Table 17. Doctorate recipients, by broad field of study and citizenship status: Selected years, 1986–2016
Field of study and citizenship status |
1986 |
1991 |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
2011 |
2016 |
All fields |
31,897 |
37,530 |
42,437 |
40,744 |
45,620 |
48,911 |
54,904 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
24,541 |
27,437 |
31,548 |
28,894 |
29,028 |
31,726 |
35,719 |
Temporary visa holder |
5,318 |
9,374 |
9,740 |
9,812 |
14,198 |
14,235 |
16,498 |
Unknown |
2,038 |
719 |
1,149 |
2,038 |
2,394 |
2,950 |
2,687 |
Life sciencesa |
5,767 |
6,967 |
8,337 |
8,369 |
9,703 |
11,535 |
12,568 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
4,593 |
5,096 |
6,084 |
5,956 |
6,506 |
7,892 |
8,697 |
Temporary visa holder |
881 |
1,765 |
2,088 |
2,050 |
2,723 |
3,029 |
3,362 |
Unknown |
293 |
106 |
165 |
363 |
474 |
614 |
509 |
Physical sciences and earth sciences |
3,644 |
4,406 |
4,550 |
4,024 |
4,686 |
5,271 |
6,252 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
2,567 |
2,890 |
3,078 |
2,447 |
2,479 |
3,048 |
3,666 |
Temporary visa holder |
865 |
1,445 |
1,326 |
1,424 |
1,976 |
1,955 |
2,313 |
Unknown |
212 |
71 |
146 |
153 |
231 |
268 |
273 |
Mathematics and computer sciences |
1,128 |
1,838 |
2,042 |
1,840 |
2,778 |
3,273 |
3,957 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
652 |
968 |
1,162 |
957 |
1,207 |
1,603 |
1,730 |
Temporary visa holder |
398 |
849 |
828 |
793 |
1,462 |
1,449 |
2,054 |
Unknown |
78 |
21 |
52 |
90 |
109 |
221 |
173 |
Psychology and social sciences |
6,150 |
6,470 |
7,167 |
7,151 |
7,231 |
8,221 |
9,078 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
4,984 |
5,199 |
5,834 |
5,543 |
5,381 |
6,070 |
6,830 |
Temporary visa holder |
746 |
1,117 |
1,137 |
1,187 |
1,485 |
1,588 |
1,756 |
Unknown |
420 |
154 |
196 |
421 |
365 |
563 |
492 |
Engineering |
3,375 |
5,213 |
6,309 |
5,512 |
7,186 |
8,032 |
9,469 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
1,727 |
2,475 |
3,390 |
2,458 |
2,500 |
3,350 |
4,181 |
Temporary visa holder |
1,383 |
2,644 |
2,767 |
2,790 |
4,295 |
4,164 |
4,848 |
Unknown |
265 |
94 |
152 |
264 |
391 |
518 |
440 |
Education |
6,649 |
6,454 |
6,785 |
6,356 |
6,122 |
4,670 |
5,153 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
5,803 |
5,788 |
6,075 |
5,462 |
5,171 |
3,878 |
4,303 |
Temporary visa holder |
475 |
516 |
489 |
504 |
611 |
497 |
563 |
Unknown |
371 |
150 |
221 |
390 |
340 |
295 |
287 |
Humanities and arts |
3,443 |
4,053 |
4,982 |
5,430 |
5,332 |
5,226 |
5,484 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
2,911 |
3,491 |
4,261 |
4,601 |
4,240 |
4,192 |
4,447 |
Temporary visa holder |
278 |
483 |
571 |
592 |
796 |
767 |
712 |
Unknown |
254 |
79 |
150 |
237 |
296 |
267 |
325 |
Otherb |
1,741 |
2,129 |
2,265 |
2,062 |
2,582 |
2,683 |
2,943 |
U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
1,304 |
1,530 |
1,664 |
1,470 |
1,544 |
1,693 |
1,865 |
Temporary visa holder |
292 |
555 |
534 |
472 |
850 |
786 |
890 |
Unknown |
145 |
44 |
67 |
120 |
188 |
204 |
188 |