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Digest of Education Statistics
1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 248.Doctor's degrees conferred by institutions of higher education, by discipline division: 1970-71 to 1993-94

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            Discipline division                   | 1970-71  | 1975-76  | 1980-81  | 1981-82  | 1982-83  | 1983-84  | 1984-85  | 1985-86  | 1986-87  | 1987-88  | 1988-89  | 1989-90  | 1990-91  | 1991-92  | 1992-93  | 1993-94
--------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
                        1                         |    2     |    3     |    4     |    5     |    6     |    7     |    8     |    9     |    10    |    11    |    12    |    13    |    14    |    15    |    16    |    17
--------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
     Total .......................................|   32,107 |   34,064 |   32,958 |   32,707 |   32,775 |   33,209 |   32,943 |   33,653 |   34,041 |   34,870 |   35,720 |   38,371 |   39,294 |   40,659 |   42,132 |   43,185
                                                  |----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------
Agriculture and natural resources ................|    1,086 |      928 |    1,067 |    1,079 |    1,149 |    1,172 |    1,213 |    1,158 |    1,049 |    1,142 |    1,183 |    1,295 |    1,185 |    1,214 |    1,173 |    1,278
Architecture and related programs ................|       36 |       82 |       93 |       80 |       97 |       84 |       89 |       73 |       92 |       98 |       86 |      103 |      135 |      132 |      148 |      161
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies ...............|      144 |      188 |      162 |      102 |      155 |      141 |      140 |      159 |      134 |      142 |      114 |      131 |      167 |      155 |      178 |      155
Biological sciences/life sciences ................|    3,645 |    3,392 |    3,718 |    3,743 |    3,341 |    3,437 |    3,432 |    3,358 |    3,419 |    3,629 |    3,520 |    3,844 |    4,093 |    4,243 |    4,435 |    4,534
Business management and administrative services...|      757 |      900 |      795 |      815 |      776 |      929 |      831 |      934 |    1,062 |    1,063 |    1,100 |    1,093 |    1,185 |    1,242 |    1,346 |    1,364
                                                  |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Communications ...................................|      145 |      196 |      171 |      182 |      205 |      215 |      228 |      212 |      273 |      230 |      247 |      267 |      259 |      252 |      293 |      337
Communications technologies ......................|        0 |        8 |       11 |       18 |        9 |        4 |        6 |       11 |        2 |        4 |        6 |        6 |       15 |        3 |        8 |        8
Computer and information sciences ................|      128 |      244 |      252 |      251 |      262 |      251 |      248 |      344 |      374 |      428 |      551 |      627 |      676 |      772 |      805 |      810
Education ........................................|    6,041 |    7,202 |    7,279 |    6,999 |    7,057 |    6,911 |    6,612 |    6,605 |    6,407 |    6,060 |    6,337 |    6,502 |    6,187 |    6,864 |    7,030 |    6,908
Engineering ......................................|    3,637 |    2,819 |    2,551 |    2,621 |    2,818 |    2,979 |    3,221 |    3,398 |    3,801 |    4,174 |    4,506 |    4,967 |    5,258 |    5,488 |    5,823 |    5,963
                                                  |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Engineering-related technologies .................|        1 |        2 |       10 |       15 |       13 |        2 |        9 |       12 |       17 |       17 |       17 |       14 |       14 |       11 |       20 |       16
English language and literature/letters ..........|    1,650 |    1,672 |    1,164 |    1,101 |      991 |    1,018 |    1,041 |      991 |      961 |      981 |    1,022 |    1,078 |    1,184 |    1,273 |    1,341 |    1,344
Foreign languages and literatures.................|      988 |    1,076 |      804 |      748 |      673 |      659 |      635 |      672 |      661 |      602 |      632 |      724 |      758 |      850 |      830 |      886
Health professions and related sciences ..........|      466 |      577 |      842 |      925 |    1,155 |    1,164 |    1,199 |    1,241 |    1,213 |    1,261 |    1,437 |    1,536 |    1,613 |    1,661 |    1,767 |    1,902
Home economics and vocational home economics .....|      123 |      178 |      247 |      247 |      255 |      277 |      273 |      311 |      296 |      307 |      264 |      301 |      253 |      293 |      345 |      365
                                                  |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Law and legal studies ............................|       20 |       76 |       60 |       22 |       72 |      121 |      105 |       54 |      120 |       89 |       76 |      111 |       90 |       68 |       86 |       79
Liberal arts and sciences,                        |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
  general studies, and humanities ................|       32 |      162 |      121 |      155 |      215 |      173 |      112 |       90 |       56 |       66 |       72 |       63 |       70 |       67 |       81 |       80
Library science ..................................|       39 |       71 |       71 |       84 |       52 |       74 |       87 |       62 |       57 |       46 |       61 |       42 |       56 |       50 |       77 |       45
Mathematics ......................................|    1,249 |      909 |      775 |      721 |      731 |      743 |      734 |      777 |      759 |      796 |      915 |      966 |    1,036 |    1,082 |    1,189 |    1,157
Multi/interdisciplinary studies ..................|       59 |      111 |      158 |      238 |      225 |      249 |      219 |      263 |      247 |      224 |      212 |      272 |      220 |      231 |      196 |      227
                                                  |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies ..|        2 |       15 |       42 |       33 |       33 |       27 |       36 |       39 |       32 |       29 |       35 |       35 |       28 |       61 |      108 |      116
Philosophy and religion ..........................|      554 |      554 |      410 |      364 |      404 |      442 |      468 |      477 |      421 |      405 |      465 |      439 |      456 |      475 |      448 |      528
Physical sciences and science technologies........|    4,390 |    3,431 |    3,141 |    3,286 |    3,269 |    3,306 |    3,403 |    3,551 |    3,673 |    3,809 |    3,858 |    4,164 |    4,290 |    4,391 |    4,393 |    4,650
Precision production trades.......................|        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0
Protective services ..............................|        1 |        9 |       21 |       24 |       38 |       31 |       33 |       21 |       18 |       32 |       26 |       38 |       28 |       24 |       32 |       25
                                                  |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Psychology .......................................|    2,144 |    3,157 |    3,576 |    3,461 |    3,602 |    3,535 |    3,447 |    3,593 |    3,560 |    3,480 |    3,685 |    3,811 |    3,932 |    3,373 |    3,651 |    3,563
Public administration and services ...............|      174 |      292 |      362 |      372 |      347 |      420 |      431 |      382 |      398 |      470 |      428 |      508 |      430 |      432 |      459 |      519
R.O.T.C. and military technologies ...............|        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0
Social sciences and history.......................|    3,660 |    4,157 |    3,122 |    3,061 |    2,931 |    2,911 |    2,851 |    2,955 |    2,916 |    2,781 |    2,885 |    3,010 |    3,012 |    3,218 |    3,460 |    3,627
Theological studies/religious vocations ..........|      312 |    1,033 |    1,276 |    1,288 |    1,208 |    1,204 |    1,144 |    1,185 |    1,230 |    1,199 |    1,166 |    1,317 |    1,079 |    1,259 |    1,417 |    1,448
                                                  |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Transportation and material moving ...............|        3 |        3 |        3 |        2 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        3 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0
Visual and performing arts .......................|      621 |      620 |      654 |      670 |      692 |      730 |      696 |      722 |      793 |      727 |      753 |      849 |      838 |      906 |      882 |    1,054
Not classified by field of study .................|        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |        0 |      579 |       61 |      258 |      747 |      569 |      111 |       36
--------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------

NOTE.--The new Classification of Instructional Programs was initiated in 1991-92. The figures for earlier years have been reclassified when necessary to make them conform to the new taxonomy. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the IPEDS "Completions" survey: "Agriculture and natural resources" includes Agribusiness and agriculture production, Agricultural sciences, and Conservation and renewable natural resources; "Business management and administrative services" includes Business and management, Business (administrative support), Marketing and distribution, and Consumer, personal, and miscellaneous services; and "Engineering-related technologies" includes Engineering-related technologies, Mechanics and repairers, and Construction trades.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. (This table was prepared February 1996.)


1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest