Report

Field of doctorate

As researchers expand their understanding of the world, new fields of study emerge, and existing fields change. Observing which fields are attracting students can provide early insight into where future research breakthroughs may occur.

Field of doctorate trends

S&E fields

Doctorates in S&E fields are a growing share of all research doctorates awarded. Over the past 2 decades, the number of doctorate recipients has increased in every broad S&E field (figure 6). However, doctorates in psychology, social sciences, and agricultural sciences and natural resources have declined slightly as a proportion of all doctorate recipients, despite increases in the number awarded in each field. Engineering grew the most in terms of its share of all (S&E and non-S&E) doctorates awarded, from 13% in 2003 to 20% in 2023.^{The proportion of doctorate recipients by trend broad field out of all doctorate recipients can be derived using data from figure 1 and figure 6.} Between 2022 and 2023, the number of doctorate recipients grew in three S&E fields: biological and biomedical sciences (by 367, or 4%), computer and information sciences (by 80, or 3%), and geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences (by 50, or 4%).^{Beginning in 2021, field of doctorate data are collected using a modified version of the 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes and reported using a new SED-specific taxonomy (table A-4). For more details on data comparability, see the 2023 “Technical Notes” and the SED 2021 Taxonomy Changes Working Paper.} The number of doctorate recipients in all other fields declined slightly in 2023.

Figure 6 Doctorate recipients in S&E trend broad fields: 2003–23

(Number)

Year	Engineering	Biological and biomedical sciences	Physical sciences	Social sciences	Psychology
2003	5,279	5,927	3,289	3,867	3,277
2004	5,776	6,185	3,337	3,879	3,327
2005	6,426	6,638	3,645	3,870	3,322
2006	7,186	6,924	3,929	4,027	3,260
2007	7,749	7,568	4,081	4,084	3,276
2008	7,863	8,145	4,081	4,326	3,357
2009	7,642	8,335	4,283	4,529	3,472
2010	7,578	8,370	4,133	4,508	3,420
2011	8,032	8,466	4,419	4,691	3,576
2012	8,469	8,687	4,478	4,948	3,599
2013	9,000	8,707	4,595	5,041	3,592
2014	9,626	8,868	4,812	5,102	3,724
2015	9,875	8,783	4,859	5,369	3,776
2016	9,459	8,863	5,024	5,193	3,910
2017	9,774	8,567	4,913	5,188	3,925
2018	10,164	8,782	5,144	5,054	3,821
2019	10,298	8,678	5,306	5,134	3,909
2020	10,468	8,403	5,000	5,060	3,868
2021	10,230	8,131	4,710	4,875	3,777
2022	11,519	9,208	5,468	5,238	3,952
2023	11,403	9,575	5,460	5,199	3,899

(Number)

Year	Computer and information sciences	Health sciences	Mathematics and statistics	Agricultural sciences and natural resources	Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences
2003	866	1,353	993	1,226	682
2004	948	1,419	1,076	1,209	686
2005	1,129	1,465	1,205	1,207	714
2006	1,453	1,595	1,325	1,184	757
2007	1,654	1,742	1,388	1,392	875
2008	1,787	1,689	1,400	1,252	865
2009	1,610	1,725	1,553	1,343	877
2010	1,633	1,792	1,590	1,157	862
2011	1,667	1,803	1,606	1,266	852
2012	1,793	1,963	1,703	1,314	941
2013	1,843	2,109	1,817	1,391	989
2014	1,988	2,236	1,874	1,380	1,098
2015	2,003	2,220	1,815	1,490	1,057
2016	2,082	2,248	1,872	1,428	1,227
2017	1,998	2,443	1,844	1,543	1,169
2018	2,000	2,473	2,022	1,499	1,185
2019	2,220	2,532	2,010	1,538	1,272
2020	2,363	2,606	2,024	1,531	1,241
2021	2,360	2,250	2,010	1,412	1,064
2022	2,607	2,473	2,247	1,509	1,181
2023	2,687	2,435	2,167	1,477	1,231

S&E = science and engineering.

Note(s):

The survey data collection for field of study changed in 2021, which may affect the data comparability across years. For more information, see the “Data source” section.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 1-3.

Non-S&E fields

In non-S&E broad fields in the past 20 years, the number of research doctorates awarded in humanities and arts declined while the number in business and in other non-S&E fields increased (figure 7).^{Other non-S&E fields include fields such as communications and journalism, public administration and social services, and multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies. Some of the overall increase in “other non-S&E fields” after 2021 may be due to the changes in the SED taxonomy in 2021 (see “Data source” section for details).} From 2013 to 2023, the number of doctorates declined by 372 in education and by 1,209 in humanities.^{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 2022 and 2023, the number of doctorates increased in business, in education, and in other non-S&E fields (by 113, 91, and 82, respectively) and declined very slightly in humanities and arts (by 3). The increase in the number of doctorate recipients in business in 2023 brought the field to pre-pandemic levels. The number of doctorates in education and in the humanities and arts, however, remained lower than before the pandemic. The number of doctorate awards in other non-S&E fields grew continuously since 2019 and by 5% in 2023.^{The data in this section are based on the trend broad fields, that is, the set of broad fields used for trend data across all years that offer data that are generally comparable across years. However, the increase in the number of doctorate recipients in non-S&E fields between 2021 and 2023 can also be observed when comparing the data on non-S&E fields using the SED-CIP taxonomy implemented since the 2021 SED.}

Figure 7 Doctorates awarded in non-S&E trend broad fields: 2003–23

(Number)

Year	Education	Humanities and arts	Other non-S&E fields	Business
2003	6,651	5,226	1,090	1,036
2004	6,635	5,197	1,192	1,256
2005	6,227	5,144	1,222	1,171
2006	6,122	5,276	1,271	1,311
2007	6,448	5,034	1,335	1,506
2008	6,561	4,688	1,341	1,421
2009	6,528	4,848	1,402	1,405
2010	5,287	4,969	1,363	1,366
2011	4,670	5,178	1,356	1,327
2012	4,802	5,512	1,330	1,404
2013	4,934	5,662	1,472	1,551
2014	4,789	5,446	1,459	1,584
2015	5,098	5,522	1,437	1,582
2016	5,146	5,416	1,432	1,509
2017	4,825	5,209	1,586	1,566
2018	4,818	5,139	1,504	1,473
2019	4,628	5,051	1,494	1,529
2020	4,712	4,924	1,537	1,466
2021	4,239	4,132	1,581	1,389
2022	4,471	4,456	1,672	1,447
2023	4,562	4,453	1,754	1,560

S&E = science and engineering.

Note(s):

The survey data collection for field of study changed in 2021, which may affect the data comparability across years. For more information on this and details on the drop in education doctorates between 2009 and 2011, see the “Data source” section.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 1-3.

Temporary visa holders

In the past 2 decades, the number of doctorates awarded to temporary visa holders increased in every broad field except for education.^{For additional data by citizenship status of doctorate recipients, see related detailed table 1-6.} In 2023, temporary visa holders earned the majority of doctorates in computer and information sciences (62%), engineering (56%), and mathematics and statistics (53%) (figure 8). The largest increases in the proportion of doctorates awarded to temporary visa holders since 2003 were in computer and information sciences, mathematics and statistics, and non-S&E fields.^{In non-S&E fields, the proportion of temporary visa holders increased the most in business, from 37% in 2003 to 53% in 2023. See detailed table 1-6.} During this period, the proportion of temporary visa holder doctorate recipients declined in agricultural sciences and natural resources and in engineering.

Figure 8 Doctorate recipients on temporary visas, by trend broad field: 2003 and 2023

(Percent)

Field	2003	2023
Computer and information sciences	45.9	62.0
Engineering	57.2	55.7
Mathematics and statistics	46.0	53.2
Agricultural sciences and natural resources	45.5	40.7
Physical sciences	38.4	39.5
Social sciences	30.5	35.7
Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences	30.8	33.6
Biological and biomedical sciences	25.2	25.0
Health sciences	20.8	24.6
Psychology	6.4	10.1
Non-S&E fields	14.4	22.7

S&E = science and engineering.

Note(s):

Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who reported citizenship. The survey data collection for field of study changed in 2021, which may affect the data comparability across years. For more information, see the “Data source” section.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 1-6.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents

Racial and ethnic minorities’ representation in doctoral degrees has increased over time,^{For detailed data on racial and ethnic representation, see Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities: 2023.} though White doctorate recipients continue to earn the majority of doctoral degrees among U.S. citizens and permanent residents. In 2023, 65% of the 27,010 U.S. citizen and permanent resident doctorate recipients in S&E fields identified as White; 12% identified as Asian, 10% as Hispanic or Latino, 6% as Black or African American, and 4% as more than one race (table 1). The remaining 3% identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or did not report their race or ethnicity.

Table 1 S&E doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, by race or ethnicity: 2023

Data

(Number and percent)

S&E = science and engineering.

Note(s):

Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 1-11.

White doctorate recipients accounted for the majority of the U.S. citizens and permanent residents in each field, ranging from 58% in computer and information sciences to 77% in geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences.^{In 2023, the count of White doctorate recipients in each field is as follows: biological and biomedical sciences (4,549); engineering (2,875); physical sciences (2,183); social sciences (1,950); psychology (2,005); health sciences (1,199); mathematics and statistics (648); geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences (597); computer and information sciences (475); multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary sciences (526); agricultural sciences and natural resources (578); non-S&E fields (5,472). See also SED 2023 related detailed table 3-4.} Among the other racial and ethnic groups, in 2023, Asian doctorate recipients earned the largest share of doctoral degrees in computer and information sciences, mathematics and statistics, engineering, multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary sciences, physical sciences, and biological and biomedical sciences (figure 9). Black or African American doctorate recipients were awarded more doctorates in health sciences and non-S&E fields (particularly education) than any other racial or ethnic minority group,^{For additional details by field, see SED 2023 related detailed table 1-11.} and Hispanic or Latino doctorate recipients were awarded the largest number of doctorates in agricultural sciences and natural resources, psychology, and social sciences.

Figure 9 Doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, by selected minority race or ethnicity and broad field: 2023

(Number)

Field	Asian	Hispanic or Latino	Black or African American	More than one race	American Indian or Alaska Native
Biological and biomedical sciences	908	718	342	328	11
Engineering	732	401	210	175	6
Psychology	237	380	298	141	12
Social sciences	291	329	292	103	15
Physical sciences	343	296	99	111	6
Health sciences	199	162	240	60	9
Computer and information sciences	190	47	44	21	1
Multidisciplinary/ interdisciplinary sciences	110	75	62	24	2
Mathematics and statistics	135	64	22	41	0
Agricultural sciences and natural resources	46	63	34	27	2
Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences	57	58	15	29	4
Non-S&E fields	580	856	1,067	236	47

S&E = science and engineering.

Note(s):

Excludes U.S. citizen and permanent resident respondents who did not report race or ethnicity or were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The survey data collection for field of study changed in 2021, which may affect the data comparability across years. For more information, see the “Data source” section.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 3-4.

Women

Over the past 2 decades, women’s share of doctorates has grown in all broad fields (figure 10). In 2023, women earned more than half of the doctorates in psychology, health sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, agricultural sciences and natural resources, social sciences, education, and other non-S&E fields.^{For additional data on the fields of education, humanities and arts, and other non-S&E fields, see SED 2023 related detailed table 1-4.} Women also earned between about 26% and 45% of the doctorates awarded in computer and information sciences; engineering; mathematics and statistics; physical sciences; geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences; and business. From 2003 to 2023, the proportion of female doctorate recipients grew the most in agricultural sciences and natural resources; geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences; business; engineering; and biological and biomedical sciences. Women’s share of awarded doctorates grew the least in health sciences, in mathematics and statistics, and in humanities and arts.

Figure 10 Doctorates awarded to women, by trend broad field: 2003 and 2023

(Percent)

Field	2003	2023
Psychology	68.1	74.7
Education	66.1	73.2
Health sciences	67.5	69.9
Other non-S&E	57.8	63.2
Biological and biomedical sciences	46.5	55.6
Agricultural sciences and natural resources	35.7	54.7
Social sciences	45.1	50.7
Humanities and arts	49.5	50.3
Business	34.3	45.1
Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences	31.2	45.0
Physical sciences	27.1	33.8
Mathematics and statistics	26.6	27.5
Engineering	17.3	26.5
Computer and information sciences	20.3	26.4

S&E = science and engineering.

Note(s):

The survey data collection for field of study changed in 2021, which may affect the data comparability across years. For more information, see the “Data source” section.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 1-4 and table 1-5.

COVID-19 pandemic impacts on doctorate recipients

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2019 and spread rapidly in the United States in the first quarter of 2020 disrupted many aspects of the education and training of 2023 doctorate recipients.* Doctorate recipients were asked whether they experienced one of six impacts as a result of the pandemic: delay in their doctoral degree completion timeline; disruption in their research; reduction or suspension of funding for their doctoral studies; change in their immediate postgraduate employment or education plans; change in longer-term career plans or goals; and change in their plans about where to live in the year after graduation. Doctorate recipients were also asked to report any other changes in their graduate experience or career plans. This section summarizes the impacts of COVID-19 on doctorate recipients and is limited to the 51,173 doctorate recipients in 2023 who were asked the COVID-19 questions.

In 2023, the vast majority of doctorate recipients (87%) reported that their graduate experience and career plans were affected by at least one of the impacts listed above—comparable to the proportion in 2022 (87%) and higher than the proportion in 2021, when 77% reported at least one impact (figure A).

Figure A COVID-19 pandemic impacts among doctorate recipients: 2021–23

(Percent)

COVID-19 impact	2021	2022	2023
Any impact	77.5	87.3	86.9
My research was disrupted	48.3	67.1	69.8
The timeline for completing my doctoral degree was delayed	39.0	53.3	54.3
My immediate postgraduate employment or education plans changed	37.9	34.5	27.2
My long-term career plans or goals changed	24.2	23.7	23.7
My plans about where to live in the year after graduation were affected	31.3	28.0	23.4
Funding for my doctoral studies was reduced or suspended	7.1	11.9	9.8
My graduate experience or career plans changed in other ways	23.6	27.3	27.3

Note(s):

Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who were asked about the COVID-19 impact questions (42,030 of 52,160 doctorate recipients in 2021; 50,948 of 57,448 doctorate recipients in 2022; and 51,173 of 57,862 doctorate recipients in 2023).

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023.

Some impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reported by 2023 doctorate recipients were more prevalent in 2023 than in previous years, while others remained stable or even abated. Disruption in research was the most frequent impact, cited by 70% of doctorate recipients—an increase from 48% in 2021 and 67% in 2022 (figure A). Among doctorate recipients who reported their research had been disrupted, 81% indicated having had limited or no access to resources needed for research and 68% reported having had to make changes to their research plan (table A).^† The second most frequently reported impact was a delayed timeline for completing the doctoral degree, cited by 54% of 2023 doctorate recipients—a higher percentage than in 2021 (39%) and close to the proportion in 2022 (53%).

Table A Doctorate recipients who said their research was disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, by type of disruption: 2023

Data

(Percent)

Note(s):

Multiple responses allowed.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on short-term postgraduation plans eased in 2023. About a quarter (27%) of the 2023 doctorate recipients indicated that their immediate postgraduation employment or education plans were affected by the pandemic in 2023—a decrease from 2022 (35%) and 2021 (38%) (figure A). Of the doctorate recipients who reported changes in their immediate postgraduate employment or education plans in 2023, 77% attributed the change to limited job opportunities and 38% to having had to accept a less-desirable job (table B).^‡ About a quarter (23%) of the 2023 doctorate recipients also reported that their plans about where to live in the year after graduation were affected—a decrease from 2022 (28%) and 2021 (31%).

Table B Doctorate recipients who said their immediate postgraduate employment or education plans changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, by type of change: 2023

Data

(Percent)

Note(s):

Multiple responses allowed.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023.

The impact of the pandemic on long-term career plans or goals remained relatively stable over the past 3 years (24%). In 2023, over half of doctorate recipients responded that their long-term plans changed because they had to find a different type of employer (59%) or a different job or field (55%). For some, their long-term plans or goals changed because the pandemic provided new opportunities (46%) (table C).

Table C Doctorate recipients who said their long-term career plans or goals changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, by type of change: 2023

Data

(Percent)

Note(s):

Multiple responses allowed.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023.

Compared to the other measures, the financial impact of the pandemic on respondents—reduced or suspended funding for doctoral studies—was relatively small. This was the least reported impact in all 3 years the questions about pandemic impacts have been fielded. The proportion of doctorate recipients reporting an impact on funding was lower in 2023 than in 2022, but still higher than in 2021.

Sidebar footnotes

* To measure the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on new doctorate recipients’ graduate experiences and postgraduation plans, a set of questions was designed, tested, and included as a new module starting with the 2021 Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). See the SED 2022 “Technical Notes” for details about slight changes in the wording of the COVID-19 module questions between 2021 and 2022.

^† Doctorate recipients were allowed to provide multiple responses as to how their research was disrupted.

^‡ Doctorate recipients were allowed to provide multiple responses as to how their postgraduation employment or education plans changed.