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Table 3-4. Detailed primary source of federal support for postdoctoral appointees in science, engineering, and health, by field: 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 surveyed fields 32,031 2,337 7.3 1,747 5.5 19,412 60.6 719 2.2 669 2.1 3,933 12.3 686 2.1 2,528 7.9
Science 19,968 1,139 5.7 1,210 6.1 11,274 56.5 421 2.1 565 2.8 3,125 15.7 584 2.9 1,650 8.3
Agricultural sciences 398 8 2.0 9 2.3 40 10.1 6 1.5 2 0.5 55 13.8 206 51.8 72 18.1
Biological and biomedical sciences 12,025 340 2.8 111 0.9 9,356 77.8 291 2.4 41 0.3 858 7.1 256 2.1 772 6.4
Computer and information sciences 410 100 24.4 18 4.4 46 11.2 6 1.5 4 1.0 185 45.1 1 0.2 50 12.2
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 1,110 106 9.5 95 8.6 93 8.4 1 0.1 198 17.8 396 35.7 13 1.2 208 18.7
Mathematics and statistics 315 65 20.6 13 4.1 43 13.7 0 0.0 2 0.6 163 51.7 2 0.6 27 8.6
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 589 42 7.1 57 9.7 357 60.6 1 0.2 7 1.2 84 14.3 5 0.8 36 6.1
Natural resources and conservation 347 8 2.3 22 6.3 12 3.5 1 0.3 16 4.6 133 38.3 76 21.9 79 22.8
Physical sciences 3,856 429 11.1 880 22.8 844 21.9 65 1.7 272 7.1 1,062 27.5 6 0.2 298 7.7
Psychology 595 30 5.0 2 0.3 381 64.0 28 4.7 1 0.2 92 15.5 0 0.0 61 10.3
Social sciences 323 11 3.4 3 0.9 102 31.6 22 6.8 22 6.8 97 30.0 19 5.9 47 14.6
Engineering 3,683 935 25.4 530 14.4 868 23.6 62 1.7 93 2.5 746 20.3 51 1.4 398 10.8
Health 8,380 263 3.1 7 0.1 7,270 86.8 236 2.8 11 0.1 62 0.7 51 0.6 480 5.7
Clinical medicine 7,272 231 3.2 6 0.1 6,405 88.1 170 2.3 7 0.1 40 0.6 5 0.1 408 5.6
Other health 1,108 32 2.9 1 0.1 865 78.1 66 6.0 4 0.4 22 2.0 46 4.2 72 6.5
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.
NOTES: "Field" refers to the field of the unit that reports postdoctoral appointees to the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. 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.