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Digest of Education Statistics
1998 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 370. -  Federal obligations to colleges and universities for research and development, by field: United States and outlying areas, 1980 to 1995
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                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Field of science or engineering   |   1980    |   1981    |   1986    |   1988    |   1989    |  1990\1\  |  1991\1\   |  1992\1\   |  1993\1\   |  1994\1\   |    1995
____________________________________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________
                 1                  |     2     |     3     |     4     |     5     |     6     |     7     |     8      |     9      |     10     |     11     |     12
____________________________________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________
   Total, all fields ...............|$4,160,543 |$4,410,931 |$6,456,743 |$7,719,237 |$8,525,212 |$9,009,235 |$10,031,252 |$10,851,509 |$10,951,143 |$11,811,097 |$12,081,192
                                    |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|============|============|============|============|============
Engineering, total .................|   612,456 |   792,223 |   998,312 | 1,129,303 | 1,157,047 |   474,709 |    543,530 |    587,404 |    683,676 |    706,452 |    287,098
                                    |___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________
     Aeronautical ..................|    28,044 |    31,056 |    42,257 |    47,946 |    66,096 |    45,965 |     44,207 |     48,539 |     50,114 |     82,826 |     63,166
     Astronautical .................|     4,634 |     4,875 |    24,147 |    32,516 |    42,276 |    11,803 |     20,977 |     21,407 |     13,402 |     16,071 |     14,555
     Chemical ......................|    22,210 |    27,667 |    50,379 |    67,647 |    45,829 |    56,845 |     67,968 |     63,900 |     67,234 |     58,293 |      5,610
     Civil .........................|    48,130 |    58,300 |    35,402 |    30,947 |    43,026 |    37,306 |     34,064 |     30,756 |     44,252 |     68,240 |     39,364
     Electrical ....................|    86,916 |   115,011 |   212,175 |   251,336 |   240,638 |    53,162 |     60,299 |     68,416 |     69,045 |     74,686 |      8,074
     Mechanical ....................|    42,593 |    37,954 |    56,416 |    60,551 |    71,137 |    52,652 |     54,674 |     60,748 |     67,471 |     52,118 |     13,206
     Metallurgy and materials ......|    63,057 |    52,815 |   101,457 |   121,228 |   146,253 |    81,678 |     91,686 |     76,926 |    180,553 |    164,272 |     23,230
     Engineering, other ............|   316,872 |   464,545 |   476,079 |   517,132 |   501,792 |   135,298 |    169,655 |    216,712 |    191,605 |    189,946 |    119,893
                                    |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|============|============|============|============|============
All sciences, total ................| 3,548,087 | 3,618,708 | 5,458,431 | 6,589,934 | 7,368,165 | 8,534,526 |  9,487,722 | 10,264,175 | 10,267,433 | 11,104,608 | 11,793,855
                                    |___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________
  Physical sciences ................|   507,884 |   500,657 |   770,254 |   859,764 |   980,297 |   891,596 |  1,022,807 |  1,136,460 |  1,024,928 |  1,138,746 |  1,009,330
     Astronomy .....................|    52,736 |    54,835 |    78,435 |    89,791 |   103,271 |    98,804 |    115,212 |    149,417 |    139,579 |    214,549 |    132,640
     Chemistry .....................|   170,048 |   165,189 |   255,593 |   281,573 |   299,417 |   272,929 |    295,576 |    325,224 |    321,105 |    324,213 |    134,622
     Physics .......................|   249,661 |   250,342 |   379,289 |   426,005 |   506,983 |   454,690 |    518,840 |    546,081 |    513,084 |    542,800 |    698,846
     Physical sciences, other ......|    35,439 |    30,291 |    56,937 |    62,395 |    70,626 |    65,173 |     93,179 |    115,738 |     51,160 |     57,184 |     43,222
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Mathematical sciences ............|    53,987 |    53,668 |    96,405 |   119,217 |   134,998 |   109,587 |    125,893 |    140,544 |    131,875 |     77,337 |     21,856
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Computer sciences ................|    37,585 |    37,493 |    82,691 |    84,424 |   123,197 |    99,214 |    113,545 |    124,962 |    137,893 |    159,963 |     38,369
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Environmental sciences ...........|   379,453 |   330,079 |   468,882 |   474,695 |   555,679 |   522,767 |    572,778 |    623,757 |    653,092 |    786,446 |    351,675
     Atmospheric sciences ..........|    86,486 |    95,112 |   124,657 |   132,379 |   131,959 |   139,914 |    149,426 |    171,557 |    162,385 |    235,810 |     81,960
     Geological sciences ...........|   109,523 |   101,207 |   118,401 |   131,913 |   152,449 |   147,517 |    173,492 |    149,913 |    163,011 |    186,542 |     30,552
     Oceanography ..................|    92,079 |    91,863 |   121,855 |   129,473 |   163,035 |   117,636 |     94,448 |    107,897 |    103,472 |    116,367 |     43,424
     Environmental sciences, other .|    91,365 |    41,897 |   103,969 |    80,930 |   108,236 |   117,700 |    155,412 |    194,390 |    224,224 |    247,727 |    195,739
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Life sciences ....................| 2,137,751 | 2,290,587 | 3,463,114 | 4,349,268 | 4,730,663 | 4,773,434 |  5,319,947 |  5,633,514 |  5,572,481 |  6,313,516 |  5,915,567
     Agricultural sciences .........|   111,739 |   134,660 |   143,249 |   155,772 |   180,908 |   181,453 |    193,763 |    211,936 |    190,033 |    183,944 |    192,635
     Biological sciences ...........| 1,085,602 | 1,192,756 | 1,849,516 | 2,345,433 | 2,558,987 | 2,578,470 |  2,820,183 |  2,950,701 |  2,931,726 |  3,191,651 |  2,935,783
     Environmental biology .........|    13,137 |    14,636 |    86,088 |    97,126 |   108,584 |   104,053 |    124,218 |    130,633 |    109,351 |    171,332 |     96,164
     Medical sciences ..............|   885,898 |   904,963 | 1,325,157 | 1,689,606 | 1,829,888 | 1,853,979 |  2,102,127 |  2,252,375 |  2,253,419 |  2,689,279 |  2,598,691
     Life sciences, other ..........|    41,375 |    43,572 |    59,104 |    61,331 |    52,296 |    55,479 |     79,656 |     87,869 |     87,952 |     77,310 |     92,294
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Psychological sciences ...........|    86,459 |    87,734 |   138,338 |   186,924 |   209,344 |   225,987 |    258,886 |    254,311 |    277,667 |    318,832 |    298,545
     Biological aspects ............|    28,269 |    26,273 |    39,049 |    53,287 |    66,959 |    71,705 |     80,438 |     75,307 |      8,542 |      3,792 |      1,390
     Social aspects ................|    31,129 |    28,846 |    38,589 |    52,113 |    59,502 |    66,960 |     82,257 |     75,285 |      4,754 |      7,357 |      3,519
     Psychological sciences, other .|    27,061 |    32,615 |    60,700 |    81,524 |    82,883 |    87,322 |     96,191 |    103,719 |    264,371 |    307,683 |    293,636
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Social sciences ..................|   203,948 |   197,695 |   172,148 |   184,539 |   218,404 |   250,366 |    303,798 |    301,056 |    267,080 |    279,575 |    228,978
     Anthropology ..................|     7,757 |     5,543 |     6,455 |     5,972 |     7,054 |     7,061 |      8,768 |      9,015 |      8,474 |      8,115 |      1,297
     Economics .....................|    51,414 |    56,704 |    43,764 |    48,039 |    51,806 |    58,441 |     60,142 |     70,582 |     68,102 |     60,478 |     62,295
     History .......................|     1,688 |     1,069 |     1,508 |     1,527 |     1,665 |     1,890 |      2,116 |      2,166 |      2,014 |          0 |          0
     Linguistics ...................|     2,997 |     2,745 |     2,481 |     3,248 |     3,402 |     3,055 |      3,383 |      3,684 |      3,554 |          0 |        100
     Political science .............|     5,890 |     5,122 |     5,003 |     5,926 |     6,988 |     7,415 |      8,287 |      8,894 |      7,687 |      6,625 |      2,067
     Sociology .....................|    34,903 |    38,136 |    34,580 |    55,204 |    75,404 |    96,240 |    113,829 |    104,430 |     35,666 |     30,602 |     11,066
     Social sciences, other ........|    99,299 |    88,376 |    78,357 |    64,623 |    72,085 |    76,264 |    107,273 |    102,285 |    141,583 |    173,755 |    152,153
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
  Other sciences ...................|   141,020 |   120,795 |   266,599 |   331,103 |   415,583 | 1,661,575 |  1,770,068 |  2,049,571 |  2,202,417 |  2,030,193 |  3,929,535
                                    |           |           |           |           |           |           |            |            |            |            |
Residual amounts ...................|         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |          0 |        -70 |         34 |         37 |        239
____________________________________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________

\1\All U.S. Department of Defense data are reported as other sciences.

NOTE.--Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Fields of science and engineering are no longer reported as of fiscal year 1996.

SOURCE: National Science Foundation, Science Resources Studies Division, unpublished data. (This table was prepared May 1998.)


1998 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest