Back to Data Tables
Excel icon Download to excel

Table 2-4. Graduate students in science, engineering, and health broad fields, by degree program, citizenship, ethnicity, and race: 2017

Broad field Total U.S. citizens and permanent residentsa Temporary visa holders
Hispanic or Latino Not Hispanic or Latino Unknown ethnicity and race
American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander White More than one race
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All graduate students 649,112 100.0 44,621 100.0 1,850 100.0 42,045 100.0 32,749 100.0 703 100.0 257,302 100.0 13,539 100.0 23,672 100.0 232,631 100.0
Science 415,568 64.0 30,383 68.1 1,347 72.8 26,028 61.9 22,557 68.9 487 69.3 174,801 67.9 9,434 69.7 16,020 67.7 134,511 57.8
Agricultural sciences 9,347 1.4 593 1.3 33 1.8 238 0.6 327 1.0 8 1.1 4,985 1.9 139 1.0 207 0.9 2,817 1.2
Biological and biomedical sciences 85,217 13.1 6,748 15.1 252 13.6 7,964 18.9 4,672 14.3 134 19.1 41,950 16.3 2,324 17.2 3,629 15.3 17,544 7.5
Computer and information sciences 89,909 13.9 3,094 6.9 82 4.4 6,512 15.5 4,444 13.6 59 8.4 18,902 7.3 1,189 8.8 2,565 10.8 53,062 22.8
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 12,545 1.9 783 1.8 62 3.4 364 0.9 234 0.7 15 2.1 7,510 2.9 308 2.3 516 2.2 2,753 1.2
Mathematics and statistics 29,669 4.6 1,291 2.9 38 2.1 1,891 4.5 645 2.0 9 1.3 9,277 3.6 436 3.2 953 4.0 15,129 6.5
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 9,854 1.5 820 1.8 31 1.7 750 1.8 621 1.9 17 2.4 4,478 1.7 223 1.6 430 1.8 2,484 1.1
Natural resources and conservation 10,879 1.7 715 1.6 88 4.8 322 0.8 373 1.1 22 3.1 6,918 2.7 330 2.4 517 2.2 1,594 0.7
Physical sciences 41,829 6.4 2,261 5.1 87 4.7 2,208 5.3 954 2.9 20 2.8 17,795 6.9 838 6.2 1,234 5.2 16,432 7.1
Psychology 50,033 7.7 7,124 16.0 216 11.7 2,500 5.9 4,513 13.8 91 12.9 28,352 11.0 1,603 11.8 2,446 10.3 3,188 1.4
Social sciences 76,286 11.8 6,954 15.6 458 24.8 3,279 7.8 5,774 17.6 112 15.9 34,634 13.5 2,044 15.1 3,523 14.9 19,508 8.4
Engineering 165,581 25.5 7,537 16.9 208 11.2 10,483 24.9 3,842 11.7 86 12.2 46,637 18.1 2,265 16.7 4,102 17.3 90,421 38.9
Health 67,963 10.5 6,701 15.0 295 15.9 5,534 13.2 6,350 19.4 130 18.5 35,864 13.9 1,840 13.6 3,550 15.0 7,699 3.3
Clinical medicine 29,693 4.6 3,164 7.1 160 8.6 3,182 7.6 3,871 11.8 78 11.1 13,309 5.2 956 7.1 1,990 8.4 2,983 1.3
Other health 38,270 5.9 3,537 7.9 135 7.3 2,352 5.6 2,479 7.6 52 7.4 22,555 8.8 884 6.5 1,560 6.6 4,716 2.0
Master's students 378,587 58.3 29,622 66.4 1,136 61.4 26,093 62.1 23,266 71.0 468 66.6 148,031 57.5 8,119 60.0 15,161 64.0 126,691 54.5
Science 229,169 35.3 18,728 42.0 777 42.0 15,084 35.9 15,639 47.8 305 43.4 91,511 35.6 5,202 38.4 9,585 40.5 72,338 31.1
Agricultural sciences 5,603 0.9 463 1.0 22 1.2 147 0.3 228 0.7 4 0.6 3,466 1.3 102 0.8 144 0.6 1,027 0.4
Biological and biomedical sciences 33,926 5.2 2,957 6.6 97 5.2 3,615 8.6 2,702 8.3 69 9.8 16,894 6.6 1,023 7.6 1,749 7.4 4,820 2.1
Computer and information sciences 75,618 11.6 2,782 6.2 67 3.6 5,770 13.7 4,106 12.5 56 8.0 15,639 6.1 1,019 7.5 2,156 9.1 44,023 18.9
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 6,006 0.9 450 1.0 39 2.1 160 0.4 143 0.4 8 1.1 4,134 1.6 159 1.2 267 1.1 646 0.3
Mathematics and statistics 16,568 2.6 815 1.8 26 1.4 1,200 2.9 417 1.3 6 0.9 4,711 1.8 203 1.5 547 2.3 8,643 3.7
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 6,923 1.1 664 1.5 25 1.4 559 1.3 488 1.5 12 1.7 2,975 1.2 163 1.2 307 1.3 1,730 0.7
Natural resources and conservation 7,311 1.1 533 1.2 64 3.5 204 0.5 222 0.7 20 2.8 4,955 1.9 257 1.9 383 1.6 673 0.3
Physical sciences 6,368 1.0 559 1.3 26 1.4 383 0.9 314 1.0 3 0.4 2,700 1.0 163 1.2 268 1.1 1,952 0.8
Psychology 29,638 4.6 4,820 10.8 124 6.7 1,324 3.1 3,101 9.5 60 8.5 16,358 6.4 912 6.7 1,606 6.8 1,333 0.6
Social sciences 41,208 6.3 4,685 10.5 287 15.5 1,722 4.1 3,918 12.0 67 9.5 19,679 7.6 1,201 8.9 2,158 9.1 7,491 3.2
Engineering 96,756 14.9 5,130 11.5 134 7.2 6,416 15.3 2,505 7.6 56 8.0 28,281 11.0 1,422 10.5 2,526 10.7 50,286 21.6
Health 52,662 8.1 5,764 12.9 225 12.2 4,593 10.9 5,122 15.6 107 15.2 28,239 11.0 1,495 11.0 3,050 12.9 4,067 1.7
Clinical medicine 25,283 3.9 2,701 6.1 134 7.2 2,834 6.7 3,367 10.3 69 9.8 11,384 4.4 817 6.0 1,845 7.8 2,132 0.9
Other health 27,379 4.2 3,063 6.9 91 4.9 1,759 4.2 1,755 5.4 38 5.4 16,855 6.6 678 5.0 1,205 5.1 1,935 0.8
Doctoral students 270,525 41.7 14,999 33.6 714 38.6 15,952 37.9 9,483 29.0 235 33.4 109,271 42.5 5,420 40.0 8,511 36.0 105,940 45.5
Science 186,399 28.7 11,655 26.1 570 30.8 10,944 26.0 6,918 21.1 182 25.9 83,290 32.4 4,232 31.3 6,435 27.2 62,173 26.7
Agricultural sciences 3,744 0.6 130 0.3 11 0.6 91 0.2 99 0.3 4 0.6 1,519 0.6 37 0.3 63 0.3 1,790 0.8
Biological and biomedical sciences 51,291 7.9 3,791 8.5 155 8.4 4,349 10.3 1,970 6.0 65 9.2 25,056 9.7 1,301 9.6 1,880 7.9 12,724 5.5
Computer and information sciences 14,291 2.2 312 0.7 15 0.8 742 1.8 338 1.0 3 0.4 3,263 1.3 170 1.3 409 1.7 9,039 3.9
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 6,539 1.0 333 0.7 23 1.2 204 0.5 91 0.3 7 1.0 3,376 1.3 149 1.1 249 1.1 2,107 0.9
Mathematics and statistics 13,101 2.0 476 1.1 12 0.6 691 1.6 228 0.7 3 0.4 4,566 1.8 233 1.7 406 1.7 6,486 2.8
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 2,931 0.5 156 0.3 6 0.3 191 0.5 133 0.4 5 0.7 1,503 0.6 60 0.4 123 0.5 754 0.3
Natural resources and conservation 3,568 0.5 182 0.4 24 1.3 118 0.3 151 0.5 2 0.3 1,963 0.8 73 0.5 134 0.6 921 0.4
Physical sciences 35,461 5.5 1,702 3.8 61 3.3 1,825 4.3 640 2.0 17 2.4 15,095 5.9 675 5.0 966 4.1 14,480 6.2
Psychology 20,395 3.1 2,304 5.2 92 5.0 1,176 2.8 1,412 4.3 31 4.4 11,994 4.7 691 5.1 840 3.5 1,855 0.8
Social sciences 35,078 5.4 2,269 5.1 171 9.2 1,557 3.7 1,856 5.7 45 6.4 14,955 5.8 843 6.2 1,365 5.8 12,017 5.2
Engineering 68,825 10.6 2,407 5.4 74 4.0 4,067 9.7 1,337 4.1 30 4.3 18,356 7.1 843 6.2 1,576 6.7 40,135 17.3
Health 15,301 2.4 937 2.1 70 3.8 941 2.2 1,228 3.7 23 3.3 7,625 3.0 345 2.5 500 2.1 3,632 1.6
Clinical medicine 4,410 0.7 463 1.0 26 1.4 348 0.8 504 1.5 9 1.3 1,925 0.7 139 1.0 145 0.6 851 0.4
Other health 10,891 1.7 474 1.1 44 2.4 593 1.4 724 2.2 14 2.0 5,700 2.2 206 1.5 355 1.5 2,781 1.2
a Ethnicity and race data are available only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to total because of rounding.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, 2017.