Table 325.72.

Degrees in chemistry, geology and earth science, and physics conferred by postsecondary institutions, by level of degree: Academic years 1959-60 through 2020-21

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	14,343	2,238	2,829	5,871	1,712	806	7,674	2,085	1,801
2020-21	13,962	2,239	2,707	4,905	1,657	733	7,468	1,944	1,751
Percent change
2010-11 to      2015-16	14.4	8.1	11.4	42.1	21.9	36.0	33.6	10.6	10.5
2015-16 to      2020-21	-3.6	-8.8	-6.5	-25.1	-13.3	-4.9	7.5	-0.6	-5.1

1Includes geology/earth science, general; geochemistry; geophysics; paleontology; hydrology; oceanography; and geological and earth sciences, other.

2Includes 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 2021, Completions component. (This table was prepared September 2022.)