Job market
Science and engineering
At any given time, the job market for new doctorate recipients will be better in some fields of study than in others, although all fields tend to follow a similar cyclical pattern that generally reflects overall trends in economic conditions.
The proportion of doctorate recipients in science and engineering (S&E) fields who reported definite commitments for employment, including postdoctoral (postdoc) study, has been in decline since 2001. However, there has been a small uptick in the commitment shares for some fields since 2014.
Definite commitments for employment at doctorate award among U.S. doctorate recipients, by science and engineering field of study: 1996–2016
| Year | All fields | Life sciences | Physical sciences and earth sciences | Mathematics and computer sciences | Psychology and social sciences | Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 67.5 | 70.7 | 68.0 | 66.6 | 65.1 | 63.6 |
| 1997 | 67.4 | 71.1 | 69.8 | 68.9 | 64.2 | 65.3 |
| 1998 | 69.7 | 71.8 | 72.4 | 69.7 | 67.8 | 69.8 |
| 1999 | 69.9 | 72.4 | 73.0 | 72.8 | 67.5 | 67.7 |
| 2000 | 71.2 | 72.4 | 73.6 | 76.0 | 69.8 | 69.9 |
| 2001 | 72.9 | 72.9 | 77.1 | 75.3 | 72.5 | 72.5 |
| 2002 | 72.5 | 73.6 | 76.1 | 76.1 | 72.2 | 69.6 |
| 2003 | 71.3 | 72.1 | 73.5 | 73.8 | 73.2 | 64.6 |
| 2004 | 70.0 | 71.2 | 70.8 | 72.8 | 71.1 | 63.6 |
| 2005 | 70.5 | 70.6 | 71.7 | 74.6 | 73.0 | 64.6 |
| 2006 | 71.6 | 71.7 | 72.0 | 74.2 | 74.1 | 66.0 |
| 2007 | 68.7 | 66.4 | 71.9 | 73.0 | 72.5 | 64.7 |
| 2008 | 69.2 | 65.8 | 71.3 | 70.9 | 72.7 | 65.1 |
| 2009 | 69.5 | 66.8 | 72.1 | 72.1 | 72.9 | 66.8 |
| 2010 | 68.1 | 65.9 | 72.0 | 71.5 | 71.4 | 65.4 |
| 2011 | 65.5 | 62.6 | 69.0 | 69.8 | 69.0 | 64.1 |
| 2012 | 65.9 | 62.8 | 66.9 | 70.2 | 70.1 | 64.0 |
| 2013 | 62.6 | 58.5 | 64.0 | 68.6 | 68.9 | 59.5 |
| 2014 | 61.4 | 58.1 | 61.6 | 66.8 | 68.7 | 57.2 |
| 2015 | 62.0 | 58.6 | 61.1 | 69.8 | 68.5 | 58.2 |
| 2016 | 61.8 | 59.5 | 62.0 | 67.4 | 67.4 | 58.6 |
- NOTES: Definite commitment 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, including postdoc study, in the coming year. Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients responding to the postgraduation status item.
- SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities 2016. Related detailed data: tables 42, 43.
