Table 4-1. Unemployment rate among U.S. residing doctoral scientists and engineers, by fine field of doctorate: 2017
Field of study |
Unemployment rate |
Percent |
SE |
All fields |
2.1 |
0.10 |
Science |
2.1 |
0.10 |
Biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences |
2.4 |
0.20 |
Agricultural and food sciences |
1.3 |
0.40 |
Agricultural sciences |
* |
* |
Animal sciences |
S |
S |
Food sciences and technology |
1.2 |
0.60 |
Plant sciences |
S |
S |
Soil sciences |
* |
* |
Biochemistry and biophysics |
2.6 |
0.50 |
Biochemistry |
2.8 |
0.60 |
Biophysics |
1.8 |
0.75 |
Cell, cellular biology, and molecular biology |
2.3 |
0.50 |
Microbiological sciences and immunology |
3.4 |
0.65 |
Immunology |
1.8 |
0.75 |
Microbiological sciences |
4.3 |
0.95 |
Natural resources and conservation |
2.2 |
0.60 |
Fish, fisheries, wildlife and wildlands science and management |
D |
D |
Forestry |
2.9 |
0.80 |
Natural resource conservation, research, management, and policy |
2.7 |
1.20 |
Zoology |
2.1 |
0.95 |
Other biological sciences |
2.4 |
0.25 |
Biomathematics, bioinformatics, and computational biology |
S |
S |
Botany and plant biology |
3.6 |
0.90 |
Epidemiology, ecology, and population biology |
1.2 |
0.45 |
Genetics |
1.9 |
0.65 |
Neurobiology and neuroscience |
2.8 |
0.70 |
Nutrition sciences |
3.2 |
1.05 |
Pharmacology and toxicology |
2.7 |
0.80 |
Physiology, pathology, and related sciences |
2.6 |
0.65 |
Biological and biomedical sciences, general |
2.5 |
0.75 |
Biological and biomedical sciences, other |
4.3 |
1.50 |
Computer and information sciences |
1.7 |
0.40 |
Computer science |
1.6 |
0.40 |
Information science, studies |
S |
S |
Computer and information sciences, other |
2.7 |
0.95 |
Mathematics and statistics |
1.7 |
0.35 |
Applied mathematics |
D |
D |
Mathematics |
2.0 |
0.45 |
Statistics |
D |
D |
Mathematics and statistics, other |
2.6 |
1.00 |
Physical sciences, geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences |
2.6 |
0.25 |
Astronomy and astrophysics |
1.8 |
0.55 |
Chemistry, except biochemistry |
2.7 |
0.30 |
Inorganic chemistry |
2.3 |
0.95 |
Organic chemistry |
2.6 |
0.70 |
Chemistry, other, except biochemistry |
2.8 |
0.40 |
Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences |
3.2 |
0.55 |
Atmospheric sciences and meteorology |
1.9 |
0.50 |
Geological and earth sciences, geosciences |
3.9 |
0.80 |
Ocean sciences and marine sciences |
2.5 |
0.70 |
Oceanography, chemical and physical |
D |
D |
Physics |
2.4 |
0.40 |
Psychology |
1.1 |
0.15 |
Clinical psychology |
0.7 |
0.25 |
Counseling and applied psychology |
1.0 |
0.45 |
Educational and school psychology |
0.9 |
0.30 |
Industrial and organizational psychology |
S |
S |
Research and experimental psychology |
1.2 |
0.25 |
Psychology, general |
2.4 |
1.10 |
Psychology, other |
2.8 |
0.80 |
Social sciences |
1.7 |
0.25 |
Economics |
0.9 |
0.30 |
Political science and government |
1.7 |
0.45 |
Political science and government |
1.8 |
0.55 |
Public policy analysis |
1.3 |
0.60 |
Sociology, demography, and population studies |
1.6 |
0.40 |
Other social sciences |
2.4 |
0.40 |
Anthropology |
2.6 |
0.85 |
Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies |
3.4 |
1.15 |
Geography and cartography |
S |
S |
International relations and national security studies |
S |
S |
Linguistics |
S |
S |
Urban studies, affairs |
S |
S |
Social sciences, other |
2.2 |
0.55 |
Engineering |
2.1 |
0.20 |
Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering |
1.1 |
0.50 |
Chemical engineering |
1.3 |
0.45 |
Civil engineering |
1.6 |
0.50 |
Electrical and computer engineering |
2.0 |
0.35 |
Computer engineering |
2.0 |
0.85 |
Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering |
2.0 |
0.35 |
Mechanical engineering |
2.3 |
0.60 |
Metallurgical and materials engineering |
3.5 |
0.70 |
Other engineering |
2.4 |
0.40 |
Agricultural engineering |
D |
D |
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering |
1.5 |
0.60 |
Engineering mechanics, physics, and science |
2.7 |
0.85 |
Industrial and manufacturing engineering |
2.0 |
0.80 |
Nuclear engineering |
D |
D |
Engineering, other |
4.1 |
1.25 |
Health |
1.9 |
0.35 |
Communication disorders sciences and services |
D |
D |
Hospital and medical administration services |
S |
S |
Pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and administration |
1.4 |
0.55 |
Public health |
2.1 |
0.90 |
Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research |
D |
D |
Health sciences, other |
2.4 |
0.60 |