Appendix A consists of two tables that provide detailed data on doctoral fields and three basic demographic characteristics of Ph.D.s—citizenship status, race/ethnicity, and sex.
Table A-1 displays the number of doctorates awarded in each of the field specialties that make up the major fields analyzed in this report. The field data are presented for each of the 5-year Ph.D. cohorts from 1960–64 to 1995–99, for the aggregate 1960–99 period (results of the Survey of Earned Doctorates), and for the entire 1920–99 period covered in the Doctorate Records File. Consistent data on field specialties became available in 1958, when the first Survey of Earned Doctorates was administered. The earlier data were obtained from public sources, such as commencement programs, so the fields tend to be broader.
Fields in table A-1 are grouped according to the classification scheme used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in its reports. Science and engineering, as defined by NSF, includes the following major fields: agricultural sciences; biological sciences; earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences; mathematics and computer sciences; physical sciences (astronomy, chemistry, physics, and miscellaneous related fields); psychology; social sciences; and engineering. The major fields in non-science and engineering, as defined by NSF, are education, health sciences, humanities, and professional fields/other. Other agencies and organizations often classify the fields differently. The most prominent difference between the NSF scheme and the schemes used by others is the treatment of health fields. These fields, considered to be non-S&E by NSF, are commonly grouped by other agencies with biological and agricultural sciences under the "life sciences" rubric, or with biological sciences under the "biomedical sciences" rubric.
Table A-2 displays the number of Ph.D.s within demographic groups defined by the various combinations of citizenship status, race/ethnicity, and sex—for example, U.S. black women. Valid data on race/ethnicity became available in 1975. The data in this table are shown for the 5-year Ph.D. cohorts from 1975–79 to 1995–99 and also for the aggregate period 1975–99. See appendix C for technical notes pertaining to citizenship status, race/ethnicity, and sex.
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| A-1 |
Doctorates awarded, by detailed field: 1920–99 total, 1960–99 total, and 5-year cohorts from 1960 |
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| A-2 |
Citizenship status, race/ethnicity, and sex of Ph.D.s, by field of doctorate: 1975–99 total and 5-year cohorts from 1975 |
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