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Digest of Education Statistics
1997 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 305.Statistical profile of persons receiving doctor's degrees in the social sciences:\1\1979-80 to 1994-95

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               Item               |1979-80|1980-81|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95
                                  |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
__________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______
                1                 |   2   |   3   |   4   |   5   |   6   |   7   |   8   |   9   |  10   |  11   |  12   |  13   |  14   |  15   |  16
__________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______
     Number of doctorates ........| 6,253 | 6,505 | 6,055 | 5,895 | 5,720 | 5,841 | 5,718 | 5,769 | 5,955 | 6,076 | 6,127 | 6,205 | 6,545 | 6,624 | 6,623
                                  |_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______
Sex (percent)                     |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  Men ............................|  65.4 |  64.4 |  60.7 |  59.2 |  58.9 |  57.6 |  57.2 |  55.0 |  54.8 |  53.7 |  50.6 |  52.6 |  50.7 |  50.6 |  49.2
  Women ..........................|  34.6 |  35.6 |  39.3 |  40.8 |  41.1 |  42.4 |  42.8 |  45.0 |  45.2 |  46.3 |  49.4 |  47.4 |  49.3 |  49.4 |  50.8
Racial/ethnic group (percent)\2\  |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  American Indian ................|   0.3 |   0.2 |   0.2 |   0.2 |   0.4 |   0.4 |   0.5 |   0.3 |   0.4 |   0.5 |   0.4 |   0.5 |   0.4 |   0.5 |   0.5
  Asian ..........................|   2.8 |   2.5 |   2.2 |   2.5 |   2.6 |   2.6 |   3.2 |   3.3 |   3.1 |   3.0 |   3.3 |   3.6 |   4.0 |   6.1 |   7.3
  Black ..........................|   4.2 |   4.0 |   3.9 |   4.6 |   4.4 |   4.1 |   3.8 |   4.4 |   4.4 |   4.4 |   4.9 |   4.5 |   4.7 |   4.7 |   5.2
  Hispanic .......................|   2.0 |   2.3 |   3.0 |   2.8 |   2.9 |   3.3 |   3.6 |   3.3 |   3.3 |   3.9 |   4.2 |   3.8 |   4.1 |   3.6 |   4.2
  White ..........................|  90.7 |  91.0 |  90.7 |  90.0 |  89.8 |  89.7 |  89.0 |  88.8 |  88.7 |  88.2 |  87.2 |  87.7 |  86.9 |  85.0 |  82.8
Citizenship (percent)             |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  United States ..................|  84.7 |  84.0 |  82.9 |  80.6 |  79.3 |  77.9 |  76.1 |  74.8 |  70.4 |  73.8 |  73.4 |  74.3 |  75.5 |  75.5 |  76.0
  Foreign ........................|  11.6 |  11.9 |  12.5 |  14.1 |  15.3 |  15.3 |  15.7 |  16.1 |  17.3 |  18.0 |  19.8 |  21.2 |  21.3 |  21.7 |  21.4
  Unknown ........................|   3.7 |   4.2 |   4.5 |   5.4 |   5.4 |   6.9 |   8.3 |   9.1 |  12.2 |   8.2 |   6.8 |   4.4 |   3.1 |   2.8 |   2.6
Median age at doctorate (years) ..|  31.6 |  32.0 |  32.4 |  32.7 |  33.0 |  33.4 |  33.5 |  34.1 |  33.9 |  34.2 |  34.1 |  34.3 |  34.3 |  34.1 |  34.1
Percent with bachelor's degree in |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  same field as doctorate ........|  58.6 |  59.1 |  58.9 |  59.3 |  58.5 |  57.0 |  56.4 |  54.5 |  52.3 |  55.4 |  54.2 |  53.1 |  53.7 |  53.2 |  52.2
Median time lapse from bachelor's |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  to doctorate (years)            |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  Total time .....................|   8.7 |   9.0 |   9.3 |   9.7 |   9.9 |  10.0 |  10.3 |  10.5 |  10.3 |  10.6 |  10.5 |  10.6 |  10.4 |  10.5 |  10.5
  Registered time ................|   6.4 |   6.5 |   6.8 |   7.1 |   7.1 |   7.2 |   7.4 |   7.4 |   7.4 |   7.5 |   7.5 |   7.5 |   7.5 |   7.5 |   7.5
__________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______    

\1\Includes anthropology, area studies, criminology, economics, geography, political science, public policy, psychology, and sociology.

\2\Longitudinal comparisons by race/ethnicity should be done with extreme care, due to periodic changes in the survey. Distribution by race/ethnicity based on U.S. citizens and those with permanent visas only.

NOTE.--The National Research Council's classification of degrees by field differs somewhat from that in most publications of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The major differences are that history is included under humanities rather than social sciences and that psychology is included under social sciences. The number of degrees also differs slightly from that reported in the NCES "Completions" survey. Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.0.

SOURCE: National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel, Doctorate Records File. (This table was prepared April 1997.)



1997 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest