by Michael Yamaner[1]
T​he number of full-time graduate students enrolled in science and engineering (S&E) programs rose 0.8% in 2016 after rising by 2.8% in 2015. The 2016 increase was due to a 2.1% increase in the full-time enrollment of foreign students with temporary visas. In 2016, full-time S&E foreign graduate student enrollment grew to 210,260 and represented 45% of all full-time S&E graduate students. In contrast, full-time S&E graduate enrollment of U.S. citizens and permanent residents declined for the fifth year in a row.
These and other findings in this report are from the 2016 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS), cosponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation and by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In 2016, there were 620,489 students enrolled in S&E graduate programs in the United States, with 75% enrolled as full-time students. Fifty-eight percent of those enrolled in S&E graduate programs were men, and 61% were U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Female enrollment in S&E graduate programs grew to 261,575 in 2016, with 32% of those being temporary visa holders (table 1).
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a In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed U.S. academic institutions with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. For information on the impact of the frame update, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314/. b Race and ethnicity data are available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. |
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| % change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014olda | 2014newa | 2015 | 2016 | 2015–16 | 2011–14old | 2014new–16 |
| All surveyed fields | 626,820 | 627,243 | 633,010 | 650,738 | 666,586 | 685,397 | 684,825 | -0.1 | 3.8 | 2.7 |
| Science and engineering | 560,941 | 561,418 | 570,300 | 587,161 | 601,883 | 618,008 | 620,489 | 0.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 |
| Full-time enrollment | 411,168 | 414,384 | 424,508 | 440,523 | 447,096 | 459,405 | 462,973 | 0.8 | 7.1 | 3.6 |
| Part-time enrollment | 149,773 | 147,034 | 145,792 | 146,638 | 154,787 | 158,603 | 157,516 | -0.7 | -2.1 | 1.8 |
| Male | 318,209 | 318,870 | 324,913 | 338,940 | 348,390 | 358,423 | 358,914 | 0.1 | 6.5 | 3.0 |
| Female | 242,732 | 242,548 | 245,387 | 248,221 | 253,493 | 259,585 | 261,575 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| U.S. citizens and permanent residentsb | 392,160 | 385,343 | 381,225 | 373,378 | 382,512 | 382,634 | 379,749 | -0.8 | -4.8 | -0.7 |
| Full-time enrollment | 262,043 | 258,477 | 256,211 | 251,858 | 253,886 | 253,503 | 252,713 | -0.3 | -3.9 | -0.5 |
| Part-time enrollment | 130,117 | 126,866 | 125,014 | 121,520 | 128,626 | 129,131 | 127,036 | -1.6 | -6.6 | -1.2 |
| Male | 208,400 | 204,836 | 202,271 | 198,397 | 204,105 | 202,596 | 200,834 | -0.9 | -4.8 | -1.6 |
| Female | 183,760 | 180,507 | 178,954 | 174,981 | 178,407 | 180,038 | 178,915 | -0.6 | -4.8 | 0.3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 30,808 | 31,406 | 32,819 | 33,146 | 35,132 | 37,807 | 39,578 | 4.7 | 7.6 | 12.7 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | ||||||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2,392 | 2,188 | 2,198 | 2,048 | 2,112 | 2,012 | 1,860 | -7.6 | -14.4 | -11.9 |
| Asian | 33,147 | 32,700 | 32,917 | 32,981 | 33,745 | 34,762 | 35,674 | 2.6 | -0.5 | 5.7 |
| Black or African American | 32,197 | 31,338 | 30,911 | 29,714 | 30,482 | 30,788 | 30,600 | -0.6 | -7.7 | 0.4 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 1,008 | 920 | 882 | 876 | 902 | 935 | 862 | -7.8 | -13.1 | -4.4 |
| White | 256,096 | 250,783 | 246,518 | 240,295 | 245,103 | 241,649 | 237,563 | -1.7 | -6.2 | -3.1 |
| More than one race | 6,103 | 7,578 | 8,015 | 9,136 | 9,335 | 10,030 | 10,514 | 4.8 | 49.7 | 12.6 |
| Unknown race and ethnicity | 30,409 | 28,430 | 26,965 | 25,182 | 25,701 | 24,651 | 23,098 | -6.3 | -17.2 | -10.1 |
| Temporary visa holders | 168,781 | 176,075 | 189,075 | 213,783 | 219,371 | 235,374 | 240,740 | 2.3 | 26.7 | 9.7 |
| Full-time enrollment | 149,125 | 155,907 | 168,297 | 188,665 | 193,210 | 205,902 | 210,260 | 2.1 | 26.5 | 8.8 |
| Part-time enrollment | 19,656 | 20,168 | 20,778 | 25,118 | 26,161 | 29,472 | 30,480 | 3.4 | 27.8 | 16.5 |
| Male | 109,809 | 114,034 | 122,642 | 140,543 | 144,285 | 155,827 | 158,080 | 1.4 | 28.0 | 9.6 |
| Female | 58,972 | 62,041 | 66,433 | 73,240 | 75,086 | 79,547 | 82,660 | 3.9 | 24.2 | 10.1 |
Overall S&E graduate enrollment of U.S. citizens and permanent residents decreased 0.8% between 2015 and 2016. The GSS collects data on race and ethnicity only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, S&E graduate enrollment for Hispanics or Latinos increased 4.7% between 2015 and 2016, continuing a pattern of growth that started in 2008. Among the non-Hispanic subgroups, the number of Asian S&E graduate students and the number of S&E graduate students reporting more than one race showed continued growth, up 2.6% and 4.8%, respectively, between 2015 and 2016. The S&E graduate enrollment for the remaining race and ethnicity categories all declined in 2016, with American Indian or Alaska Native as well as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander showing the largest percent decrease between 2015 and 2016 (-7.6% and -7.8%, respectively) (table 1).
In 2016, 73% of the 620,489 S&E graduate students were enrolled in science fields and the remainder were enrolled in engineering fields. Graduate enrollment in five of the nine science fields declined from 2015 to 2016, with psychology experiencing the largest decline at -4.3%, followed by earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences (-2.8%), social sciences (-2.4%), agricultural sciences (-1.8%), and biological sciences (-1.2%). Computer sciences graduate enrollment increased for the fifth straight year in 2016, experiencing 7.5% growth from 2015 and 21.0% growth since 2014. The remaining science fields also showed graduate enrollment growth between 2015 and 2016, with mathematics and statistics increasing by 6.1%, followed by other sciences (5.3%) and physical sciences (0.3%) (table 2).
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a In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed U.S. academic institutions with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. For information on the impact of the frame update, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314/. b More rigorous follow-up was done in recent years with institutions regarding the exclusion of practitioner-oriented graduate degree programs in psychology and in other health (a subfield of health). This change may affect interpretation of trends in these fields. c Includes communication, family and consumer sciences and human sciences, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies, and neurobiology and neuroscience. SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. |
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| % change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014olda | 2014newa | 2015 | 2016 | 2015–16 | 2011–14old | 2014new–16 |
| All surveyed fields | 626,820 | 627,243 | 633,010 | 650,738 | 666,586 | 685,397 | 684,825 | -0.1 | 3.8 | 2.7 |
| Science and engineering | 560,941 | 561,418 | 570,300 | 587,161 | 601,883 | 618,008 | 620,489 | 0.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 |
| Science | 414,440 | 413,033 | 417,251 | 425,148 | 437,395 | 448,654 | 452,046 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 3.3 |
| Agricultural sciences | 16,129 | 16,234 | 16,429 | 16,947 | 17,505 | 18,610 | 18,284 | -1.8 | 5.1 | 4.5 |
| Biological sciences | 75,423 | 76,447 | 76,649 | 76,029 | 78,490 | 80,096 | 79,146 | -1.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Computer sciences | 51,234 | 51,789 | 56,339 | 68,766 | 76,546 | 86,192 | 92,650 | 7.5 | 34.2 | 21.0 |
| Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | 15,820 | 16,069 | 15,816 | 15,423 | 15,710 | 15,447 | 15,015 | -2.8 | -2.5 | -4.4 |
| Mathematics and statistics | 23,801 | 24,575 | 24,804 | 25,502 | 25,874 | 26,444 | 28,050 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 8.4 |
| Physical sciences | 39,694 | 39,928 | 40,019 | 40,196 | 40,332 | 40,386 | 40,518 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Psychologyb | 54,486 | 54,117 | 54,102 | 50,938 | 48,833 | 49,740 | 47,609 | -4.3 | -6.5 | -2.5 |
| Social sciences | 111,661 | 108,169 | 107,278 | 104,445 | 105,742 | 102,706 | 100,200 | -2.4 | -6.5 | -5.2 |
| Other sciencesc | 26,192 | 25,705 | 25,815 | 26,902 | 28,363 | 29,033 | 30,574 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 7.8 |
| Engineering | 146,501 | 148,385 | 153,049 | 162,013 | 164,488 | 169,354 | 168,443 | -0.5 | 10.6 | 2.4 |
| Aerospace engineering | 5,691 | 5,069 | 5,181 | 5,116 | 5,116 | 5,345 | 5,416 | 1.3 | -10.1 | 5.9 |
| Architecture | 3,111 | 2,363 | 2,176 | 1,812 | 1,817 | 1,565 | 1,671 | 6.8 | -41.8 | -8.0 |
| Biomedical engineering | 9,175 | 9,157 | 9,198 | 9,510 | 9,510 | 9,761 | 10,208 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 7.3 |
| Chemical engineering | 8,828 | 9,222 | 9,698 | 9,853 | 9,870 | 10,008 | 10,187 | 1.8 | 11.6 | 3.2 |
| Civil engineering | 19,596 | 19,922 | 20,110 | 20,660 | 20,789 | 20,978 | 20,569 | -1.9 | 5.4 | -1.1 |
| Electrical engineering | 41,580 | 42,347 | 45,562 | 50,051 | 51,909 | 52,940 | 50,062 | -5.4 | 20.4 | -3.6 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineering | 14,494 | 14,469 | 14,363 | 14,659 | 14,845 | 16,284 | 16,200 | -0.5 | 1.1 | 9.1 |
| Mechanical engineering | 21,883 | 23,088 | 24,087 | 25,508 | 25,651 | 27,314 | 27,898 | 2.1 | 16.6 | 8.8 |
| Metallurgical/materials engineering | 6,649 | 6,985 | 7,144 | 7,473 | 7,518 | 7,741 | 8,106 | 4.7 | 12.4 | 7.8 |
| Other engineering | 15,494 | 15,763 | 15,530 | 17,371 | 17,463 | 17,418 | 18,126 | 4.1 | 12.1 | 3.8 |
| Healthb | 65,879 | 65,825 | 62,710 | 63,577 | 64,703 | 67,389 | 64,336 | -4.5 | -3.5 | -0.6 |
Graduate enrollment in engineering declined for the first time since 2011 to 168,443 students in 2016, down 0.5% from 2015. This decrease was mostly due to decreased enrollment in two of the historically larger engineering fields: electrical engineering (-5.4%) and civil engineering (-1.9%). Decreased graduate enrollment in industrial and manufacturing engineering (-0.5%) added to the overall decline (table 2).
In 2016, a total of 64,712 postdoctoral appointees (postdocs) were conducting research in science, engineering, and health (SEH) fields at U.S. academic institutions and their affiliated research centers and hospitals. The total number of SEH postdocs increased by 1.3% from 2015. This was mainly due to an increase in the number of health postdocs (2.2%) and an increase in the number of U.S. citizen and permanent resident S&E postdocs (3.1%) who constitute the minority (44.2%) of the total S&E postdocs (table 3).
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* = < 0.05% a In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed U.S. academic institutions with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. For information on the impact of the frame update, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314/. b Race and ethnicity data are available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. c Includes communication as well as family and consumer sciences and human sciences. d Includes agricultural engineering, architecture, engineering science, mechanics, and physics, mining engineering, nuclear engineering, petroleum engineering, and engineering not elsewhere classified. NOTE: "Field" refers to the field of the unit that reports postdoctoral appointees. SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. |
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| % change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014olda | 2014newa | 2015 | 2016 | 2015–16 | 2011–14old | 2014new–16 |
| All surveyed fields | 62,639 | 62,851 | 61,942 | 62,379 | 63,593 | 63,861 | 64,712 | 1.3 | -0.4 | 1.8 |
| Science and engineering | 44,121 | 43,841 | 43,395 | 43,476 | 44,623 | 45,295 | 45,737 | 1.0 | -1.5 | 2.5 |
| Male | 28,314 | 28,176 | 27,858 | 27,920 | 28,618 | 28,970 | 29,299 | 1.1 | -1.4 | 2.4 |
| Female | 15,807 | 15,665 | 15,537 | 15,556 | 16,005 | 16,325 | 16,438 | 0.7 | -1.6 | 2.7 |
| U.S. citizens and permanent residentsb | 20,340 | 20,214 | 20,257 | 20,018 | 20,453 | 19,593 | 20,205 | 3.1 | -1.6 | -1.2 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 901 | 862 | 961 | 978 | 1,020 | 1,025 | 1,041 | 1.6 | 8.5 | 2.1 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | ||||||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 66 | 51 | 71 | 63 | 65 | 56 | 94 | 67.9 | -4.5 | 44.6 |
| Asian | 3,502 | 3,330 | 3,526 | 3,374 | 3,489 | 3,305 | 3,697 | 11.9 | -3.7 | 6.0 |
| Black or African American | 610 | 615 | 667 | 690 | 702 | 641 | 601 | -6.2 | 13.1 | -14.4 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 53 | 63 | 50 | 52 | 53 | 32 | 73 | 128.1 | -1.9 | 37.7 |
| White | 11,965 | 11,835 | 11,953 | 11,739 | 11,994 | 12,079 | 12,127 | 0.4 | -1.9 | 1.1 |
| More than one race | 161 | 112 | 165 | 162 | 168 | 268 | 512 | 91.0 | 0.6 | 204.8 |
| Unknown ethnicity and race | 3,082 | 3,346 | 2,864 | 2,960 | 2,962 | 2,187 | 2,060 | -5.8 | -4.0 | -30.5 |
| Temporary visa holders | 23,781 | 23,627 | 23,138 | 23,458 | 24,170 | 25,702 | 25,532 | -0.7 | -1.4 | 5.6 |
| Science | 37,335 | 36,738 | 36,289 | 36,184 | 37,316 | 37,639 | 37,941 | 0.8 | -3.1 | 1.7 |
| Agricultural sciences | 19,629 | 19,262 | 18,738 | 18,955 | 19,655 | 20,567 | 20,326 | -1.2 | -3.4 | 3.4 |
| Biological sciences | 21,107 | 20,086 | 19,330 | 18,749 | 19,554 | 19,304 | 19,427 | 0.6 | -11.2 | -0.6 |
| Computer sciences | 759 | 760 | 765 | 833 | 834 | 888 | 914 | 2.9 | 9.7 | 9.6 |
| Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | 1,774 | 1,956 | 2,032 | 2,059 | 2,061 | 2,129 | 2,104 | -1.2 | 16.1 | 2.1 |
| Mathematics and statistics | 830 | 902 | 932 | 956 | 959 | 1,011 | 1,005 | -0.6 | 15.2 | 4.8 |
| Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies | 704 | 742 | 891 | 1,045 | 1,045 | 972 | 1,095 | 12.7 | 48.4 | 4.8 |
| Neurobiology and nueroscience | 1,398 | 1,525 | 1,696 | 1,778 | 1,878 | 1,957 | 2,071 | 5.8 | 27.2 | 10.3 |
| Physical sciences | 7,490 | 7,430 | 7,197 | 7,089 | 7,277 | 7,358 | 7,269 | -1.2 | -5.4 | -0.1 |
| Psychology | 1,124 | 1,132 | 1,023 | 1,062 | 1,066 | 1,130 | 1,177 | 4.2 | -5.5 | 10.4 |
| Social sciences | 774 | 799 | 938 | 1,050 | 1,051 | 1,179 | 1,193 | 1.2 | 35.7 | 13.5 |
| Other sciencesc | 119 | 116 | 166 | 168 | 189 | 186 | 202 | 8.6 | 41.2 | 6.9 |
| Engineering | 6,786 | 7,103 | 7,106 | 7,292 | 7,307 | 7,656 | 7,796 | 1.8 | 7.5 | 6.7 |
| Aerospace engineering | 202 | 170 | 202 | 220 | 220 | 217 | 201 | -7.4 | 8.9 | -8.6 |
| Biomedical engineering | 1,069 | 1,161 | 1,103 | 1,196 | 1,198 | 1,201 | 1,278 | 6.4 | 11.9 | 6.7 |
| Chemical engineering | 1,137 | 1,098 | 1,230 | 1,244 | 1,244 | 1,283 | 1,218 | -5.1 | 9.4 | -2.1 |
| Civil engineering | 551 | 590 | 587 | 629 | 629 | 670 | 706 | 5.4 | 14.2 | 12.2 |
| Electrical engineering | 1,035 | 1,152 | 1,180 | 1,177 | 1,179 | 1,160 | 1,186 | 2.2 | 13.7 | 0.6 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineering | 121 | 127 | 133 | 131 | 131 | 142 | 130 | -8.5 | 8.3 | -0.8 |
| Mechanical engineering | 889 | 985 | 1,034 | 1,055 | 1,058 | 1,161 | 1,080 | -7.0 | 18.7 | 2.1 |
| Metallurgical/materials engineering | 860 | 854 | 809 | 776 | 780 | 911 | 882 | -3.2 | -9.8 | 13.1 |
| Other engineeringd | 922 | 966 | 828 | 864 | 868 | 911 | 1,115 | 22.4 | -6.3 | 28.5 |
| Health | 18,518 | 19,010 | 18,547 | 18,903 | 18,970 | 18,566 | 18,975 | 2.2 | 2.1 | * |
The number of S&E postdocs experienced a 1.0% increase from 2015 to 2016 to a total of 45,737. In 2016, the number of S&E postdocs increased for both men (1.1%) and women (0.7%), but the share of female S&E postdocs remains at its historical high, hovering at or near 36%, which began in 2011 (table 3). Within S&E fields, the largest percent increases from 2015 to 2016 in the number of S&E postdocs were for other engineering (22.4%), multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies (12.7%), and other sciences (8.6%).
The total number of doctorate-holding nonfaculty researchers (NFRs) in SEH fields grew 8.6% between 2014 and 2016, increasing 1.8% between 2015 and 2016 to 25,747.[2] In 2016, biological sciences employed the largest share of SEH NFRs at 27.4%, followed by health (25.8%) and engineering (12.3%). Men hold a larger share of NFRs in the science fields and in engineering (60.7% and 77.3%, respectively), whereas men made up only 49.9% of the NFRs in health fields (table 4).
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a In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed U.S. academic institutions with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. For information on the impact of the frame update, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314/. b Includes communication as well as family and consumer sciences and human sciences. NOTE: "Field" refers to the field of the unit that reports nonfaculty researchers. SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. |
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| % change | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field and sex | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014olda | 2014newa | 2015 | 2016 | 2015–16 | 2011–14old | 2014new–16 |
| All surveyed fields | 21,498 | 21,908 | 22,465 | 23,290 | 23,706 | 25,292 | 25,747 | 1.8 | 8.3 | 8.6 |
| Male | 13,105 | 13,250 | 13,617 | 14,099 | 14,314 | 15,249 | 15,437 | 1.2 | 7.6 | 7.8 |
| Female | 8,393 | 8,658 | 8,848 | 9,191 | 9,392 | 10,043 | 10,310 | 2.7 | 9.5 | 9.8 |
| Science and engineering | 15,675 | 15,761 | 16,426 | 17,027 | 17,419 | 18,596 | 19,095 | 2.7 | 8.6 | 9.6 |
| Male | 10,140 | 10,190 | 10,504 | 10,925 | 11,126 | 11,865 | 12,119 | 2.1 | 7.7 | 8.9 |
| Female | 5,535 | 5,571 | 5,922 | 6,102 | 6,293 | 6,731 | 6,976 | 3.6 | 10.2 | 10.9 |
| Science | 13,363 | 13,264 | 13,932 | 14,283 | 14,674 | 15,667 | 15,940 | 1.7 | 6.9 | 8.6 |
| Male | 8,245 | 8,167 | 8,534 | 8,777 | 8,977 | 9,568 | 9,681 | 1.2 | 6.5 | 7.8 |
| Female | 5,118 | 5,097 | 5,398 | 5,506 | 5,697 | 6,099 | 6,259 | 2.6 | 7.6 | 9.9 |
| Agricultural sciences | 581 | 567 | 550 | 609 | 616 | 747 | 767 | 2.7 | 4.8 | 24.5 |
| Biological sciences | 6,224 | 6,249 | 6,527 | 6,492 | 6,841 | 6,948 | 7,058 | 1.6 | 4.3 | 3.2 |
| Computer sciences | 326 | 349 | 459 | 450 | 450 | 459 | 470 | 2.4 | 38.0 | 4.4 |
| Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | 1,625 | 1,513 | 1,518 | 1,499 | 1,500 | 1,754 | 1,635 | -6.8 | -7.8 | 9.0 |
| Mathematics and statistics | 174 | 209 | 224 | 221 | 221 | 235 | 213 | -9.4 | 27.0 | -3.6 |
| Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies | 509 | 497 | 538 | 658 | 661 | 630 | 727 | 15.4 | 29.3 | 10.0 |
| Neurobiology and neuroscience | 378 | 356 | 417 | 650 | 666 | 718 | 760 | 5.8 | 72.0 | 14.1 |
| Physical sciences | 2,322 | 2,296 | 2,312 | 2,433 | 2,445 | 2,701 | 2,735 | 1.3 | 4.8 | 11.9 |
| Psychology | 434 | 431 | 457 | 411 | 411 | 472 | 456 | -3.4 | -5.3 | 10.9 |
| Social sciences | 672 | 740 | 853 | 769 | 770 | 898 | 970 | 8.0 | 14.4 | 26.0 |
| Other sciencesb | 118 | 57 | 77 | 91 | 93 | 105 | 149 | 41.9 | -22.9 | 60.2 |
| Engineering | 2,312 | 2,497 | 2,494 | 2,744 | 2,745 | 2,929 | 3,155 | 7.7 | 18.7 | 14.9 |
| Male | 1,895 | 2,023 | 1,970 | 2,148 | 2,149 | 2,297 | 2,438 | 6.1 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| Female | 417 | 474 | 524 | 596 | 596 | 632 | 717 | 13.4 | 42.9 | 20.3 |
| Health | 5,823 | 6,147 | 6,039 | 6,263 | 6,287 | 6,696 | 6,652 | -0.7 | 7.6 | 5.8 |
| Male | 2,965 | 3,060 | 3,113 | 3,174 | 3,188 | 3,384 | 3,318 | -2.0 | 7.0 | 4.1 |
| Female | 2,858 | 3,087 | 2,926 | 3,089 | 3,099 | 3,312 | 3,334 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 7.6 |
Conducted since 1966, the GSS is an annual census of all academic institutions in the United States that grant research-based master's or doctoral degrees in science, engineering, and health (SEH) fields. The 2016 GSS collected data from 15,853 organizational units (departments, programs, affiliated research centers, and health care facilities) at 714 eligible institutions and their affiliates in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The unit response rate was 99.5%. An overview of the GSS is available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/. GSS health fields are collected under the advisement of NIH. These GSS fields are about one-third of all health fields in the U.S. Department of Education's Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) taxonomy.[3] NIH information on trends seen within these selected health fields can be found at https://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook/.
In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. A total of 151 newly eligible institutions were added, and two private for-profit institutions offering mostly practitioner-based graduate degrees were determined to be ineligible. This 2014 frame update added over the previous frame a total of 15,848 SEH graduate students, an increase of 2.4%; 1,214 SEH postdocs, an increase of 1.9%; and 416 SEH NFRs, an increase of 1.8%. Because of the survey frame update, data comparisons across years should be made with caution. This is especially true for counts; however, proportions or shares are typically robust enough to allow for such comparisons. In this report, the data comparisons between 2014 and earlier years use the "2014old" data, and those between 2014 and 2016 use the "2014new" data. The effect of the frame update can be evaluated by using the "2014old" and "2014new" data. For more information on the survey frame update, see the special report Assessing the Impact of Frame Changes on Trend Data from the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.[4]
In 2011, the GSS field taxonomy was updated to conform to the 2010 CIP. The impact on overall GSS counts because of this change was minimal, as described in appendix A, "Technical Notes" in Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2011.[5] Data tables from the 2016 GSS are available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/. For more information, contact the author.
[1] Michael Yamaner, Human Resources Statistics Program, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W14200, Alexandria, VA 22314 (myamaner@nsf.gov; 703-292-7815).
[2] For more information on the NFR data, see Einaudi P, Heuer R, Green P, Kang KH. 2015. Examining the Reporting of Nonfaculty Doctorate Researchers in the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. Working Paper NCSES 15-201. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2015/ncses15201/.
[3] The CIP provides a taxonomic scheme that supports the consistent reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. For more information see http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/.
[4] Arbeit CA, Einaudi P, Green P, Kang KH. 2016. Assessing the Impact of Frame Changes on Trend Data from the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. Special Report NSF 16-314. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314/nsf16314.pdf.
[5] National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. 2013. Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2011. Detailed Statistical Tables NSF 13-331. Arlington, VA. Available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf13331/.