An official website of the United States government
Report
Postgraduation trends
A graduate’s first position after earning a doctoral degree may reflect broad economic conditions and can shape later career opportunities, earnings, and choices. Over the longer term, the early career patterns of doctorate recipients may influence the decisions of future students considering careers as scientists, engineers, scholars, and researchers.
Definite commitments at graduation
At any given time, the job market outlook for new doctorate recipients will be better in some doctorate fields than in others. In general, doctorate recipients in S&E fields tend to have robust postgraduation career prospects. Of the 45,533 S&E doctorate recipients in 2023, 41,273 responded to the postgraduation commitment questions. Of those who responded to this question, 30,450 (74%) had definite commitments for employment or postdoctoral study or training (postdoc) positions; 10,823 (26%) did not. The focus of this section is doctorate recipients with definite commitments for employment or postdoc positions.
The proportions of 2023 doctorate recipients in S&E with definite commitments for employment or postdoc positions ranged from 68% in biological and biomedical sciences to 80% in psychology (figure 11). The overall proportion of S&E doctorate recipients with definite commitments was higher in 2023 (74%) than in 2003 (71%). Compared to 2003, in 2023 the proportion of recipients with definite commitments was higher in most broad fields. The fields with the largest percentage-point growth in definite commitments in the past 20 years were engineering (9 percentage points), psychology (6 percentage points), agricultural sciences and natural resources (6 percentage points), and computer and information sciences (5 percentage points). Biological and biomedical sciences was the only field to experience a decline in definite commitments in the past 20 years, from 72% to 68%, although it has rebounded from a low of 57% in the mid-2010s. The 2023 proportions of doctorate recipients in health sciences and in physical sciences with definite commitments were similar to those in 2003.
Between 2022 and 2023, the proportion of doctorate recipients with definite commitments increased in most fields except physical sciences; health sciences; computer and information sciences; and biological and biomedical sciences. The largest percentage-point increases in definite commitments were in geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences and in agricultural sciences and natural resources (2 percentage points). The largest decrease was in biological and biomedical sciences (3 percentage points).
| Year | Psychology | Computer and information sciences | Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | Mathematics and statistics | Social sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 73.6 | 72.8 | 74.9 | 74.7 | 72.9 |
| 2004 | 72.2 | 70.2 | 70.8 | 75.0 | 70.2 |
| 2005 | 73.3 | 72.9 | 75.0 | 76.1 | 72.6 |
| 2006 | 75.2 | 72.6 | 73.7 | 75.9 | 73.2 |
| 2007 | 73.6 | 72.7 | 76.5 | 73.3 | 71.7 |
| 2008 | 73.8 | 69.8 | 75.9 | 72.3 | 71.9 |
| 2009 | 73.6 | 72.8 | 75.5 | 71.4 | 72.4 |
| 2010 | 72.9 | 71.4 | 74.8 | 71.6 | 70.2 |
| 2011 | 71.5 | 69.0 | 75.1 | 70.7 | 67.2 |
| 2012 | 72.8 | 71.5 | 71.2 | 68.8 | 68.3 |
| 2013 | 72.3 | 68.7 | 67.6 | 68.5 | 66.5 |
| 2014 | 72.3 | 66.4 | 67.6 | 67.2 | 66.0 |
| 2015 | 72.3 | 69.8 | 69.2 | 69.7 | 66.0 |
| 2016 | 72.3 | 67.4 | 65.5 | 67.4 | 64.1 |
| 2017 | 76.6 | 74.3 | 68.6 | 70.9 | 68.8 |
| 2018 | 77.9 | 75.5 | 67.0 | 74.7 | 70.9 |
| 2019 | 78.1 | 77.2 | 68.6 | 75.3 | 71.6 |
| 2020 | 80.3 | 78.2 | 72.7 | 74.3 | 72.3 |
| 2021 | 78.8 | 78.3 | 73.3 | 72.1 | 70.4 |
| 2022 | 79.4 | 79.3 | 75.5 | 76.4 | 74.0 |
| 2023 | 80.0 | 78.2 | 77.8 | 77.5 | 75.4 |
| Year | Agricultural sciences and natural resources | Health sciences | Engineering | Physical sciences | Biological and biomedical sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 68.2 | 73.7 | 64.6 | 73.2 | 72.5 |
| 2004 | 67.5 | 72.6 | 63.6 | 70.8 | 71.6 |
| 2005 | 64.5 | 72.4 | 64.6 | 71.1 | 71.2 |
| 2006 | 67.8 | 75.0 | 66.0 | 71.7 | 71.6 |
| 2007 | 67.2 | 70.4 | 64.7 | 70.9 | 65.3 |
| 2008 | 64.5 | 72.3 | 65.1 | 70.3 | 64.7 |
| 2009 | 68.2 | 70.6 | 66.8 | 71.4 | 65.9 |
| 2010 | 65.1 | 69.7 | 65.4 | 71.4 | 65.2 |
| 2011 | 62.3 | 67.8 | 64.1 | 67.8 | 61.6 |
| 2012 | 64.2 | 68.1 | 64.0 | 66.0 | 61.5 |
| 2013 | 62.2 | 63.7 | 59.5 | 63.2 | 56.7 |
| 2014 | 58.6 | 63.8 | 57.2 | 60.2 | 56.5 |
| 2015 | 60.3 | 63.1 | 58.2 | 59.3 | 57.3 |
| 2016 | 58.7 | 63.0 | 58.6 | 61.1 | 58.8 |
| 2017 | 63.7 | 69.5 | 64.1 | 64.8 | 63.4 |
| 2018 | 64.9 | 69.6 | 65.5 | 67.0 | 64.5 |
| 2019 | 65.0 | 71.7 | 67.0 | 67.2 | 65.6 |
| 2020 | 68.1 | 70.2 | 68.4 | 69.0 | 65.3 |
| 2021 | 67.9 | 73.0 | 67.8 | 70.7 | 69.3 |
| 2022 | 72.1 | 74.8 | 72.8 | 73.4 | 70.8 |
| 2023 | 74.5 | 74.4 | 73.6 | 73.3 | 68.2 |
S&E = science and engineering.
Definite commitment refers to a doctorate recipient who is either returning to predoctoral employment or has signed a contract (or otherwise made a definite commitment) for employment or postdoctoral study in the coming year. Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who responded to the postgraduation status item. The postgraduation status question was changed in 2017 to capture postgraduation employment plans more accurately; some of the increase between 2016 and 2017 may be partly attributable to this change. 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.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 2-1.
Overall, the proportion of non-S&E doctorate recipients reporting definite commitments was 73% in 2023 compared with 72% in 2003. Since 2003, the proportion of doctorate recipients reporting definite commitments increased or stayed the same in each of the non-S&E broad fields, with each field reaching a low from 2014 to 2016 (figure 12). Doctorate recipients in non-S&E fields experienced drops in commitments in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but commitments rebounded in 2022 for each broad field and continued to climb in 2023. In the past 20 years, percentage-point growth in definite commitments in non-S&E broad fields was not as high as in some S&E broad fields, with business growing the most (3 percentage points). In 2023, business had the highest proportion of definite commitments of all S&E and non-S&E fields (86%). Humanities and arts had the lowest proportion among all S&E and non-S&E fields (66%).
| Year | Business | Education | Other non-S&E fields | Humanities and arts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 83.3 | 75.7 | 72.3 | 64.2 |
| 2004 | 81.1 | 74.6 | 72.0 | 63.6 |
| 2005 | 81.9 | 73.9 | 70.2 | 64.5 |
| 2006 | 83.0 | 74.9 | 72.6 | 66.7 |
| 2007 | 77.9 | 71.6 | 68.2 | 62.7 |
| 2008 | 81.7 | 73.7 | 72.5 | 64.5 |
| 2009 | 80.3 | 71.6 | 72.6 | 63.0 |
| 2010 | 79.4 | 70.7 | 68.4 | 60.0 |
| 2011 | 77.6 | 68.1 | 65.6 | 57.3 |
| 2012 | 81.7 | 69.3 | 65.3 | 58.4 |
| 2013 | 76.3 | 65.8 | 65.7 | 54.9 |
| 2014 | 75.7 | 64.5 | 61.5 | 54.6 |
| 2015 | 77.7 | 64.5 | 63.7 | 54.7 |
| 2016 | 75.8 | 64.8 | 62.0 | 51.9 |
| 2017 | 80.8 | 69.5 | 67.7 | 57.2 |
| 2018 | 82.6 | 71.0 | 70.6 | 59.1 |
| 2019 | 82.1 | 72.7 | 70.0 | 58.5 |
| 2020 | 83.4 | 72.5 | 71.4 | 59.5 |
| 2021 | 78.8 | 71.1 | 64.9 | 59.0 |
| 2022 | 81.0 | 75.1 | 70.5 | 62.4 |
| 2023 | 85.9 | 76.3 | 72.4 | 65.8 |
S&E = science and engineering.
Definite commitment refers to a doctorate recipient who is either returning to predoctoral employment or has signed a contract (or otherwise made a definite commitment) for employment or postdoctoral study in the coming year. Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who responded to the postgraduation status item. The postgraduation status question was changed in 2017 to capture the postgraduation employment plans more accurately. As a result, some of the increase between 2016 and 2017 may be partly attributable to this change. 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.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 2-1.
First postgraduate positions in the United States
In 2023, 22,462 doctorate recipients reported non-postdoc employment commitments in the United States. Of these recipients with non-postdoc employment commitments, 34% (7,672) were in academia; 47% (10,495) were in industry or business; 7% (1,535) were in government; 7% (1,462) in nonprofits; and 6% (1,298) in other or did not report the sector. In addition, 12,818 doctorate recipients reported having a postdoc commitment in the United States in 2023.
Academic employment
Doctorate recipients have shifted away from non-postdoc academic employment over time. In 2023, 34% of doctorate recipients with definite non-postdoc employment commitments in the United States reported that their principal job would be in academia, down from 54% in 2003. The proportion of doctorate recipients who reported non-postdoc employment commitments in academia in 2023 was highest in non-S&E fields (61%) and lowest in engineering (10%) and physical sciences (12%) (figure 13).
In the past 20 years, the proportion of non-postdoc academic employment commitments in the United States declined in all S&E fields. The largest percentage-point declines between 2003 and 2023 were in mathematics and statistics, dropping from 70% to 27%, followed by computer and information sciences, dropping from 59% to 22%. Between 2022 and 2023, the proportion of doctorate recipients with non-postdoc academic employment commitments increased in all S&E fields except engineering. The largest increases were in geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences and in social sciences (5 percentage points each).
| Year | Non-S&E fields | Social sciences | Health sciences | Psychology | Agricultural sciences and natural resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 64.0 | 69.5 | 61.8 | 41.6 | 41.3 |
| 2004 | 65.6 | 69.6 | 65.2 | 46.8 | 41.0 |
| 2005 | 65.6 | 70.0 | 66.8 | 48.7 | 38.1 |
| 2006 | 65.4 | 69.6 | 58.9 | 44.0 | 45.3 |
| 2007 | 66.8 | 70.4 | 57.5 | 45.6 | 43.9 |
| 2008 | 66.4 | 70.2 | 59.2 | 47.3 | 41.6 |
| 2009 | 66.2 | 70.1 | 65.5 | 49.3 | 44.7 |
| 2010 | 67.2 | 67.5 | 57.9 | 46.4 | 41.0 |
| 2011 | 71.4 | 67.8 | 60.1 | 47.4 | 40.5 |
| 2012 | 71.3 | 65.9 | 58.8 | 47.5 | 38.6 |
| 2013 | 72.2 | 67.3 | 56.8 | 45.0 | 39.5 |
| 2014 | 72.2 | 66.5 | 59.4 | 47.2 | 40.2 |
| 2015 | 70.7 | 65.9 | 60.3 | 45.7 | 42.9 |
| 2016 | 68.2 | 60.3 | 52.2 | 42.2 | 36.5 |
| 2017 | 71.0 | 61.4 | 52.6 | 48.4 | 39.6 |
| 2018 | 66.4 | 60.1 | 55.0 | 42.9 | 36.9 |
| 2019 | 66.6 | 57.5 | 49.9 | 40.0 | 37.8 |
| 2020 | 63.8 | 56.0 | 51.6 | 40.4 | 39.3 |
| 2021 | 60.8 | 48.5 | 47.5 | 35.1 | 28.3 |
| 2022 | 60.2 | 46.3 | 45.4 | 34.2 | 27.6 |
| 2023 | 60.9 | 50.9 | 47.8 | 38.3 | 31.4 |
| Year | Mathematics and statistics | Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | Biological and biomedical sciences | Computer and information sciences | Physical sciences | Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 69.5 | 39.9 | 46.2 | 58.8 | 22.2 | 21.7 |
| 2004 | 73.1 | 43.1 | 45.7 | 52.7 | 23.8 | 22.0 |
| 2005 | 65.1 | 40.5 | 47.4 | 46.0 | 22.8 | 18.5 |
| 2006 | 57.6 | 43.2 | 39.4 | 35.4 | 23.9 | 14.3 |
| 2007 | 61.0 | 39.5 | 41.1 | 30.9 | 22.9 | 13.3 |
| 2008 | 56.6 | 35.5 | 43.0 | 29.6 | 23.2 | 15.1 |
| 2009 | 58.7 | 34.7 | 40.3 | 28.6 | 26.0 | 14.4 |
| 2010 | 57.4 | 26.6 | 44.1 | 28.2 | 29.1 | 16.9 |
| 2011 | 53.9 | 29.6 | 42.1 | 24.0 | 24.8 | 13.6 |
| 2012 | 53.7 | 39.2 | 38.8 | 24.5 | 25.6 | 13.5 |
| 2013 | 52.2 | 36.9 | 40.0 | 23.6 | 21.6 | 13.6 |
| 2014 | 50.8 | 30.9 | 38.5 | 21.7 | 23.4 | 14.9 |
| 2015 | 45.6 | 35.0 | 35.8 | 23.3 | 21.1 | 14.5 |
| 2016 | 40.1 | 31.8 | 30.6 | 22.6 | 17.3 | 14.0 |
| 2017 | 38.9 | 31.0 | 32.3 | 26.2 | 21.8 | 13.4 |
| 2018 | 38.4 | 31.8 | 30.9 | 25.4 | 16.3 | 12.8 |
| 2019 | 35.4 | 26.2 | 27.2 | 22.3 | 15.0 | 12.1 |
| 2020 | 32.9 | 25.3 | 27.2 | 22.3 | 14.4 | 10.3 |
| 2021 | 30.7 | 26.9 | 22.5 | 23.9 | 12.3 | 11.6 |
| 2022 | 26.5 | 21.1 | 18.8 | 18.5 | 10.7 | 10.2 |
| 2023 | 27.0 | 26.6 | 22.1 | 21.6 | 11.5 | 9.7 |
S&E = science and engineering.
Definite employment commitment refers to a doctorate recipient who is either returning to predoctoral employment or has signed a contract (or otherwise made a definite commitment) for employment (excludes postdoctoral study) in the coming year. Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who reported definite employment commitments (including those missing employer type) and plans to stay in the United States. 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.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 2-6.
Industry or business employment
In contrast to the decline in definite non-postdoc employment commitments in academia, the proportion of doctorate recipients with non-postdoc commitments in industry or business in the United States more than doubled since 2003, comprising close to half (47%) of all 2023 doctorate recipient employment commitments. Definite commitments in industry or business have become more prevalent in all fields. In 2003, only physical sciences (65%) and engineering (63%) had more than half of their doctorate recipients commit to non-postdoc employment positions in industry or business (figure 14). By 2023, several more fields had 50% or more of their doctorate recipients commit to industry or business positions: computer and information sciences; mathematics and statistics; and biological and biomedical sciences. In comparison, only about a quarter of doctorate recipients in health sciences and in social sciences had definite commitments in industry or business—the lowest among S&E fields. While employment commitments in industry or business increased across all fields over the past 20 years, between 2022 and 2023, they declined in every field but engineering.
| Year | Engineering | Physical sciences | Computer and information sciences | Mathematics and statistics | Biological and biomedical sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 62.7 | 65.0 | 33.0 | 23.4 | 28.7 |
| 2004 | 61.8 | 59.5 | 38.9 | 18.9 | 27.5 |
| 2005 | 68.7 | 65.8 | 48.0 | 26.6 | 31.4 |
| 2006 | 72.9 | 62.0 | 55.6 | 31.1 | 33.2 |
| 2007 | 75.4 | 64.5 | 62.3 | 31.9 | 37.0 |
| 2008 | 73.7 | 63.7 | 64.9 | 33.4 | 36.2 |
| 2009 | 73.1 | 58.2 | 64.2 | 28.5 | 33.6 |
| 2010 | 64.3 | 52.7 | 60.9 | 28.2 | 30.1 |
| 2011 | 71.1 | 60.1 | 64.9 | 32.2 | 34.7 |
| 2012 | 72.9 | 63.7 | 66.6 | 37.1 | 37.9 |
| 2013 | 73.2 | 67.9 | 68.8 | 39.7 | 38.4 |
| 2014 | 72.1 | 67.2 | 71.7 | 39.7 | 43.7 |
| 2015 | 72.0 | 69.8 | 68.5 | 45.2 | 45.4 |
| 2016 | 72.9 | 71.6 | 69.0 | 51.3 | 47.2 |
| 2017 | 73.7 | 68.6 | 65.8 | 51.7 | 50.5 |
| 2018 | 74.5 | 72.7 | 67.7 | 52.2 | 49.1 |
| 2019 | 74.3 | 75.7 | 69.3 | 55.4 | 54.7 |
| 2020 | 77.0 | 74.8 | 69.8 | 57.5 | 57.5 |
| 2021 | 75.8 | 77.2 | 69.0 | 59.8 | 61.0 |
| 2022 | 78.8 | 80.2 | 73.7 | 62.7 | 66.5 |
| 2023 | 79.6 | 79.4 | 70.3 | 62.7 | 61.6 |
| Year | Agricultural sciences and natural resources | Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | Psychology | Health sciences | Social sciences | Non-S&E fields |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 30.9 | 32.3 | 24.2 | 16.7 | 12.4 | 5.9 |
| 2004 | 31.0 | 30.0 | 18.8 | 15.5 | 10.0 | 5.1 |
| 2005 | 32.5 | 32.7 | 20.8 | 15.1 | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| 2006 | 28.2 | 33.2 | 19.3 | 15.2 | 10.6 | 5.2 |
| 2007 | 28.9 | 36.8 | 20.5 | 18.3 | 10.8 | 5.3 |
| 2008 | 30.9 | 43.4 | 18.9 | 15.7 | 11.6 | 5.2 |
| 2009 | 25.7 | 46.5 | 19.7 | 14.0 | 11.9 | 5.2 |
| 2010 | 26.1 | 45.3 | 20.3 | 18.3 | 10.0 | 5.8 |
| 2011 | 28.7 | 41.8 | 19.8 | 15.9 | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| 2012 | 29.7 | 35.8 | 22.8 | 16.4 | 11.6 | 5.5 |
| 2013 | 34.3 | 36.9 | 22.1 | 15.9 | 11.6 | 5.3 |
| 2014 | 35.7 | 47.1 | 23.7 | 15.0 | 12.8 | 5.7 |
| 2015 | 36.9 | 44.0 | 25.4 | 14.0 | 12.1 | 6.5 |
| 2016 | 40.3 | 39.9 | 25.4 | 20.3 | 15.9 | 6.3 |
| 2017 | 37.6 | 34.1 | 24.6 | 19.6 | 17.1 | 6.8 |
| 2018 | 36.9 | 40.6 | 27.9 | 18.9 | 17.9 | 7.8 |
| 2019 | 41.5 | 39.1 | 29.0 | 22.1 | 18.0 | 8.0 |
| 2020 | 32.1 | 41.2 | 29.5 | 23.4 | 18.4 | 9.3 |
| 2021 | 48.4 | 36.8 | 35.7 | 25.2 | 22.6 | 10.5 |
| 2022 | 48.7 | 44.2 | 38.1 | 28.0 | 26.6 | 11.5 |
| 2023 | 43.8 | 42.3 | 33.2 | 27.6 | 23.1 | 11.4 |
S&E = science and engineering.
Definite employment commitment refers to a doctorate recipient who is either returning to predoctoral employment or has signed a contract (or otherwise made a definite commitment) for employment (excludes postdoctoral study) in the coming year. Definite commitments in industry or business includes doctorate recipients who are self-employed. Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who reported definite employment commitments (including those missing employer type) and plans to stay in the United States. 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.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 2-6.
Postdoc positions
Twenty-year trends in postdoc commitments varied by field. Historically, postdoc positions have been a customary part of the early career paths of doctorate recipients in biological and biomedical sciences; physical sciences; and geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences—comprising over half of definite commitments. Since 2007, the postdoc rates in psychology have also exceeded 50% (figure 15).
In the past 20 years, 5 of the 10 S&E broad fields experienced increases in postdoc rates. The largest increases in postdoc rates were in psychology (17 percentage points); social sciences (13 percentage points); geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences (11 percentage points); and health sciences (11 percentage points). Although over half of the doctorate recipients with definite commitments in biological and biomedical sciences and close to half of those with definite commitments in the physical sciences pursued a postdoc position in 2023, these fields experienced a decline of 20 and 16 percentage points, respectively, in the past 2 decades. Between 2022 and 2023, the postdoc rate decreased in most of the S&E broad fields. The largest declines were in agricultural sciences and natural resources (4 percentage points), followed by physical sciences, mathematics and statistics, and engineering (3 percentage points each).
| Year | Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | Psychology | Biological and biomedical sciences | Physical sciences | Agricultural sciences and natural resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 53.1 | 42.3 | 78.1 | 62.2 | 42.5 |
| 2004 | 58.7 | 46.4 | 82.2 | 67.3 | 47.2 |
| 2005 | 61.0 | 47.6 | 81.4 | 67.0 | 43.0 |
| 2006 | 56.3 | 46.3 | 78.4 | 64.9 | 42.4 |
| 2007 | 57.5 | 50.1 | 79.7 | 67.6 | 46.0 |
| 2008 | 56.2 | 51.1 | 77.6 | 64.9 | 48.3 |
| 2009 | 60.5 | 51.5 | 79.6 | 66.0 | 45.7 |
| 2010 | 62.1 | 52.6 | 81.4 | 74.3 | 51.9 |
| 2011 | 61.0 | 56.4 | 81.5 | 69.0 | 50.4 |
| 2012 | 66.7 | 57.2 | 78.2 | 66.5 | 51.7 |
| 2013 | 65.0 | 56.2 | 76.9 | 64.8 | 48.9 |
| 2014 | 60.8 | 55.7 | 77.8 | 60.0 | 47.2 |
| 2015 | 63.8 | 57.9 | 75.0 | 61.9 | 48.7 |
| 2016 | 64.0 | 55.7 | 72.3 | 57.8 | 44.1 |
| 2017 | 60.1 | 58.9 | 71.5 | 56.4 | 47.1 |
| 2018 | 63.7 | 58.8 | 69.9 | 54.7 | 47.8 |
| 2019 | 58.4 | 58.6 | 67.8 | 55.4 | 48.5 |
| 2020 | 62.5 | 60.0 | 67.3 | 56.4 | 46.3 |
| 2021 | 65.7 | 60.3 | 65.7 | 59.8 | 50.3 |
| 2022 | 64.8 | 60.4 | 59.5 | 49.9 | 50.1 |
| 2023 | 64.2 | 58.9 | 57.8 | 46.5 | 45.8 |
| Year | Mathematics and statistics | Health sciences | Engineering | Social sciences | Computer and information sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 44.3 | 23.8 | 33.9 | 15.9 | 20.5 |
| 2004 | 43.7 | 25.8 | 38.5 | 16.4 | 22.7 |
| 2005 | 42.1 | 23.0 | 34.1 | 14.5 | 22.6 |
| 2006 | 41.3 | 25.9 | 30.0 | 15.4 | 17.0 |
| 2007 | 41.0 | 26.4 | 31.5 | 17.7 | 18.7 |
| 2008 | 40.6 | 27.1 | 30.1 | 17.6 | 21.9 |
| 2009 | 42.1 | 27.3 | 35.7 | 16.9 | 22.3 |
| 2010 | 48.0 | 33.3 | 46.1 | 19.7 | 31.5 |
| 2011 | 47.8 | 30.6 | 41.4 | 22.1 | 27.1 |
| 2012 | 45.2 | 28.8 | 35.5 | 21.9 | 22.2 |
| 2013 | 41.3 | 29.1 | 35.1 | 21.2 | 22.2 |
| 2014 | 43.0 | 31.7 | 33.3 | 21.2 | 19.5 |
| 2015 | 41.4 | 31.2 | 35.3 | 21.5 | 20.1 |
| 2016 | 39.8 | 34.3 | 33.5 | 21.6 | 19.8 |
| 2017 | 40.1 | 32.6 | 37.4 | 22.3 | 18.9 |
| 2018 | 40.9 | 35.4 | 34.1 | 22.8 | 18.8 |
| 2019 | 37.9 | 34.9 | 34.8 | 24.5 | 19.5 |
| 2020 | 37.4 | 36.0 | 35.9 | 24.8 | 19.0 |
| 2021 | 42.0 | 38.6 | 38.6 | 28.4 | 22.1 |
| 2022 | 42.8 | 34.1 | 32.8 | 29.7 | 20.2 |
| 2023 | 39.9 | 34.5 | 29.9 | 28.4 | 19.1 |
S&E = science and engineering.
Percentages are based on the number of doctorate recipients who reported definite commitments in the coming year, who reported whether their commitment was for employment or postdoctoral study, and who plan to live in the United States. 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.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 2-3.
Temporary visa holders
Among S&E doctorate recipients who are temporary visa holders, working in the United States after earning a doctoral degree has become more prevalent, though uneven through the years. In 2023, 85% of S&E temporary visa holder doctorate recipients with definite commitments reported that the location of their postdoc or employment position was in the United States, up from 72% in 2003. Between 2003 and 2023, the largest increases in expected stay rates were among doctorate recipients in agricultural sciences and natural resources and in health sciences (36 percentage points each); the smallest was among those in physical sciences (2 percentage points) (figure 16).
In 2023, in all S&E fields, the majority of temporary visa holder doctorate recipients expected to stay in the United States. Expected stay rates were over 80% in all S&E fields except health sciences (74%) and social sciences (64%). Similarly, between 2022 and 2023, the proportion of temporary visa holder doctorate recipients with definite commitments in the United States grew in all fields except health sciences and social sciences. The largest increases from 2022 to 2023 were in agricultural sciences and natural resources (10 percentage points) and psychology (7 percentage points).
| Year | Biological and biomedical sciences | Engineering | Computer and information sciences | Physical sciences | Agricultural sciences and natural resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 82.8 | 73.1 | 82.1 | 84.4 | 49.7 |
| 2004 | 85.8 | 77.1 | 74.2 | 84.6 | 58.9 |
| 2005 | 88.0 | 80.4 | 82.8 | 86.0 | 56.8 |
| 2006 | 89.6 | 84.8 | 84.8 | 85.4 | 61.8 |
| 2007 | 85.1 | 85.5 | 84.1 | 82.6 | 64.8 |
| 2008 | 85.4 | 84.8 | 85.4 | 83.6 | 62.0 |
| 2009 | 86.3 | 83.3 | 86.4 | 81.4 | 66.0 |
| 2010 | 85.8 | 79.0 | 76.6 | 81.9 | 63.2 |
| 2011 | 85.3 | 80.8 | 81.6 | 80.8 | 62.4 |
| 2012 | 84.3 | 82.5 | 83.6 | 81.0 | 65.8 |
| 2013 | 81.6 | 81.4 | 88.6 | 79.0 | 65.7 |
| 2014 | 83.2 | 83.3 | 88.8 | 77.4 | 63.9 |
| 2015 | 84.1 | 84.6 | 87.4 | 83.7 | 66.5 |
| 2016 | 86.1 | 85.4 | 88.5 | 83.7 | 59.5 |
| 2017 | 86.7 | 84.8 | 87.4 | 83.4 | 68.4 |
| 2018 | 87.0 | 85.1 | 86.2 | 81.5 | 65.1 |
| 2019 | 84.7 | 82.8 | 86.1 | 81.5 | 68.5 |
| 2020 | 84.3 | 85.5 | 85.1 | 84.4 | 67.8 |
| 2021 | 84.6 | 85.2 | 87.2 | 81.8 | 75.7 |
| 2022 | 86.5 | 87.4 | 87.7 | 84.6 | 75.7 |
| 2023 | 89.7 | 89.4 | 88.1 | 85.9 | 85.7 |
| Year | Psychology | Mathematics and statistics | Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | Health sciences | Social sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 74.6 | 73.1 | 74.5 | 52.4 | 49.0 |
| 2004 | 64.3 | 77.6 | 68.8 | 57.9 | 51.8 |
| 2005 | 70.0 | 77.3 | 76.3 | 59.5 | 52.9 |
| 2006 | 77.7 | 81.2 | 71.7 | 63.3 | 58.2 |
| 2007 | 68.1 | 79.4 | 76.9 | 64.5 | 62.1 |
| 2008 | 70.6 | 76.7 | 77.9 | 75.9 | 59.6 |
| 2009 | 71.8 | 77.9 | 79.8 | 70.3 | 54.8 |
| 2010 | 65.7 | 74.4 | 78.4 | 75.8 | 46.5 |
| 2011 | 71.0 | 75.4 | 73.4 | 71.4 | 52.5 |
| 2012 | 67.5 | 76.5 | 72.6 | 67.5 | 50.2 |
| 2013 | 57.1 | 74.1 | 75.4 | 72.1 | 50.0 |
| 2014 | 59.2 | 75.3 | 75.5 | 75.5 | 51.6 |
| 2015 | 66.0 | 80.8 | 77.6 | 71.6 | 51.9 |
| 2016 | 70.7 | 82.7 | 75.2 | 70.5 | 53.7 |
| 2017 | 78.5 | 79.5 | 72.5 | 69.1 | 54.9 |
| 2018 | 72.6 | 78.5 | 76.2 | 72.4 | 54.8 |
| 2019 | 70.4 | 79.7 | 72.8 | 69.0 | 56.8 |
| 2020 | 73.9 | 82.1 | 74.4 | 66.1 | 60.0 |
| 2021 | 76.0 | 75.9 | 73.7 | 72.3 | 53.8 |
| 2022 | 77.7 | 80.7 | 81.3 | 75.1 | 64.6 |
| 2023 | 84.2 | 83.5 | 83.0 | 73.5 | 64.1 |
S&E = science and engineering.
Definite commitment refers to a doctorate recipient who is either returning to predoctoral employment or has signed a contract (or otherwise made a definite commitment) for employment or postdoctoral study in the coming year. Percentages are based on the number of S&E temporary visa holder doctorate recipients who reported definite commitments. 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.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2023. Related detailed table 6-3.
