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Who earns a U.S. doctorate?

Each new cohort of doctorate recipients augments the supply of prospective scientists, engineers, researchers, and scholars. Data on the changing demographic composition of these cohorts reveal increasing diversity from traditionally underutilized groups.

Doctorates awarded by U.S. colleges and universities: 1957–2014

Doctorates recipients (thousands)

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014.

Overall trends

The 54,070 research doctorate degrees awarded by U.S. institutions in 2014 represent the highest number ever reported by the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). The number of doctorates awarded each year shows a strong upward trend over time—average annual growth of 3.4%— punctuated by brief periods of slow growth and even decline.

In every year of the SED, the number of doctorates awarded in science and engineering (S&E) fields has exceeded the number of non-S&E doctorates. The gap between the annual counts of S&E and non-S&E doctorates has widened over the past 40 years, with the proportion of S&E doctorates rising from 58% in 1974 to 75% in 2014. The number of non-S&E doctorates awarded in 2014 declined 2.4% from the 2013 total, the fifth single-year decline over the past 10 years.

Doctorates awarded in science and engineering fields, by citizenship:
1994–2014

S&E doctorate recipients (thousands)

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 17, 18.

Citizenship

The number of doctorates in S&E fields awarded to temporary visa holders grew to 13,739 in 2014, a 45% increase since 2004 and a 2% increase since 2013. The number of S&E doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents also grew in 2014 at a comparable rate—a 42% increase since 2004 and 2% growth since 2013.

In 1994, 29% of all S&E doctorates were awarded to temporary visa holders. The proportion of S&E doctorate recipients holding temporary visas increased to 41% by 2007 but has since fallen to 37% in 2014.

Over the period 2004 to 2014, 85% of the doctorates earned by temporary visa holders were in S&E fields, compared with 66% of the doctorates earned by U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Top 10 countries or economies of foreign citizenship for U.S. doctorate
recipients: Total, 2004–14

Doctorate recipients (thousands)

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 25, 26.

Countries or economies of foreign citizenship

Ten countries accounted for 70% of the doctorates awarded to temporary visa holders from 2004 to 2014, and the top three—China, India, and South Korea—accounted for more than half.

Sex and citizenship of U.S. doctorate recipients: 1994–2014

Doctorate recipents (thousands)

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 20, 21.

Sex: Citizenship

Women are becoming increasingly prevalent in each new cohort of doctorate recipients, earning a majority of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents each year since 2002 and earning one-third of all doctorates awarded to temporary visa holders over that period. Overall, women earned 46% of all doctorates in 2014. The total number of doctorate recipients increased for both men and women every year since 2010.

Sex and field of study of U.S. doctorate recipients: 1994–2014

Doctorate recipients (thousands)

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 14, 15, 16.

Sex: Field of study

The growth in number of S&E doctorates awarded to women over the past 20 years has exceeded the growth in male S&E doctorates by a substantial margin. In 2014, the number of S&E doctorates awarded to men reached 23,298, an increase of 26% (nearly 5,000 more doctorates) over the 1994 total. The number of female S&E doctorates nearly doubled over the period, increasing by more than 8,500 doctorates from 1994 to 2014. Although women's share of S&E doctorates awarded increased from 32% in 1994 to 42% in 2009, this proportion has changed little since then.

In non-S&E fields, the number of female doctorate recipients has grown at a slower pace (7%) over the past 20 years while the number of male doctorates in those fields has declined by 13%. Women's share of non-S&E doctorates increased from 52% in 1994 to 57% in 2002, and has remained near this rate since that year.

Doctorates earned by members of U.S. underrepresented minorities:
1994–2014

Doctorate recipients

SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. Related detailed data: tables 19, 22, 23, 24.

Race and ethnicity

Participation in doctoral education by underrepresented minority groups who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents is increasing, as evidenced by a 70% increase in the number of doctorates awarded to blacks or African Americans over the past 20 years and a more than doubling in the number of Hispanic or Latino doctorate recipients. Owing to these growth rates, the proportion of doctorates awarded to blacks or African Americans has risen from 4.1% in 1994 to 6.4% in 2014, and the proportion awarded to Hispanics or Latinos has risen from 3.3% in 1994 to 6.5% in 2014.