.9 1,391 2.9 2,183 4.0
Education 6,733 21.5 6,509 18.0 6,648 15.9 6,442 15.6 6,227 14.4 5,288 11.0 5,117 9.3
Education administration 1,625 5.2 1,664 4.6 1,974 4.7 2,036 4.9 2,167 5.0 1,439 3.0 922 1.7
Education research 2,925 9.3 2,439 6.8 2,576 6.2 2,667 6.4 2,674 6.2 2,443 5.1 2,783 5.1
Teacher education 463 1.5 419 1.2 390 0.9 261 0.6 263 0.6 245 0.5 155 0.3
Teaching fields 1,118 3.6 922 2.6 924 2.2 824 2.0 663 1.5 800 1.7 957 1.7
Other education 602 1.9 1,065 3.0 784 1.9 654 1.6 460 1.1 361 0.8 300 0.5
Humanities and arts 3,406 10.9 3,854 10.7 5,040 12.1 5,462 13.2 5,187 12.0 5,016 10.4 5,600 10.2
Foreign languages and literature 435 1.4 512 1.4 639 1.5 642 1.6 607 1.4 601 1.3 656 1.2
History 543 1.7 612 1.7 889 2.1 1,061 2.6 924 2.1 1,005 2.1 1,145 2.1
Letters 983 3.1 1,060 2.9 1,548 3.7 1,612 3.9 1,389 3.2 1,516 3.2 1,590 2.9
Other humanities and arts 1,445 4.6 1,670 4.6 1,964 4.7 2,147 5.2 2,267 5.2 1,894 3.9 2,209 4.0
Othera 1,652 5.3 2,013 5.6 2,396 5.7 2,087 5.0 2,393 5.5 2,729 5.7 3,028 5.5
Business management and administration 789 2.5 1,036 2.9 1,330 3.2 1,065 2.6 1,171 2.7 1,366 2.8 1,588 2.9
Communication 266 0.8 323 0.9 381 0.9 389 0.9 488 1.1 638 1.3 668 1.2
Non-S&E fields not elsewhere classified 597 1.9 654 1.8 685 1.6 629 1.5 733 1.7 725 1.5 772 1.4
Unknown field 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 4 * 1 * 0 0.0 0 0.0
* = value < 0.05%.
S&E = science and engineering.
a Non-science and engineering fields.
NOTES: See table A-6 in the technical notes for a listing of major fields and their constituent subfields. Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to 100.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates.