Table 6. Federally financed higher education R&D expenditures, by R&D field: FYs 2006–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Field |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
All R&D fieldsa |
30,908,742 |
31,240,581 |
32,100,859 |
33,442,570 |
37,475,234 |
40,765,887 |
40,140,077 |
39,443,574 |
37,960,992 |
37,876,879 |
Science |
25,823,786 |
25,974,334 |
26,546,800 |
27,541,142 |
30,789,451 |
33,370,864 |
32,494,977 |
31,762,599 |
30,401,803 |
30,349,236 |
Computer sciences |
1,018,483 |
1,025,809 |
1,036,436 |
1,106,879 |
1,175,343 |
1,294,280 |
1,360,430 |
1,552,301 |
1,389,883 |
1,420,628 |
Environmental sciences |
1,767,996 |
1,807,589 |
1,827,916 |
1,890,417 |
2,013,754 |
2,181,206 |
2,203,399 |
2,094,690 |
2,050,512 |
2,067,030 |
Atmospheric sciences |
406,606 |
354,500 |
337,720 |
322,239 |
338,687 |
383,740 |
389,095 |
397,620 |
389,391 |
455,561 |
Earth sciences |
591,714 |
601,326 |
603,171 |
645,073 |
735,094 |
799,906 |
818,785 |
767,770 |
740,691 |
696,323 |
Oceanography |
560,990 |
671,710 |
686,106 |
711,758 |
666,930 |
705,852 |
673,888 |
662,219 |
663,270 |
648,494 |
Environmental sciences, nec |
208,686 |
180,053 |
200,919 |
211,347 |
273,043 |
291,708 |
321,631 |
267,081 |
257,160 |
266,652 |
Life sciences |
18,279,831 |
18,326,529 |
18,659,210 |
19,322,794 |
21,700,276 |
23,661,473 |
22,751,699 |
22,225,173 |
21,269,740 |
21,187,061 |
Agricultural sciences |
883,383 |
897,109 |
862,443 |
863,378 |
956,744 |
1,041,577 |
1,136,584 |
1,109,312 |
1,083,403 |
1,088,905 |
Biological sciences |
6,246,792 |
6,188,708 |
6,361,302 |
6,621,605 |
7,578,375 |
8,212,822 |
7,740,720 |
7,604,403 |
7,237,982 |
7,107,138 |
Medical sciences |
10,438,130 |
10,563,126 |
10,748,704 |
11,057,535 |
12,068,597 |
13,184,542 |
12,681,477 |
12,287,380 |
11,742,653 |
11,749,252 |
Life sciences, nec |
711,526 |
677,586 |
686,761 |
780,276 |
1,096,560 |
1,222,532 |
1,192,918 |
1,224,078 |
1,205,702 |
1,241,766 |
Mathematical sciences |
374,931 |
408,608 |
447,399 |
368,730 |
417,775 |
458,966 |
490,534 |
464,593 |
441,406 |
424,891 |
Physical sciences |
2,700,154 |
2,688,879 |
2,742,953 |
2,963,115 |
3,384,275 |
3,527,340 |
3,474,586 |
3,311,037 |
3,156,100 |
3,116,233 |
Astronomy |
317,423 |
305,545 |
353,111 |
387,905 |
405,954 |
408,959 |
535,180 |
400,440 |
380,884 |
403,025 |
Chemistry |
968,134 |
975,723 |
992,275 |
1,037,432 |
1,200,120 |
1,243,708 |
1,213,495 |
1,134,945 |
1,080,299 |
1,095,108 |
Physics |
1,215,517 |
1,219,721 |
1,215,264 |
1,360,805 |
1,557,421 |
1,660,467 |
1,532,612 |
1,567,937 |
1,509,928 |
1,467,687 |
Physical sciences, nec |
199,080 |
187,890 |
182,303 |
176,973 |
220,780 |
214,206 |
193,299 |
207,715 |
184,989 |
150,413 |
Psychology |
629,253 |
603,423 |
634,857 |
656,196 |
758,520 |
835,448 |
859,500 |
776,402 |
750,935 |
763,177 |
Social sciences |
712,628 |
762,700 |
816,045 |
854,739 |
900,768 |
946,948 |
915,754 |
897,496 |
919,848 |
919,673 |
Economics |
120,316 |
124,400 |
127,685 |
121,542 |
127,674 |
148,604 |
144,332 |
137,128 |
138,997 |
151,226 |
Political science |
106,991 |
134,811 |
124,970 |
137,282 |
152,542 |
148,626 |
141,265 |
143,375 |
145,735 |
136,575 |
Sociology |
216,449 |
206,881 |
202,619 |
201,874 |
226,462 |
232,834 |
247,739 |
237,479 |
251,942 |
262,396 |
Social sciences, nec |
268,872 |
296,608 |
360,771 |
394,041 |
394,090 |
416,884 |
382,418 |
379,514 |
383,174 |
369,476 |
Sciences, nec |
340,510 |
350,797 |
381,984 |
378,272 |
438,740 |
465,203 |
439,075 |
440,907 |
423,379 |
450,543 |
Engineering |
4,307,793 |
4,455,842 |
4,724,843 |
5,034,998 |
5,718,632 |
6,275,367 |
6,442,873 |
6,499,378 |
6,423,386 |
6,455,847 |
Aeronautical and astronautical engineering |
287,578 |
340,102 |
399,378 |
431,389 |
466,991 |
504,536 |
501,722 |
513,134 |
474,613 |
516,080 |
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering |
294,830 |
320,808 |
364,144 |
385,536 |
470,212 |
515,430 |
552,442 |
556,522 |
606,952 |
606,394 |
Chemical engineering |
319,993 |
322,324 |
341,043 |
359,726 |
421,269 |
490,918 |
504,753 |
478,542 |
471,514 |
462,729 |
Civil engineering |
334,655 |
355,597 |
385,333 |
400,280 |
460,880 |
544,992 |
570,303 |
578,390 |
577,958 |
570,786 |
Electrical engineering |
1,076,684 |
1,065,059 |
1,111,187 |
1,200,129 |
1,373,311 |
1,511,458 |
1,601,917 |
1,642,771 |
1,742,317 |
1,772,453 |
Mechanical engineering |
685,716 |
695,961 |
737,220 |
800,903 |
953,244 |
1,032,641 |
1,035,551 |
1,061,270 |
946,889 |
957,792 |
Metallurgical and materials engineering |
386,147 |
377,631 |
376,879 |
389,255 |
429,412 |
455,722 |
462,246 |
465,657 |
494,375 |
496,449 |
Engineering, nec |
922,190 |
978,360 |
1,009,659 |
1,067,780 |
1,143,313 |
1,219,670 |
1,213,939 |
1,203,092 |
1,108,768 |
1,073,164 |
Non-S&Ea |
777,163 |
810,405 |
829,216 |
866,430 |
967,151 |
1,119,656 |
1,202,227 |
1,181,597 |
1,135,803 |
1,071,796 |
Business and management |
52,569 |
54,612 |
65,318 |
67,456 |
86,440 |
99,661 |
96,659 |
95,227 |
77,275 |
69,936 |
Communications, journalism, and library science |
29,915 |
30,998 |
28,652 |
29,609 |
41,339 |
53,266 |
53,337 |
51,060 |
54,337 |
42,475 |
Education |
436,424 |
473,204 |
448,853 |
474,571 |
535,744 |
632,117 |
689,060 |
666,586 |
662,800 |
642,799 |
Humanities |
56,216 |
60,071 |
56,090 |
60,248 |
57,510 |
61,420 |
67,692 |
76,804 |
75,115 |
60,031 |
Law |
28,261 |
29,590 |
28,476 |
23,206 |
19,338 |
27,388 |
24,575 |
22,522 |
23,792 |
24,444 |
Social work |
40,685 |
40,657 |
59,163 |
61,899 |
94,422 |
105,661 |
109,359 |
111,693 |
109,175 |
101,927 |
Visual and performing arts |
3,604 |
4,012 |
3,722 |
4,193 |
4,843 |
6,521 |
10,435 |
7,039 |
9,056 |
8,609 |
Non-S&E, nec |
129,489 |
117,261 |
138,942 |
145,248 |
127,515 |
133,622 |
151,110 |
150,666 |
124,253 |
121,575 |