Doctor's degrees conferred by institutions of higher education, by discipline division: 1970-71 to 1995-96

Table 252. -

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
            Discipline division                 |1970-71|1975-76|1980-81|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95|1995-96
________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________
                       1                        |   2   |   3   |   4   |   5   |   6   |   7   |   8   |   9   |  10   |  11   |  12   |  13   |  14   |  15   |  16   |   17
________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________
     Total .....................................|32,107 |34,064 |32,958 |33,209 |32,943 |33,653 |34,041 |34,870 |35,720 |38,371 |39,294 |40,659 |42,132 |43,185 |44,446 | 44,652
                                                |_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________
Agriculture and natural resources ..............| 1,086 |   928 | 1,067 | 1,172 | 1,213 | 1,158 | 1,049 | 1,142 | 1,183 | 1,295 | 1,185 | 1,214 | 1,173 | 1,278 | 1,264 |  1,271
Architecture and related programs ..............|    36 |    82 |    93 |    84 |    89 |    73 |    92 |    98 |    86 |   103 |   135 |   132 |   148 |   161 |   141 |    141
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies .............|   144 |   188 |   162 |   141 |   140 |   159 |   134 |   142 |   114 |   131 |   167 |   155 |   178 |   155 |   186 |    184
Biological sciences/life sciences ..............| 3,645 | 3,392 | 3,718 | 3,437 | 3,432 | 3,358 | 3,419 | 3,629 | 3,520 | 3,844 | 4,093 | 4,243 | 4,435 | 4,534 | 4,645 |  4,780
Business .......................................|   757 |   900 |   795 |   929 |   831 |   934 | 1,062 | 1,063 | 1,100 | 1,093 | 1,185 | 1,242 | 1,346 | 1,364 | 1,394 |  1,368
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
Communications .................................|   145 |   196 |   171 |   215 |   228 |   212 |   273 |   230 |   247 |   267 |   259 |   252 |   293 |   337 |   320 |    338
Communications technologies ....................|     0 |     8 |    11 |     4 |     6 |    11 |     2 |     4 |     6 |     6 |    15 |     3 |     8 |     8 |     1 |      7
Computer and information sciences ..............|   128 |   244 |   252 |   251 |   248 |   344 |   374 |   428 |   551 |   627 |   676 |   772 |   805 |   810 |   884 |    867
Education ......................................| 6,041 | 7,202 | 7,279 | 6,911 | 6,612 | 6,605 | 6,407 | 6,060 | 6,337 | 6,502 | 6,187 | 6,864 | 7,030 | 6,908 | 6,905 |  6,676
Engineering ....................................| 3,637 | 2,819 | 2,551 | 2,979 | 3,221 | 3,398 | 3,801 | 4,174 | 4,506 | 4,967 | 5,258 | 5,488 | 5,823 | 5,963 | 6,110 |  6,369
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
Engineering-related technologies ...............|     1 |     2 |    10 |     2 |     9 |    12 |    17 |    17 |    17 |    14 |    14 |    11 |    20 |    16 |    18 |     11
English language and literature/letters ........| 1,650 | 1,672 | 1,164 | 1,018 | 1,041 |   991 |   961 |   981 | 1,022 | 1,078 | 1,184 | 1,273 | 1,341 | 1,344 | 1,561 |  1,535
Foreign languages and literatures...............|   988 | 1,076 |   804 |   659 |   635 |   672 |   661 |   602 |   632 |   724 |   758 |   850 |   830 |   886 |   905 |    876
Health professions and related sciences ........|   466 |   577 |   842 | 1,164 | 1,199 | 1,241 | 1,213 | 1,261 | 1,437 | 1,536 | 1,613 | 1,661 | 1,767 | 1,902 | 2,069 |  2,119
Home economics and vocational home economics ...|   123 |   178 |   247 |   277 |   273 |   311 |   296 |   307 |   264 |   301 |   253 |   293 |   345 |   365 |   388 |    414
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
Law and legal studies ..........................|    20 |    76 |    60 |   121 |   105 |    54 |   120 |    89 |    76 |   111 |    90 |    68 |    86 |    79 |    88 |     91
Liberal arts and sciences,                      |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
  general studies, and humanities ..............|    32 |   162 |   121 |   173 |   112 |    90 |    56 |    66 |    72 |    63 |    70 |    67 |    81 |    80 |    90 |     75
Library science ................................|    39 |    71 |    71 |    74 |    87 |    62 |    57 |    46 |    61 |    42 |    56 |    50 |    77 |    45 |    55 |     53
Mathematics ....................................| 1,249 |   909 |   775 |   743 |   734 |   777 |   759 |   796 |   915 |   966 | 1,036 | 1,082 | 1,189 | 1,157 | 1,226 |  1,209
Multi/interdisciplinary studies ................|    59 |   111 |   158 |   249 |   219 |   263 |   247 |   224 |   212 |   272 |   220 |   231 |   196 |   227 |   238 |    441
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies |     2 |    15 |    42 |    27 |    36 |    39 |    32 |    29 |    35 |    35 |    28 |    61 |   108 |   116 |   149 |    104
Philosophy and religion ........................|   554 |   554 |   410 |   442 |   468 |   477 |   421 |   405 |   465 |   439 |   456 |   475 |   448 |   528 |   507 |    549
Physical sciences and science technologies......| 4,390 | 3,431 | 3,141 | 3,306 | 3,403 | 3,551 | 3,673 | 3,809 | 3,858 | 4,164 | 4,290 | 4,391 | 4,393 | 4,650 | 4,483 |  4,571
Precision production trades.....................|   --- |   --- |   --- |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |      0
Protective services ............................|     1 |     9 |    21 |    31 |    33 |    21 |    18 |    32 |    26 |    38 |    28 |    24 |    32 |    25 |    26 |     38
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
Psychology .....................................| 2,144 | 3,157 | 3,576 | 3,535 | 3,447 | 3,593 | 3,560 | 3,480 | 3,685 | 3,811 | 3,932 | 3,373 | 3,651 | 3,563 | 3,822 |  3,711
Public administration and services .............|   174 |   292 |   362 |   420 |   431 |   382 |   398 |   470 |   428 |   508 |   430 |   432 |   459 |   519 |   556 |    499
R.O.T.C. and military technologies .............|     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |      0
Social sciences and history.....................| 3,660 | 4,157 | 3,122 | 2,911 | 2,851 | 2,955 | 2,916 | 2,781 | 2,885 | 3,010 | 3,012 | 3,218 | 3,460 | 3,627 | 3,725 |  3,760
Theological studies/religious vocations ........|   312 | 1,033 | 1,276 | 1,204 | 1,144 | 1,185 | 1,230 | 1,199 | 1,166 | 1,317 | 1,079 | 1,259 | 1,417 | 1,448 | 1,591 |  1,521
                                                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
Transportation and material moving workers......|     3 |     3 |     3 |     0 |     0 |     3 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |      0
Visual and performing arts .....................|   621 |   620 |   654 |   730 |   696 |   722 |   793 |   727 |   753 |   849 |   838 |   906 |   882 | 1,054 | 1,080 |  1,067
Not classified by field of study ...............|     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |     0 |   579 |    61 |   258 |   747 |   569 |   111 |    36 |    19 |      7
________________________________________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|________

---Data not available or not applicable.

NOTE.--The new Classification of Instructional Programs was initiated in 1991-92. The figures for earlier years have been reclassified when necessary to make them conform to the new taxonomy. To facilitate trend comparisons, certain aggregations have been made of the degree fields as reported in the IPEDS "Completions" survey: "Agriculture and natural resources" includes Agricultural business and production, Agricultural sciences, and Conservation and renewable natural resources; "Business" includes Business management and administrative services, Marketing operations/marketing and distribution, and Consumer and personal services; and "Engineering-related technologies" includes Engineering-related technologies, Mechanics and repairers, and Construction trades.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. (This table was prepared May 1998.)

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