First postgraduate position
Academic employment
In 2016, 45% of all doctorate recipients with definite employment commitments (excluding postdoc positions) in the United States reported that their principal job would be in academe.
The highest rates of academic employment commitments were reported by doctorate recipients in humanities and arts (76%) and in other non-S&E fields (76%); the lowest rates were reported in engineering (14%) and in physical sciences and earth sciences (20%). Since 2006, the rate of academic employment commitments by doctorate recipients in S&E fields has declined by 7 percentage points, whereas the academic employment rate of doctorates in non-S&E fields has risen due to the increase in academic commitments in education.
Definite academic employment commitments in the United States, by broad field of study: 1996–2016
| Year | All fields | S&E fields | Life sciences | Physical sciences and earth sciences | Mathematics and computer sciences | Psychology and social sciences | Engineering | Non-S&E fields | Humanities and arts | Education | Other non-S&E fields |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 48.8 | 38.1 | 51.8 | 24.8 | 46.8 | 53.4 | 14.1 | 61.1 | 79.2 | 46.4 | 76.5 |
| 1997 | 45.8 | 34.2 | 45.0 | 21.9 | 38.6 | 50.0 | 12.8 | 60.6 | 77.7 | 46.4 | 72.9 |
| 1998 | 45.7 | 33.8 | 41.8 | 19.8 | 43.9 | 51.4 | 11.5 | 61.3 | 78.6 | 46.5 | 72.8 |
| 1999 | 48.8 | 37.1 | 47.5 | 21.1 | 48.1 | 51.9 | 14.1 | 62.7 | 80.7 | 47.2 | 75.7 |
| 2000 | 48.6 | 37.7 | 46.0 | 21.9 | 47.5 | 52.0 | 14.8 | 62.0 | 78.0 | 47.9 | 73.0 |
| 2001 | 48.4 | 36.2 | 45.8 | 20.2 | 45.8 | 54.0 | 13.4 | 63.7 | 79.1 | 49.0 | 74.4 |
| 2002 | 52.3 | 41.6 | 48.7 | 23.7 | 53.8 | 57.9 | 16.5 | 64.7 | 81.6 | 48.4 | 78.7 |
| 2003 | 54.4 | 45.3 | 50.7 | 25.8 | 63.6 | 58.2 | 21.7 | 64.1 | 81.4 | 48.5 | 77.5 |
| 2004 | 56.1 | 46.7 | 52.3 | 27.6 | 62.3 | 60.8 | 22.0 | 65.6 | 83.3 | 50.2 | 77.1 |
| 2005 | 54.3 | 44.7 | 53.2 | 26.2 | 54.6 | 62.0 | 18.5 | 65.6 | 82.5 | 50.2 | 76.2 |
| 2006 | 51.1 | 39.8 | 47.4 | 27.7 | 44.4 | 59.9 | 14.3 | 65.5 | 80.8 | 51.0 | 74.7 |
| 2007 | 51.1 | 39.0 | 47.7 | 26.8 | 42.1 | 61.3 | 13.3 | 66.9 | 84.3 | 51.5 | 78.5 |
| 2008 | 51.1 | 39.6 | 48.6 | 26.0 | 39.7 | 62.4 | 15.1 | 66.4 | 85.1 | 50.8 | 78.9 |
| 2009 | 51.8 | 41.0 | 50.0 | 27.8 | 40.8 | 63.0 | 14.4 | 66.2 | 83.9 | 50.3 | 80.2 |
| 2010 | 52.6 | 41.8 | 48.9 | 28.5 | 40.8 | 60.2 | 16.9 | 67.2 | 80.6 | 53.4 | 76.0 |
| 2011 | 51.8 | 39.1 | 48.7 | 25.8 | 36.4 | 60.9 | 13.6 | 71.4 | 82.5 | 57.9 | 79.6 |
| 2012 | 50.5 | 37.7 | 46.1 | 28.1 | 35.8 | 59.9 | 13.5 | 71.2 | 81.4 | 57.9 | 80.4 |
| 2013 | 50.2 | 37.4 | 46.2 | 24.5 | 35.2 | 60.0 | 13.6 | 72.1 | 82.2 | 58.6 | 81.3 |
| 2014 | 49.2 | 37.0 | 46.9 | 25.0 | 32.9 | 60.1 | 14.9 | 72.2 | 81.8 | 59.4 | 80.0 |
| 2015 | 48.5 | 36.6 | 45.6 | 23.8 | 32.4 | 59.4 | 14.5 | 70.8 | 78.6 | 59.4 | 79.9 |
| 2016 | 44.6 | 32.6 | 38.3 | 20.0 | 29.5 | 54.2 | 14.1 | 68.2 | 76.4 | 58.2 | 75.8 |
- S&E = science and engineering.
- NOTES: Definite commitment for employment refers to a doctorate recipient who is either returning to pre-doctoral employment or has signed a contract (or otherwise made a definite commitment) for employment other than a postdoc position in the coming year. Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who reported definite commitments for employment, excluding postdoc study, in the coming year and plans to stay in the United States. Total used to calculate the percentage includes those missing employer type.
- SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities 2016. Related detailed data: tables 44, 51, 52.
