Report

Doctorates in science and engineering (S&E) fields are a growing share of all doctorates awarded. Over the past 2 decades, every broad S&E field except psychology and agricultural sciences and natural resources increased both in number and share of all doctorates. These two fields increased in the number of doctorate recipients, but their share of all doctorates awarded declined. Among S&E fields, engineering grew the most, from 14% of all doctorates in 2001 to 20% in 2021 (figure 7).

Between 2020 and 2021, all S&E broad fields declined in the number of doctorate recipients (table A). The S&E fields with the largest declines in doctorate recipients were physical sciences (-307) and biological and biomedical sciences (-529); the S&E fields with the lowest declines were computer and information sciences (-2) and mathematics and statistics (-12).

Among non-S&E broad fields, in the past 20 years the number of doctorates awarded in humanities and arts declined, while the number in business increased (figure 8). Since 2011, the number of doctorates in education declined by 418.^{​The drop in the number of doctorate recipients in the field of education between 2009 and 2011 is at least partly attributable to the reclassification of Doctor of Education (EdD) programs. For details, see “Time series data changes” in the “Data Source” section.}

Between 2020 and 2021, the number of doctorates in non-S&E broad fields declined. The largest drop was in humanities and arts (-787), followed by education (-463).

Women’s share of doctorates has grown over the past 2 decades in most S&E broad fields (figure 11). In 2021, women earned 49% or more of the doctorates in psychology, education, health sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, social sciences, agricultural sciences and natural resources, humanities and arts, and other non-S&E fields.^{​For additional data on the field of education, humanities and arts, and other non-S&E fields, see SED 2021 related detailed table 1-4.}

Women earned between about 25% and 44% of the doctorates awarded in engineering; mathematics and statistics; computer and information sciences; physical sciences; and geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences in 2021. However, women’s shares of doctorates in most of these broad fields have grown over the past 20 years. From 2001 to 2021, the proportion of female doctorates grew between 8 and 15 percentage points in agricultural sciences and natural resources; geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences; engineering; biological and biomedical sciences; and physical sciences. In psychology, social sciences, and computer and information sciences, women’s share grew by about 5–7 percentage points each during this period.

The growth or decline in the share of female doctorate recipients in different fields does not always track with the overall growth of those fields. Between 2011 and 2021, the number of doctorate recipients in all fields increased by 7% while the share of women declined by 0.2 percentage points (figure 12).

From 2011 to 2021, the proportion of female doctorate recipients increased between 3 and 6 percentage points in seven of the nine top growing fields: aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering; computer and information sciences; material science engineering; mechanical engineering; geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences; bioengineering and biomedical engineering; and agricultural sciences and natural resources. Women’s share of doctorates also increased 10 percentage points in anthropology, a field where the overall number of doctorates awarded declined by 28%.

Despite the growth in the number of doctorate recipients in mathematics and statistics and in economics in the past 10 years, women’s shares of doctorates in these fields declined about 1 percentage point. The proportion of female doctorate recipients also declined in communication, political science and government, and foreign languages and literature—fields in which the overall number of doctorates declined as well.