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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 293.Statistical profile of persons receiving doctor's degrees,\1\ by field of study: 1993-94

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                                          |       |                              Field of study
                                          |       |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Item                   |  All  |      |       |       |        |Physical sciences\2\|Business|  Social  | Other
                                          |fields |Educa-| Engi- |Human- |  Life  |--------------------|  and   | sciences | profes-
                                          |       | tion |neering| ities |sciences|          | Mathe-  |manage- |   and    | sional
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |  Total   | mathics |  ment  |psychology| fields
------------------------------------------|-------|------|-------|-------|--------|----------|---------|--------|----------|---------
                    1                     |   2   |  3   |   4   |   5   |   6    |    7     |    8    |   9    |    10    |   11
------------------------------------------|-------|------|-------|-------|--------|----------|---------|--------|----------|---------
  Doctor's degrees conferred (number) ....|41,011 |6,683 | 5,826 | 4,743 |  7,734 |    6,821 |   1,118 |  1,285 |    6,624 |   1,256
                                          |-------|------|-------|-------|--------|----------|---------|--------|----------|---------
Sex (percent)                             |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  Men ....................................|  61.5 | 39.1 |  89.1 |  52.3 |   58.4 |     79.7 |    78.9 |   71.6 |     50.6 |    54.0
  Women ..................................|  38.5 | 60.9 |  10.9 |  47.7 |   41.6 |     20.3 |    21.1 |   28.4 |     49.4 |    46.0
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
Racial/ethnic group (percent)\3\          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  American Indian ........................|   0.5 |  0.6 |   0.2 |   0.6 |    0.4 |      0.2 |     0.3 |    0.8 |      0.5 |     0.8
  Asian ..................................|  11.6 |  2.9 |  28.8 |   4.6 |   15.7 |     20.8 |    22.1 |    9.4 |      6.1 |     5.7
  Black ..................................|   4.2 |  8.6 |   1.8 |   2.9 |    2.6 |      1.6 |     1.7 |    4.1 |      4.7 |     7.8
  Hispanic ...............................|   3.4 |  4.0 |   2.2 |   4.4 |    3.2 |      2.6 |     2.0 |    2.0 |      3.6 |     3.3
  White ..................................|  80.4 | 83.9 |  67.0 |  87.5 |   78.2 |     74.8 |    73.8 |   83.7 |     85.0 |    82.4
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
Citizenship (percent)                     |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  United States ..........................|  66.1 | 87.4 |  38.0 |  78.3 |   64.0 |     53.1 |    44.4 |   63.1 |     75.5 |    74.5
  Non-U.S., permanent visa ...............|   9.1 |  3.0 |  14.4 |   6.6 |   11.3 |     14.1 |    13.5 |    7.3 |      5.9 |     5.1
  Non-U.S., temporary visa ...............|  22.9 |  8.0 |  45.6 |  13.3 |   23.6 |     30.6 |    39.1 |   28.0 |     15.8 |    18.9
  Unknown ................................|   1.9 |  1.6 |   2.1 |   1.8 |    1.1 |      2.2 |     3.0 |    1.6 |      2.8 |     1.4
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
Median age at doctorate (years) ..........|  34.1 | 43.6 |  31.7 |  35.7 |   32.7 |     31.0 |    31.2 |   35.5 |     34.1 |    39.6
Percent with bachelor's degree in         |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
   same field as doctorate ...............|  55.6 | 36.9 |  80.4 |  57.4 |   51.0 |     68.4 |    74.3 |   36.0 |     53.2 |    26.0
Median time lapse from bachelor's         |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  to doctorate (years)                    |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  Total time .............................|  10.8 | 19.7 |   9.0 |  12.0 |    9.5 |      8.5 |     8.9 |   12.2 |     10.5 |    15.8
  Registered time ........................|   7.2 |  8.1 |   6.4 |   8.5 |    7.0 |      6.7 |     6.8 |    7.2 |      7.5 |     8.0
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
Postdoctoral plans (percent)              |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  Postdoctoral study plans ...............|  27.0 |  4.6 |  24.5 |   8.1 |   57.6 |     46.2 |    26.7 |    3.7 |     18.4 |     5.3
    Fellowship ...........................|  13.7 |  1.7 |   8.4 |   4.4 |   33.5 |     20.2 |    14.1 |    1.2 |     12.1 |     2.1
    Research associateship ...............|  10.5 |  1.2 |  14.4 |   1.2 |   18.0 |     24.4 |    10.7 |    1.6 |      3.6 |     1.6
    Traineeship ..........................|   0.9 |  0.5 |   0.8 |   0.4 |    1.7 |      0.4 |     0.4 |    0.3 |      1.5 |     0.3
    Other ................................|   1.8 |  1.2 |   0.7 |   2.0 |    4.4 |      1.2 |     1.3 |    0.5 |      1.2 |     1.2
  Postdoctoral employment ................|  65.3 | 86.5 |  67.6 |  84.0 |   36.0 |     47.1 |    65.3 |   89.6 |     72.9 |    86.6
    Educational institution\4\ ...........|  38.8 | 66.9 |  19.6 |  69.8 |   18.0 |     19.6 |    46.2 |   71.4 |     39.8 |    55.8
    Industry, business ...................|  13.5 |  5.5 |  35.9 |   4.0 |    7.8 |     19.9 |    11.4 |   11.4 |     10.4 |     7.7
    Government ...........................|   5.0 |  5.3 |   6.0 |   1.5 |    5.1 |      3.6 |     2.3 |    2.9 |      7.7 |     6.4
    Nonprofit organization ...............|   3.5 |  4.1 |   1.2 |   3.7 |    2.3 |      0.6 |     0.5 |    0.8 |      7.9 |    12.7
    Other and unknown ....................|   4.5 |  4.6 |   5.0 |   4.9 |    2.9 |      3.3 |     4.8 |    3.1 |      7.1 |     4.1
  Postdoctoral plans unknown .............|   7.7 |  8.9 |   7.9 |   8.0 |    6.3 |      6.8 |     8.1 |    6.8 |      8.7 |     8.1
  Definite postdoctoral study ............|  17.7 |  2.4 |  12.2 |   3.8 |   42.1 |     30.6 |    14.7 |    1.7 |     12.0 |     3.1
  Seeking postdoctoral study .............|   9.3 |  2.2 |  12.2 |   4.3 |   15.5 |     15.5 |    12.0 |    1.9 |      6.4 |     2.1
  Definite employment ....................|  42.6 | 63.3 |  38.3 |  49.9 |   23.7 |     28.9 |    38.9 |   67.3 |     47.9 |    62.3
  Seeking employment .....................|  22.7 | 23.2 |  29.4 |  34.1 |   12.3 |     18.2 |    26.4 |   22.3 |     25.0 |    24.3
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
Primary postdoctoral activity (percent)\5\|       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  Research and development ...............|  27.3 |  5.7 |  63.7 |   7.8 |   41.2 |     53.9 |    33.9 |   27.4 |     24.5 |    11.2
  Teaching ...............................|  35.1 | 34.3 |  14.9 |  66.9 |   26.8 |     26.4 |    49.0 |   50.2 |     29.5 |    48.0
  Administration .........................|  11.5 | 33.5 |   2.1 |   3.5 |    5.9 |      2.2 |     1.3 |    4.4 |      5.4 |    12.0
  Professional services ..................|  11.2 | 10.0 |   7.1 |   3.7 |   11.2 |      5.3 |     3.7 |    2.8 |     26.8 |    13.2
  Other ..................................|   3.0 |  2.3 |   3.2 |   4.1 |    3.7 |      2.2 |     0.7 |    2.9 |      2.9 |     4.7
  Activity unknown .......................|  11.9 | 14.3 |   8.9 |  14.0 |   11.2 |     10.1 |    11.5 |   12.4 |     11.0 |    10.9
                                          |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
Region of employment after doctorate      |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  (percent)\5\                            |       |      |       |       |        |          |         |        |          |
  New England ............................|   5.8 |  4.7 |   6.5 |   7.4 |    4.8 |      7.0 |     6.7 |    5.1 |      6.2 |     2.6
  Middle Atlantic ........................|  12.5 | 11.8 |  10.8 |  13.0 |    9.9 |     14.8 |    11.3 |   12.4 |     14.6 |    12.0
  East North Central .....................|  13.3 | 14.8 |  11.6 |  15.3 |   10.5 |     14.1 |    15.4 |   12.5 |     12.5 |    11.7
  West North Central .....................|   6.5 |  8.7 |   3.3 |   7.2 |    7.6 |      5.0 |     7.6 |    6.2 |      5.8 |     5.7
  South Atlantic .........................|  15.7 | 19.0 |  10.8 |  15.3 |   14.3 |     13.5 |    13.1 |   16.2 |     16.6 |    17.8
  East South Central .....................|   4.8 |  6.3 |   2.3 |   5.3 |    5.6 |      3.1 |     4.1 |    7.4 |      3.6 |     7.8
  West South Central .....................|   7.7 |  8.9 |   6.4 |   7.7 |    7.4 |      6.0 |     6.7 |   10.4 |      7.1 |     9.7
  Mountain ...............................|   5.1 |  5.3 |   5.5 |   4.5 |    4.2 |      5.7 |     4.4 |    4.7 |      5.0 |     5.4
  Pacific and insular ....................|  10.9 |  9.2 |  15.7 |  10.2 |    9.8 |     12.7 |     9.9 |    6.4 |     11.7 |     8.9
  U.S., region unknown....................|   4.1 |  5.3 |   3.5 |   4.4 |    3.4 |      3.2 |     1.6 |    2.2 |      4.1 |     4.2
  Foreign ................................|  13.5 |  6.0 |  23.3 |   9.6 |   22.2 |     14.6 |    19.1 |   16.5 |     12.8 |    14.0
  Region unknown .........................|   0.1 |  0.1 |   0.3 |   0.0 |    0.2 |      0.2 |     0.2 |    0.0 |      0.1 |     0.1
------------------------------------------|-------|------|-------|-------|--------|----------|---------|--------|----------|---------

\1\Includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level. Excludes first-professional degrees, such as M.D., D.D.S., and D.V.M.

\2\Includes mathematics, computer science, physics, astronomy, chemistry, and earth, atmospheric, and marine sciences.

\3\Distribution by race/ethnicity based on U.S. citizens and those with permanent visas only.

\4\Includes 2-year, 4-year, and foreign colleges and universities, medical schools, and elementary/secondary schools.

\5\Includes only recipients with definite employment plans.

NOTE.--The above 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 "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" survey. The above tabulation excludes some non-research doctorate degrees such as doctor's degrees in theology. Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.0.

SOURCE: National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel, Summary Report 1994: Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities. (This table was prepared April 1996.)


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