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Table A-4. Science, engineering, and health organizational units with graduate student enrollment, by detailed field: 2012–17

Field 2012
(all units)		 2013
(all units)		 2014old
(all units)a		 2014new
(all units)a		 2015
(all units)		 2016
(all units)b		 2017c
All units Master's units Doctoral units
All surveyed fieldsd 10,685 10,722 10,840 11,265 11,436 11,781 12,479 9,625 6,915
Science and engineering 9,569 9,647 9,749 10,124 10,274 10,557 11,142 8,614 6,309
Science 7,723 7,800 7,892 8,224 8,346 8,550 8,952 6,649 4,970
Agricultural sciences 420 419 426 448 467 477 267 247 176
Biological and biomedical sciencese 2,113 2,130 2,169 2,236 2,254 2,319 2,586 1,503 1,816
Anatomy 40 33 32 33 36 32 na na na
Biochemistry 165 156 160 160 157 151 194 90 159
Biology 342 344 350 373 369 365 392 344 162
Biomedical sciences na na na na na na 153 93 96
Biometry and epidemiology 156 165 174 179 186 206 na na na
Biophysics 34 33 32 32 33 33 41 5 40
Biostatistics and bioinformatics na na na na na na 162 121 104
Biotechnology na na na na na na 64 59 6
Botany and plant biology 60 57 56 56 56 57 69 53 61
Cell and molecular biology 167 164 161 164 168 176 na na na
Cell, cellular biology, and anatomical sciences na na na na na na 176 74 144
Ecology 38 31 31 31 29 32 na na na
Ecology and population biology na na na na na na 100 60 75
Entomology and parasitology 37 37 36 36 36 35 na na na
Epidemiology na na na na na na 66 47 54
Genetics 68 74 79 81 81 83 101 47 78
Microbiological sciences and immunology 162 159 161 162 160 163 188 84 151
Molecular biology na na na na na na 52 19 38
Neurobiology and neuroscience 125 139 147 147 156 154 168 39 154
Nutrition science 124 127 123 128 129 129 88 82 46
Pathology and experimental pathology 59 58 57 57 55 52 50 13 45
Pharmacology and toxicology 127 123 123 123 119 121 138 62 119
Physiology 125 130 130 134 139 154 188 98 138
Zoology and animal biology 20 20 21 22 22 23 82 65 69
Biological and biomedical sciences nec 264 280 296 318 323 353 114 48 77
Communication 234 244 248 265 270 291 ne ne ne
Computer and information sciences 502 505 513 565 569 597 777 719 229
Computer science na na na na na na 243 226 102
Computer and information sciences, general na na na na na na 303 274 91
Computer and information sciences nec na na na na na na 231 219 36
Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 93 97 97 99 102 104 na na na
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 378 373 376 389 391 389 392 333 257
Atmospheric sciences and meteorology 40 38 40 41 43 44 53 42 42
Geological and earth sciences 218 217 217 218 224 223 251 216 159
Ocean and marine sciences 52 56 57 64 64 66 80 67 52
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 68 62 62 66 60 56 8 8 4
Mathematics and statistics 504 502 508 528 533 547 607 526 309
Mathematics and applied mathematics 391 385 387 404 403 410 443 381 223
Statistics 113 117 121 124 130 137 164 145 86
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 200 208 220 238 254 269 276 206 111
Natural resources and conservation na na na na na na 318 275 144
Environmental science and studies na na na na na na 169 139 65
Forestry, natural resources, and conservation na na na na na na 149 136 79
Physical sciences 648 654 652 659 663 667 758 558 535
Astronomy and astrophysics 40 41 43 43 42 47 55 15 49
Chemistry 328 328 328 331 332 329 355 289 230
Materials sciences na na na na na na 44 30 37
Physics 259 265 264 267 271 272 278 206 206
Physical sciences nec 21 20 17 18 18 19 26 18 13
Psychology 802 801 808 851 867 884 986 694 459
Clinical psychology 162 163 166 167 166 161 125 64 73
Counseling and applied psychology na na na na na na 470 363 197
Psychology, general 222 217 221 236 241 244 286 215 120
Psychology nec 418 421 421 448 460 479 na na na
Research and experimental psychology na na na na na na 105 52 69
Social sciences 1,829 1,867 1,875 1,946 1,976 2,006 1,985 1,588 934
Agricultural economics 48 45 45 45 45 47 46 41 29
Anthropology 165 171 172 175 175 175 176 129 106
Criminal justice and safety studies na na na na na na 95 92 18
Economics (except agricultural) 224 231 235 239 238 243 251 197 135
Geography and cartography 129 132 134 136 137 138 159 148 70
History and philosophy of science 23 21 19 20 21 20 14 8 13
Human development na na na na na na 58 50 24
International relations and national security studies na na na na na na 88 84 15
Linguistics 87 91 89 89 93 94 104 75 63
Political science and government 523 526 530 560 575 595 221 170 128
Public policy analysis na na na na na na 124 89 54
Sociology 222 224 221 227 225 224 235 169 127
Sociology and anthropology 10 9 8 8 8 7 na na na
Social sciences nec 398 417 422 447 459 463 414 336 152
Engineering 1,846 1,847 1,857 1,900 1,928 2,007 2,190 1,965 1,339
Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 56 58 56 56 58 60 62 60 48
Agricultural engineering 42 41 39 40 38 43 36 32 28
Architecture 50 50 46 48 47 47 ne ne ne
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 131 140 145 145 152 161 180 157 129
Biological and biosystems engineering na na na na na na 11 7 10
Chemical engineering 149 148 147 148 150 148 161 146 130
Civil engineering 264 264 266 271 267 281 315 288 187
Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering 313 315 314 330 335 354 415 391 233
Engineering mechanics, physics, and science 54 52 49 50 47 47 59 45 42
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 177 175 165 168 169 176 210 189 105
Mechanical engineering 225 223 225 232 236 238 260 243 168
Metallurgical and materials engineering 124 126 129 132 136 138 112 91 89
Mining engineering 19 20 19 19 21 23 31 26 17
Nanotechnology na na na na na na 8 5 3
Nuclear engineering 26 27 27 27 27 27 33 29 27
Petroleum engineering 19 19 21 21 21 22 23 21 15
Engineering nec 197 189 209 213 224 242 274 235 108
Health 1,116 1,075 1,091 1,141 1,162 1,224 1,337 1,011 606
Clinical medicinea 383 355 363 382 389 429 448 387 177
Anesthesiology 1 1 1 1 1 1 ne ne ne
Cardiology 4 2 2 2 3 4 ne ne ne
Endocrinology 4 2 2 2 2 4 ne ne ne
Gastroenterology 1 0 0 0 0 1 ne ne ne
Hematology 2 1 0 0 0 1 ne ne ne
Neurology 8 0 0 0 0 1 ne ne ne
Obstetrics and gynecology 5 3 2 2 2 2 ne ne ne
Oncology and cancer research 13 5 2 2 2 2 ne ne ne
Ophthalmology 1 0 1 1 0 0 ne ne ne
Otorhinolaryngology 2 1 0 0 0 0 ne ne ne
Pediatrics 3 0 0 0 0 1 ne ne ne
Psychiatry 3 0 0 0 0 2 ne ne ne
Public health 253 265 283 299 313 339 403 348 161
Pulmonary disease 2 1 0 0 0 1 ne ne ne
Radiological sciences 14 12 6 7 6 5 ne ne ne
Surgery 6 2 1 1 1 3 ne ne ne
Clinical medicine nec 61 60 63 65 59 62 45 39 16
Other health 733 720 728 759 773 795 889 624 429
Communication disorders sciences 202 198 200 208 218 216 234 206 74
Dental sciences 55 59 59 59 56 66 94 84 22
Nursing science 126 121 122 126 126 130 129 22 116
Pharmaceutical sciences 92 93 98 104 105 118 103 64 79
Veterinary biomedical and clinical sciences 49 48 46 46 47 47 37 30 22
Other health nec 209 201 203 216 221 218 292 218 116
na= not applicable, data collected under different GSS codes; ne = not eligible.
GSS = Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering; nec = not elsewhere classified.
a In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed academic institutions in the United States with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. A total of 151 newly eligible institutions were added, and two private for-profit institutions offering mostly practitioner-based graduate degrees were determined to be ineligible.
b The 2016 survey included a pilot data collection to assess the feasibility of several data collection changes, including the use of Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes for reporting data and file uploads for transmitting data. The number of units added and deleted by pilot coordinators was much greater than is typical. These increases are largely due to how data are organized in institutional information systems and the increased granularity of CIP codes relative to GSS codes, rather than a reflection of increased organizational complexity.
c The number of units is not strictly comparable between 2017 and prior years as the change in data collection led to existing units to be split by CIP code. Additionally, many schools reorganized units voluntarily, leading to a large increase in overall units.
d Several field names changed in 2017; the field names listed in this table are the field names used in GSS collection and reporting for 2017. For a complete list of field names used prior to 2017, see https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/gradpostdoc/2016/html/GSS2016_TTA_17.html
e In 2017, the biological and biomedical sciences fields were reorganized. Part of nutritional sciences became ineligible in 2017; aside from this, all other deleted fields in the biological and biomedical sciences remained eligible under a different field name. For fields such as zoology and animal biology which existed in prior to 2017 and in 2017, the composition of subfields in this field changed.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.