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Digest of Education Statistics
2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 325.72. Degrees in chemistry, geology and earth science, and physics conferred by postsecondary institutions, by level of degree: 1959-60 through 2019-20
Year Chemistry Geology and earth science1  Physics2 
Bachelor's Master's Doctor's Bachelor's Master's Doctor's Bachelor's Master's Doctor's
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1959-60 7,569 1,228 1,048 2,570 629 220 4,322 1,073 487
1960-61 7,559 1,313 1,131 1,926 658 223 4,319 1,271 564
1961-62 8,047 1,401 1,114 1,501 661 220 4,808 1,425 667
1962-63 8,769 1,441 1,219 1,155 620 282 4,777 1,567 752
1963-64 9,660 1,560 1,271 1,250 657 254 4,946 1,848 778
1964-65 10,000 1,680 1,377 1,277 653 316 4,948 1,906 942

1965-66
9,687 1,817 1,533 1,527 662 348 4,601 1,949 973
1966-67 9,828 1,799 1,700 1,724 802 346 4,722 2,110 1,183
1967-68 10,783 1,977 1,723 2,117 896 356 5,038 2,088 1,260
1968-69 11,702 2,023 1,895 2,695 984 393 5,518 2,252 1,296
1969-70 11,519 2,111 2,166 2,937 941 392 5,320 2,200 1,439

1970-71
11,061 2,244 2,093 3,312 1,074 408 5,071 2,188 1,482
1971-72 10,588 2,229 1,943 3,766 1,233 433 4,634 2,033 1,344
1972-73 10,124 2,198 1,827 4,117 1,296 430 4,259 1,747 1,338
1973-74 10,430 2,082 1,755 4,526 1,479 416 3,952 1,655 1,115
1974-75 10,541 1,961 1,773 4,566 1,320 433 3,706 1,574 1,080

1975-76
11,015 1,745 1,578 4,677 1,384 445 3,544 1,451 997
1976-77 11,200 1,717 1,522 5,280 1,446 480 3,420 1,319 945
1977-78 11,304 1,832 1,461 5,648 1,633 419 3,330 1,294 873
1978-79 11,499 1,724 1,475 5,753 1,596 414 3,337 1,319 918
1979-80 11,229 1,671 1,500 5,785 1,623 440 3,396 1,192 830

1980-81
11,331 1,616 1,586 6,332 1,702 404 3,441 1,294 866
1981-82 11,058 1,683 1,682 6,650 1,848 452 3,472 1,284 873
1982-83 10,789 1,582 1,691 6,981 1,784 406 3,793 1,369 873
1983-84 10,698 1,632 1,707 7,524 1,747 408 3,907 1,532 953
1984-85 10,472 1,675 1,735 7,194 1,927 401 4,097 1,523 951

1985-86
10,110 1,712 1,878 5,760 2,036 395 4,180 1,501 1,010
1986-87 9,660 1,695 1,932 3,943 1,835 399 4,318 1,543 1,074
1987-88 9,043 1,671 1,944 3,204 1,722 462 4,100 1,675 1,093
1988-89 8,618 1,742 1,974 2,847 1,609 492 4,352 1,736 1,112
1989-90 8,122 1,643 2,135 2,372 1,399 562 4,155 1,831 1,192

1990-91
8,311 1,637 2,196 2,367 1,336 600 4,236 1,725 1,209
1991-92 8,629 1,746 2,233 2,784 1,245 549 4,098 1,834 1,337
1992-93 8,903 1,822 2,216 3,123 1,195 626 4,063 1,777 1,277
1993-94 9,417 1,968 2,298 3,456 1,221 577 4,001 1,945 1,465
1994-95 9,706 2,062 2,211 4,032 1,280 539 3,823 1,817 1,424

1995-96
10,395 2,214 2,228 4,019 1,288 555 3,679 1,678 1,462
1996-97 10,609 2,203 2,202 4,023 1,258 564 3,376 1,496 1,410
1997-98 10,528 2,108 2,291 3,866 1,227 588 3,441 1,371 1,393
1998-99 10,109 2,019 2,175 3,570 1,196 533 3,200 1,326 1,257
1999-2000 9,989 1,857 2,028 3,516 1,186 492 3,342 1,232 1,208

2000-01
9,466 1,952 2,056 3,495 1,220 472 3,418 1,365 1,169
2001-02 9,084 1,823 1,984 3,449 1,263 494 3,627 1,344 1,096
2002-03 9,013 1,777 2,092 3,381 1,323 466 3,900 1,438 1,089
2003-04 9,016 2,009 2,033 3,312 1,389 463 4,118 1,625 1,119
2004-05 9,664 1,879 2,148 3,276 1,420 476 4,182 1,785 1,254

2005-06
10,607 2,044 2,403 3,322 1,476 505 4,539 1,846 1,341
2006-07 10,997 2,097 2,514 3,319 1,440 640 4,843 1,777 1,442
2007-08 11,556 2,195 2,411 3,557 1,349 577 4,863 1,788 1,507
2008-09 11,852 2,085 2,556 3,809 1,352 614 4,824 1,653 1,580
2009-10 12,107 2,123 2,470 4,093 1,447 613 4,984 1,793 1,571

2010-11
12,656 2,272 2,599 4,611 1,568 567 5,199 1,769 1,670
2011-12 13,473 2,435 2,537 5,111 1,807 612 5,531 1,873 1,752
2012-13 13,814 2,396 2,617 5,539 1,845 657 6,082 1,975 1,740
2013-14 14,443 2,357 2,796 5,959 1,933 735 6,263 1,866 1,768
2014-15 14,447 2,425 2,792 6,405 1,955 681 6,658 1,926 1,840

2015-16
14,483 2,455 2,894 6,552 1,912 771 6,948 1,956 1,845
2016-17 14,954 2,489 2,887 6,616 1,940 737 7,112 1,849 1,826
2017-18 14,738 2,388 2,951 6,701 1,813 759 7,515 2,149 1,879
2018-19 14,423 2,355 3,044 6,344 1,869 807 7,679 1,961 1,873
2019-20 14,341 2,238 2,828 5,872 1,711 806 7,673 2,085 1,800

Percent change
                 
2009-10 to 2014-15 19.3 14.2 13.0 56.5 35.1 11.1 33.6 7.4 17.1
2014-15 to 2019-20 -0.7 -7.7 1.3 -8.3 -12.5 18.4 15.2 8.3 -2.2
1 Includes geology/earth science, general; geochemistry; geophysics; paleontology; hydrology; oceanography; and geological and earth sciences, other.
2 Includes physics, general; atomic/molecular physics; elementary particle physics; nuclear physics; optics; acoustics; theoretical physics; and physics, other.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Data in this table are based on the 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Earned Degrees Conferred, 1959-60 through 1969-70; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, 1970-71 through 1985-86; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions Survey" (IPEDS-C:87-99); and IPEDS Fall 2000 through Fall 2020, Completions component. (This table was prepared April 2022.)

2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest