News Release 13-074

Report Traces Baccalaureate Origins of Science and Engineering Doctoral Recipients

Photo of a scientist working with a microscope in a lab

School of origin makes a difference.


April 23, 2013

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The National Science Foundation recently released a report detailing the large role played by U.S. research universities in the baccalaureate education of U.S.-trained science and engineering (S&E) doctorate recipients.

In 2011, the year the latest information is available, 35 percent of individuals earning S&E doctorates from U.S. universities held bachelor's degrees from foreign institutions, and 29 percent earned bachelor's degrees from U.S. doctorate-granting institutions with very high research activity.

Of the top 50 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions that awarded S&E doctorate degrees from 2002-2011, all but one are research universities with very high research activity.

Public universities also play a prominent role in the baccalaureate training of U.S. S&E doctorate recipients: approximately two-thirds of the institutions on the top 50 list are public institutions.

For more information on this report, please contact Mark Fiegener.

Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) for more reports and other products.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Deborah Wing, NSF, (703) 292-5344, email: dwing@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

mail icon Get News Updates by Email 

Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF
Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov