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Science and Engineering Doctorates

What influences the path to the doctorate?

Parental education

Overview

The parents of recent doctorate recipients are better educated than the parents of earlier cohorts of doctorate recipients. The share of doctorate recipients from families in which neither parent has earned more than a high school diploma is declining, and the share from families in which at least one parent has earned a bachelor's degree or higher continues to climb, rising from 56% of doctorate recipients in 1995 to 69% in 2015 (figure A).

Doctorates awarded, by highest parental educational attainment: 1995–2015

Chart of Doctorates awarded, by highest parental educational attainment: 1995–2015
(Percent)
Year Neither parent with more than high school diploma At least one parent with some college At least one parent with bachelor's degree At least one parent with advanced degree
1995 28.7 15.1 21.6 34.7
1996 28.2 14.3 21.9 35.5
1997 26.5 13.9 22.6 37.0
1998 25.8 13.7 22.4 38.1
1999 25.1 13.6 21.9 39.4
2000 25.2 13.3 22.4 39.2
2001 23.9 13.6 22.3 40.1
2002 23.6 13.5 22.9 40.1
2003 23.2 13.3 23.2 40.2
2004 22.7 13.4 23.8 39.7
2005 22.2 13.5 24.7 39.2
2006 21.7 13.3 25.5 39.0
2007 21.2 13.4 25.9 39.1
2008 20.8 13.3 25.4 40.0
2009 20.1 13.0 25.3 41.2
2010 19.1 13.0 25.3 42.0
2011 19.0 12.9 25.4 42.0
2012 18.9 12.4 25.6 42.5
2013 18.5 12.7 25.4 42.9
2014 18.1 12.2 26.1 43.0
2015 18.0 12.3 26.5 42.7
Table of Doctorates awarded, by highest parental educational attainment: 1995–2015