Skip Navigation
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Menu
Contact
Tools
ED.gov
Newsflash
Search IES
Digest of Education Statistics
1999 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 257  Doctor's degrees conferred by institutions of higher education, by discipline division: 1970-71 to 1996-97

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
            Discipline division                 |1970-71|1975-76|1980-81|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95|1995-96 |1996-97
________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________|________
                       1                        |   2   |   3   |   4   |   5   |   6   |   7   |   8   |   9   |  10   |  11   |  12   |  13   |  14   |  15   |   16   |   17
________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________|________
     Total .....................................|32,107 |34,064 |32,958 |32,943 |33,653 |34,041 |34,870 |35,720 |38,371 |39,294 |40,659 |42,132 |43,185 |44,446 | 44,652 | 45,876
                                                |_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________|________
Agriculture and natural resources ..............| 1,086 |   928 | 1,067 | 1,213 | 1,158 | 1,049 | 1,142 | 1,183 | 1,295 | 1,185 | 1,214 | 1,173 | 1,278 | 1,264 |  1,271 |  1,217
Architecture and related programs ..............|    36 |    82 |    93 |    89 |    73 |    92 |    98 |    86 |   103 |   135 |   132 |   148 |   161 |   141 |    141 |    135
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies .............|   144 |   188 |   162 |   140 |   159 |   134 |   142 |   114 |   131 |   167 |   155 |   178 |   155 |   186 |    184 |    182
Biological sciences/life sciences ..............| 3,645 | 3,392 | 3,718 | 3,432 | 3,358 | 3,419 | 3,629 | 3,520 | 3,844 | 4,093 | 4,243 | 4,435 | 4,534 | 4,645 |  4,780 |  4,812
Business .......................................|   757 |   900 |   795 |   831 |   934 | 1,062 | 1,063 | 1,100 | 1,093 | 1,185 | 1,242 | 1,346 | 1,364 | 1,394 |  1,368 |  1,336
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
Communications .................................|   145 |   196 |   171 |   228 |   212 |   273 |   230 |   247 |   267 |   259 |   252 |   293 |   337 |   320 |    338 |    296
Communications technologies ....................|     0 |     8 |    11 |     6 |    11 |     2 |     4 |     6 |     6 |    15 |     3 |     8 |     8 |     1 |      7 |      4
Computer and information sciences ..............|   128 |   244 |   252 |   248 |   344 |   374 |   428 |   551 |   627 |   676 |   772 |   805 |   810 |   884 |    867 |    857
Education ......................................| 6,041 | 7,202 | 7,279 | 6,612 | 6,605 | 6,407 | 6,060 | 6,337 | 6,502 | 6,187 | 6,864 | 7,030 | 6,908 | 6,905 |  6,676 |  6,751
Engineering ....................................| 3,637 | 2,819 | 2,551 | 3,221 | 3,398 | 3,801 | 4,174 | 4,506 | 4,967 | 5,258 | 5,488 | 5,823 | 5,963 | 6,110 |  6,369 |  6,201
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
Engineering-related technologies ...............|     1 |     2 |    10 |     9 |    12 |    17 |    17 |    17 |    14 |    14 |    11 |    20 |    16 |    18 |     11 |      9
English language and literature/letters ........| 1,650 | 1,672 | 1,164 | 1,041 |   991 |   961 |   981 | 1,022 | 1,078 | 1,184 | 1,273 | 1,341 | 1,344 | 1,561 |  1,535 |  1,575
Foreign languages and literatures...............|   988 | 1,076 |   804 |   635 |   672 |   661 |   602 |   632 |   724 |   758 |   850 |   830 |   886 |   905 |    876 |    915
Health professions and related sciences ........|   466 |   577 |   842 | 1,199 | 1,241 | 1,213 | 1,261 | 1,437 | 1,536 | 1,613 | 1,661 | 1,767 | 1,902 | 2,069 |  2,119 |  2,672
Home economics and vocational home economics ...|   123 |   178 |   247 |   273 |   311 |   296 |   307 |   264 |   301 |   253 |   293 |   345 |   365 |   388 |    414 |    382
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
Law and legal studies ..........................|    20 |    76 |    60 |   105 |    54 |   120 |    89 |    76 |   111 |    90 |    68 |    86 |    79 |    88 |     91 |     81
Liberal arts and sciences,                      |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
  general studies, and humanities ..............|    32 |   162 |   121 |   112 |    90 |    56 |    66 |    72 |    63 |    70 |    67 |    81 |    80 |    90 |     75 |     77
Library science ................................|    39 |    71 |    71 |    87 |    62 |    57 |    46 |    61 |    42 |    56 |    50 |    77 |    45 |    55 |     53 |     46
Mathematics ....................................| 1,249 |   909 |   775 |   734 |   777 |   759 |   796 |   915 |   966 | 1,036 | 1,082 | 1,189 | 1,157 | 1,226 |  1,209 |  1,174
Multi/interdisciplinary studies ................|    59 |   111 |   158 |   219 |   263 |   247 |   224 |   212 |   272 |   220 |   231 |   196 |   227 |   238 |    441 |    451
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies |     2 |    15 |    42 |    36 |    39 |    32 |    29 |    35 |    35 |    28 |    61 |   108 |   116 |   149 |    104 |    108
Philosophy and religion ........................|   554 |   554 |   410 |   468 |   477 |   421 |   405 |   465 |   439 |   456 |   475 |   448 |   528 |   507 |    549 |    593
Physical sciences and science technologies......| 4,390 | 3,431 | 3,141 | 3,403 | 3,551 | 3,673 | 3,809 | 3,858 | 4,164 | 4,290 | 4,391 | 4,393 | 4,650 | 4,483 |  4,571 |  4,474
Precision production trades.....................|   --- |   --- |   --- |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |      0 |      0
Protective services ............................|     1 |     9 |    21 |    33 |    21 |    18 |    32 |    26 |    38 |    28 |    24 |    32 |    25 |    26 |     38 |     31
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
Psychology .....................................| 2,144 | 3,157 | 3,576 | 3,447 | 3,593 | 3,560 | 3,480 | 3,685 | 3,811 | 3,932 | 3,373 | 3,651 | 3,563 | 3,822 |  3,711 |  4,053
Public administration and services .............|   174 |   292 |   362 |   431 |   382 |   398 |   470 |   428 |   508 |   430 |   432 |   459 |   519 |   556 |    499 |    518
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 | 2,851 | 2,955 | 2,916 | 2,781 | 2,885 | 3,010 | 3,012 | 3,218 | 3,460 | 3,627 | 3,725 |  3,760 |  3,989
Theological studies/religious vocations ........|   312 | 1,033 | 1,276 | 1,144 | 1,185 | 1,230 | 1,199 | 1,166 | 1,317 | 1,079 | 1,259 | 1,417 | 1,448 | 1,591 |  1,521 |  1,395
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        |
Transportation and material moving workers......|     3 |     3 |     3 |     0 |     3 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |      0 |      0
Visual and performing arts .....................|   621 |   620 |   654 |   696 |   722 |   793 |   727 |   753 |   849 |   838 |   906 |   882 | 1,054 | 1,080 |  1,067 |  1,060
Not classified by field of study ...............|     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |   579 |    61 |   258 |   747 |   569 |   111 |    36 |    19 |      7 |    482
________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________|________

---Data not available or not applicable.

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 Agricultural business and production, Agricultural sciences, and Conservation and renewable natural resources; "Business" includes Business management and administrative services, Marketing operations/marketing and distribution, and Consumer and personal 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, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. (This table was prepared June 1999.)


1999 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Explore the Institute of Education Sciences