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Table 4-11a. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies master's and doctoral student demographics, enrollment status, and funding: 2017

Characteristic All graduate students Master's students Doctoral students
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Institutions 177 25.2 144 20.5 82 11.7
Schools 187 23.0 151 18.6 86 10.6
Units 276 1.5 206 1.1 111 0.6
All graduate students 9,854 100.0 6,923 100.0 2,931 100.0
Male 4,715 47.8 3,282 47.4 1,433 48.9
Female 5,139 52.2 3,641 52.6 1,498 51.1
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsa 7,370 74.8 5,193 75.0 2,177 74.3
Hispanic or Latino 820 8.3 664 9.6 156 5.3
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 31 0.3 25 0.4 6 0.2
Asian 750 7.6 559 8.1 191 6.5
Black or African American 621 6.3 488 7.0 133 4.5
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 17 0.2 12 0.2 5 0.2
White 4,478 45.4 2,975 43.0 1,503 51.3
More than one race 223 2.3 163 2.4 60 2.0
Unknown ethnicity and race 430 4.4 307 4.4 123 4.2
Temporary visa holders 2,484 25.2 1,730 25.0 754 25.7
Part time 3,496 35.5 2,885 41.7 611 20.8
Full time 6,358 64.5 4,038 58.3 2,320 79.2
First time 2,607 26.5 2,079 30.0 528 18.0
Primary source of support for full-time studentsb
Federal 557 5.7 132 1.9 425 14.5
DOD 62 0.6 10 0.1 52 1.8
DOE 23 0.2 2 * 21 0.7
HHS 175 1.8 10 0.1 165 5.6
NIH 165 1.7 9 0.1 156 5.3
Other HHS 10 0.1 1 * 9 0.3
NASA 24 0.2 9 0.1 15 0.5
NSF 134 1.4 19 0.3 115 3.9
USDA 34 0.3 19 0.3 15 0.5
Other 105 1.1 63 0.9 42 1.4
Nonfederal 2,582 26.2 1,023 14.8 1,559 53.2
Institutional 2,372 24.1 909 13.1 1,463 49.9
Domestic 142 1.4 68 1.0 74 2.5
Foreign 68 0.7 46 0.7 22 0.8
Self-support 3,219 32.7 2,883 41.6 336 11.5
Primary mechanism of support for full-time studentsb
Fellowships 640 6.5 291 4.2 349 11.9
Research assistantships 866 8.8 225 3.3 641 21.9
Teaching assistantships 698 7.1 242 3.5 456 15.6
Traineeships 130 1.3 18 0.3 112 3.8
Other types of support 4,024 40.8 3,262 47.1 762 26.0
Self-support 3,219 32.7 2,883 41.6 336 11.5
Other 805 8.2 379 5.5 426 14.5
* = 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.
a Ethnicity and race data are available only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
b Funding data are available only for full-time students.
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.