Back to Data Tables
Download to excel

NCSES GSS 2012 GSS2012 36 SAS Output Newer information icon. Newer information is available.
Table 36. Postdoctoral appointees in science, engineering, and health in private institutions, by detailed field: 2006–12

Field 2006 2007olda 2007newa 2008 2009 2010b,c 2011c 2012
All surveyed fields 21,624 22,643 22,653 24,478 25,338 28,305 28,373 28,277
   Science and engineering 13,532 14,355 14,536 15,337 16,182 18,172 18,567 18,572
      Science 11,769 12,448 12,628 13,339 13,855 15,506 15,860 15,720
         Agricultural sciences 70 62 62 50 50 54 79 66
         Biological sciences 8,266 8,541 8,509 8,983 8,889 10,184 10,138 9,733
            Anatomy 120 120 121 119 141 128 113 89
            Biochemistry 948 972 919 1,004 933 1,059 1,017 984
            Biology 1,116 1,302 1,222 1,289 1,221 1,270 1,200 1,185
            Biometry and epidemiology 121 153 156 169 198 339 324 304
            Biophysics 149 138 137 128 123 200 142 125
            Botany 9 11 11 14 15 14 31 19
            Cell biology 1,346 1,280 1,305 1,231 1,275 1,392 1,409 1,340
            Ecology 47 51 51 63 76 82 82 78
            Entomology and parasitology 9 11 11 12 6 10 12 23
            Genetics 473 585 594 645 669 921 942 930
            Microbiology, immunology, and virology 970 1,161 1,115 1,093 1,104 1,285 1,265 1,224
            Nutrition 37 30 30 19 14 51 58 52
            Pathology 1,049 1,066 1,078 1,204 1,117 1,108 1,040 975
            Pharmacology 531 471 475 516 535 644 629 547
            Physiology 465 454 527 559 585 622 663 601
            Zoology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
            Biological sciences nec 876 736 757 918 877 1,059 1,211 1,257
         Communication a ne ne 16 23 27 33 37 41
         Computer sciences 177 222 209 227 275 334 358 365
         Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 331 329 329 386 420 435 455 517
            Atmospheric sciences 4 8 8 11 8 12 26 19
            Geosciences 232 211 211 246 265 277 260 290
            Oceanography 82 94 94 106 114 65 84 113
            Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences nec 13 16 16 23 33 81 85 95
         Family and consumer sciences and human sciences a ne ne 0 0 2 6 13 13
         Mathematical sciences 210 198 206 273 291 343 315 336
            Mathematics and applied mathematics 183 181 180 233 257 308 275 292
            Statistics 27 17 26 40 34 35 40 44
         Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies a ne ne 36 40 66 159 142 176
         Neuroscience a na na 193 246 368 473 758 902
         Physical sciences 2,201 2,377 2,378 2,432 2,591 2,600 2,640 2,666
            Astronomy 140 159 160 189 218 245 242 234
            Chemistry 1,320 1,389 1,389 1,391 1,417 1,430 1,389 1,444
            Physics 697 791 791 808 895 842 918 911
            Physical sciences nec 44 38 38 44 61 83 91 77
         Psychology 360 523 506 491 635 532 517 524
            Clinical psychology 27 26 26 23 78 81 35 48
            Psychology, general 209 360 355 356 422 321 332 294
            Psychology nec 124 137 125 112 135 130 150 182
         Social sciences 154 196 184 188 241 353 408 381
            Agricultural economics 4 2 2 1 2 3 5 4
            Anthropology (cultural and social) 21 27 27 25 20 27 37 39
            Economics (except agricultural) 8 14 14 13 43 42 26 36
            Geography 12 6 6 4 8 9 7 14
            History and philosophy of science 6 10 6 7 6 13 7 7
            Linguistics 18 14 8 8 6 14 15 14
            Political science 36 22 22 32 46 64 156 123
            Sociology 14 42 35 29 33 38 47 55
            Sociology and anthropology 1 1 1 1 3 0 0 0
            Social sciences nec 34 58 63 68 74 143 108 89
      Engineering 1,763 1,907 1,908 1,998 2,327 2,666 2,707 2,852
         Aerospace engineering 48 67 67 58 54 90 68 53
         Agricultural engineering 8 11 11 7 0 9 28 22
         Architecture a na na 3 4 4 3 3 4
         Biomedical engineering 331 367 367 404 522 541 560 561
         Chemical engineering 237 256 256 278 340 369 394 406
         Civil engineering a 139 141 138 143 153 178 182 180
         Electrical engineering 231 315 315 295 317 358 376 427
         Engineering science 173 161 161 145 152 182 209 204
         Industrial engineering 8 23 26 25 26 29 48 56
         Mechanical engineering 258 259 259 291 362 399 367 422
         Metallurgical and materials engineering 185 196 196 211 258 275 265 258
         Mining engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
         Nuclear engineering 40 30 30 34 30 41 51 57
         Petroleum engineering 6 9 9 13 13 19 18 21
         Engineering nec 99 72 70 90 96 173 138 181
   Health 8,092 8,288 8,117 9,141 9,156 10,133 9,806 9,705
      Clinical medicine 7,789 7,932 7,726 8,796 8,789 9,734 9,437 9,321
         Anesthesiology 225 191 191 256 274 327 238 252
         Cardiology 288 276 314 344 347 325 356 359
         Endocrinology 130 163 177 189 312 296 279 287
         Gastroenterology 128 172 172 146 153 154 173 164
         Hematology 66 143 143 152 188 170 182 186
         Neurology a 1,056 1,124 917 970 904 864 653 648
         Obstetrics and gynecology 221 85 85 114 137 188 164 161
         Oncology and cancer research 598 775 838 981 990 1,080 1,057 1,080
         Ophthalmology 216 259 259 304 287 280 275 286
         Otorhinolaryngology 78 60 60 67 68 65 92 81
         Pediatrics 538 472 472 558 562 734 678 762
         Preventive medicine and community health 96 126 132 140 131 224 263 254
         Psychiatry 466 522 484 559 532 518 536 561
         Pulmonary disease 51 94 94 124 141 139 135 127
         Radiology 656 677 633 625 678 715 654 689
         Surgery 670 795 774 776 788 642 724 792
         Clinical medicine nec 2,306 1,998 1,981 2,491 2,297 3,013 2,978 2,632
      Other health 303 356 391 345 367 399 369 384
         Dental sciences 43 53 85 91 102 88 102 93
         Nursing 16 13 13 26 20 8 15 22
         Pharmaceutical sciences 5 25 25 30 46 40 44 74
         Speech pathology and audiology 7 31 31 15 17 15 14 21
         Veterinary sciences 84 101 119 72 43 65 60 56
         Other health nec 148 133 118 111 139 183 134 118

na = not applicable; data were not collected at this level of detail. ne = not eligible; data were not collected for this field prior to 2007.
nec = not elsewhere classified.
a In 2007, eligible fields were reclassified, newly eligible fields were added, and the survey was redesigned to improve coverage and coding of eligible units. “2007new” presents data as collected in 2007; “2007old” shows data as they would have been collected in prior years. The science fields Communication and Family and consumer sciences and human sciences were newly eligible in 2007; data for these two fields begin in 2007new. The science field Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies was also added to the code list in 2007; some data reported in this field were reported under other fields before 2007 and are included in those fields in 2007old. Neuroscience is reported as a separate field of science in 2007new; data were reported under health field Neurology in 2007old and previous years. Architecture is reported as a separate field of engineering in 2007new; data were reported under Civil engineering in 2007old and previous years. See appendix A in http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf10307/ for more detail.
b In 2010, the postdoc section of the survey was expanded, and significant effort was made to ensure that appropriate personnel were providing postdoc data (see appendix A for more information). Thus, it is unclear how much of the increases in 2010 and later years over 2009 and prior years are from growth in postdoctoral appointments and how much are from improved data collection. More information on the changes to the postdoc data collection is available at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13334/.
c Postdoc data from 2010 and 2011 were reimputed following the 2012 data collection; these data supersede those contained in previous reports.
NOTES: “Field” refers to the field of the unit that reports postdocs to the GSS.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, NSF-NIH Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.
Data from survey cycle Fall 2012, as of December 2013.