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Table 3-3. Detailed primary source of federal support for full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health: 2017

Broad field Total DOD DOE HHS: NIH HHS: Other HHS NASA NSF USDA Other
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All graduate students 69,537 8,323 12.0 4,480 6.4 19,645 28.3 1,719 2.5 1,818 2.6 20,946 30.1 2,415 3.5 10,191 14.7
Science 44,245 3,350 7.6 2,231 5.0 15,660 35.4 987 2.2 1,139 2.6 12,557 28.4 2,081 4.7 6,240 14.1
Agricultural sciences 1,135 25 2.2 24 2.1 42 3.7 6 0.5 14 1.2 106 9.3 715 63.0 203 17.9
Biological and biomedical sciences 17,687 414 2.3 146 0.8 12,275 69.4 636 3.6 47 0.3 2,349 13.3 661 3.7 1,159 6.6
Computer and information sciences 4,447 857 19.3 114 2.6 229 5.1 22 0.5 29 0.7 2,559 57.5 23 0.5 614 13.8
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 2,555 187 7.3 131 5.1 29 1.1 2 0.1 410 16.0 1,283 50.2 25 1.0 488 19.1
Mathematics and statistics 1,396 171 12.2 42 3.0 169 12.1 9 0.6 17 1.2 776 55.6 8 0.6 204 14.6
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 557 62 11.1 23 4.1 165 29.6 10 1.8 24 4.3 134 24.1 34 6.1 105 18.9
Natural resources and conservation 1,256 59 4.7 15 1.2 70 5.6 3 0.2 44 3.5 273 21.7 359 28.6 433 34.5
Physical sciences 9,627 777 8.1 1,689 17.5 1,693 17.6 124 1.3 522 5.4 3,855 40.0 22 0.2 945 9.8
Psychology 2,916 277 9.5 32 1.1 809 27.7 106 3.6 8 0.3 490 16.8 1 * 1,193 40.9
Social sciences 2,669 521 19.5 15 0.6 179 6.7 69 2.6 24 0.9 732 27.4 233 8.7 896 33.6
Engineering 21,754 4,739 21.8 2,241 10.3 2,436 11.2 275 1.3 667 3.1 8,258 38.0 280 1.3 2,858 13.1
Health 3,538 234 6.6 8 0.2 1,549 43.8 457 12.9 12 0.3 131 3.7 54 1.5 1,093 30.9
Clinical medicine 1,523 82 5.4 5 0.3 632 41.5 322 21.1 8 0.5 29 1.9 12 0.8 433 28.4
Other health 2,015 152 7.5 3 0.1 917 45.5 135 6.7 4 0.2 102 5.1 42 2.1 660 32.8
Master's students 12,354 2,756 22.3 491 4.0 1,014 8.2 310 2.5 286 2.3 2,212 17.9 962 7.8 4,323 35.0
Science 6,832 1,153 16.9 141 2.1 552 8.1 70 1.0 140 2.0 1,278 18.7 860 12.6 2,638 38.6
Agricultural sciences 518 14 2.7 8 1.5 17 3.3 2 0.4 4 0.8 28 5.4 349 67.4 96 18.5
Biological and biomedical sciences 1,066 67 6.3 18 1.7 307 28.8 33 3.1 7 0.7 169 15.9 179 16.8 286 26.8
Computer and information sciences 1,116 288 25.8 32 2.9 47 4.2 6 0.5 11 1.0 406 36.4 14 1.3 312 28.0
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 667 89 13.3 34 5.1 10 1.5 0 0.0 68 10.2 265 39.7 9 1.3 192 28.8
Mathematics and statistics 173 45 26.0 3 1.7 14 8.1 2 1.2 2 1.2 53 30.6 1 0.6 53 30.6
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 132 10 7.6 2 1.5 9 6.8 1 0.8 9 6.8 19 14.4 19 14.4 63 47.7
Natural resources and conservation 630 50 7.9 7 1.1 26 4.1 1 0.2 5 0.8 77 12.2 218 34.6 246 39.0
Physical sciences 396 40 10.1 30 7.6 49 12.4 5 1.3 24 6.1 145 36.6 1 0.3 102 25.8
Psychology 1,066 129 12.1 0 0.0 55 5.2 15 1.4 2 0.2 27 2.5 0 0.0 838 78.6
Social sciences 1,068 421 39.4 7 0.7 18 1.7 5 0.5 8 0.7 89 8.3 70 6.6 450 42.1
Engineering 3,904 1,415 36.2 350 9.0 147 3.8 40 1.0 136 3.5 914 23.4 78 2.0 824 21.1
Health 1,618 188 11.6 0 0.0 315 19.5 200 12.4 10 0.6 20 1.2 24 1.5 861 53.2
Clinical medicine 854 66 7.7 0 0.0 225 26.3 186 21.8 8 0.9 10 1.2 9 1.1 350 41.0
Other health 764 122 16.0 0 0.0 90 11.8 14 1.8 2 0.3 10 1.3 15 2.0 511 66.9
Doctoral students 57,183 5,567 9.7 3,989 7.0 18,631 32.6 1,409 2.5 1,532 2.7 18,734 32.8 1,453 2.5 5,868 10.3
Science 37,413 2,197 5.9 2,090 5.6 15,108 40.4 917 2.5 999 2.7 11,279 30.1 1,221 3.3 3,602 9.6
Agricultural sciences 617 11 1.8 16 2.6 25 4.1 4 0.6 10 1.6 78 12.6 366 59.3 107 17.3
Biological and biomedical sciences 16,621 347 2.1 128 0.8 11,968 72.0 603 3.6 40 0.2 2,180 13.1 482 2.9 873 5.3
Computer and information sciences 3,331 569 17.1 82 2.5 182 5.5 16 0.5 18 0.5 2,153 64.6 9 0.3 302 9.1
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 1,888 98 5.2 97 5.1 19 1.0 2 0.1 342 18.1 1,018 53.9 16 0.8 296 15.7
Mathematics and statistics 1,223 126 10.3 39 3.2 155 12.7 7 0.6 15 1.2 723 59.1 7 0.6 151 12.3
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 425 52 12.2 21 4.9 156 36.7 9 2.1 15 3.5 115 27.1 15 3.5 42 9.9
Natural resources and conservation 626 9 1.4 8 1.3 44 7.0 2 0.3 39 6.2 196 31.3 141 22.5 187 29.9
Physical sciences 9,231 737 8.0 1,659 18.0 1,644 17.8 119 1.3 498 5.4 3,710 40.2 21 0.2 843 9.1
Psychology 1,850 148 8.0 32 1.7 754 40.8 91 4.9 6 0.3 463 25.0 1 0.1 355 19.2
Social sciences 1,601 100 6.2 8 0.5 161 10.1 64 4.0 16 1.0 643 40.2 163 10.2 446 27.9
Engineering 17,850 3,324 18.6 1,891 10.6 2,289 12.8 235 1.3 531 3.0 7,344 41.1 202 1.1 2,034 11.4
Health 1,920 46 2.4 8 0.4 1,234 64.3 257 13.4 2 0.1 111 5.8 30 1.6 232 12.1
Clinical medicine 669 16 2.4 5 0.7 407 60.8 136 20.3 0 0.0 19 2.8 3 0.4 83 12.4
Other health 1,251 30 2.4 3 0.2 827 66.1 121 9.7 2 0.2 92 7.4 27 2.2 149 11.9
* = value < 0.05%.
DOD = Department of Defense; DOE = Department of Energy; HHS = Department of Health and Human Services; NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration; NIH = National Institutes of Health; NSF = National Science Foundation; USDA = Department of Agriculture.
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.