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Table A-5a. Science, engineering, and health organizational units with nonfaculty researchers, by detailed field: 2012–17

Field 2012 2013 2014olda 2014newa 2015 2016b 2017c
All surveyed fieldsd 3,656 3,741 3,980 4,006 4,164 4,369 4,856
Science and engineering 2,656 2,715 2,826 2,848 3,042 3,156 3,460
Science 2,101 2,173 2,252 2,273 2,424 2,489 2,754
Agricultural sciences 166 169 174 176 192 193 134
Biological and biomedical sciencese 893 897 952 966 1,003 1,055 1,136
Anatomy 15 14 20 20 17 11 ne
Biochemistry 85 88 87 87 86 94 105
Biology 93 94 91 91 100 95 111
Biomedical sciences ne ne ne ne ne ne 27
Biometry and epidemiology 47 45 48 48 60 71 ne
Biophysics 7 6 7 7 6 4 5
Biostatistics and bioinformatics ne ne ne ne ne ne 56
Biotechnology ne ne ne ne ne ne 14
Botany and plant biology 35 33 33 33 32 35 36
Cell and molecular biology 82 76 76 80 91 89 ne
Cell, cellular biology, and anatomical sciences ne ne ne ne ne ne 78
Ecology 14 9 10 10 10 13 ne
Ecology and population biology ne ne ne ne ne ne 40
Entomology and parasitology 19 20 21 21 21 21 ne
Epidemiology ne ne ne ne ne ne 24
Genetics 40 44 48 48 48 54 67
Microbiological sciences and immunology 96 95 99 100 104 109 119
Molecular biology ne ne ne ne ne ne 23
Neurobiology and neuroscience 48 61 68 71 73 82 100
Nutrition science 29 28 32 32 35 36 22
Pathology and experimental pathology 51 50 61 61 56 52 47
Pharmacology and toxicology 65 63 65 66 65 63 78
Physiology 72 73 74 76 75 99 95
Zoology and animal biology 5 5 7 7 7 8 34
Biological and biomedical sciences nec 90 93 105 108 117 119 55
Communication 8 15 11 11 14 11 ne
Computer and information sciences 85 95 102 102 114 111 111
Computer science ne ne ne ne ne ne 52
Computer and information sciences, general ne ne ne ne ne ne 44
Computer and information sciences nec ne ne ne ne ne ne 15
Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 16 19 18 19 20 27 ne
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 158 168 176 177 179 182 198
Atmospheric sciences and meteorology 25 25 28 28 27 26 39
Geological and earth sciences 80 87 87 87 83 84 88
Ocean and marine sciences 29 29 31 32 35 41 49
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 24 27 30 30 34 31 22
Mathematics and statistics 56 56 58 58 65 64 67
Mathematics and applied mathematics 47 46 44 44 48 49 50
Statistics 9 10 14 14 17 15 17
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 91 98 124 125 129 128 161
Natural resources and conservation ne ne ne ne ne ne 87
Environmental science and studies ne ne ne ne ne ne 31
Forestry, natural resources, and conservation ne ne ne ne ne ne 56
Physical sciences 311 310 313 314 328 328 374
Astronomy and astrophysics 25 31 35 35 35 40 46
Chemistry 142 128 130 131 140 136 140
Materials sciences ne ne ne ne ne ne 21
Physics 124 131 129 129 136 136 154
Physical sciences nec 20 20 19 19 17 16 13
Psychology 90 109 93 93 109 100 106
Clinical psychology 11 15 9 9 10 14 9
Counseling and applied psychology ne ne ne ne ne ne 24
Psychology, general 45 54 44 44 50 41 50
Psychology nec 34 40 40 40 49 45 ne
Research and experimental psychology ne ne ne ne ne ne 23
Social sciences 227 237 231 232 271 290 380
Agricultural economics 11 10 16 16 16 17 17
Anthropology 32 30 26 26 25 33 29
Criminal justice and safety studies ne ne ne ne ne ne 4
Economics (except agricultural) 19 26 26 26 29 28 42
Geography and cartography 17 19 18 18 20 22 29
History and philosophy of science 3 2 4 4 2 5 3
Human development ne ne ne ne ne ne 32
International relations and national security studies ne ne ne ne ne ne 7
Linguistics 10 10 8 8 10 11 16
Political science and government 45 47 53 53 67 85 21
Public policy analysis ne ne ne ne ne ne 48
Sociology 26 20 25 25 26 23 41
Sociology and anthropology 1 1 0 0 0 0 ne
Social sciences nec 63 72 55 56 76 66 91
Engineering 555 542 574 575 618 667 706
Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 13 13 16 16 18 19 22
Agricultural engineering 18 16 17 17 22 19 16
Architecture 6 7 5 5 5 9 ne
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 52 46 58 58 61 62 82
Biological and biosystems engineering ne ne ne ne ne ne 6
Chemical engineering 62 67 68 68 67 71 68
Civil engineering 79 74 84 84 89 105 99
Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering 89 86 88 88 91 102 117
Engineering mechanics, physics, and science 19 16 20 20 16 14 18
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 25 26 27 27 39 40 40
Mechanical engineering 81 76 82 83 87 94 99
Metallurgical and materials engineering 57 62 61 61 63 65 39
Mining engineering 2 1 1 1 4 6 11
Nanotechnology ne ne ne ne ne ne 13
Nuclear engineering 10 9 11 11 10 9 9
Petroleum engineering 6 6 6 6 7 9 9
Engineering nec 36 37 30 30 39 43 58
Health 1,000 1,026 1,154 1,158 1,122 1,213 1,396
Clinical medicinea 782 806 909 910 875 946 1,121
Anesthesiology 28 28 35 35 33 32 38
Cardiology 34 35 40 40 39 39 37
Endocrinology 26 26 27 27 25 27 25
Gastroenterology 21 20 19 19 16 18 20
Hematology 23 27 26 26 22 20 20
Neurology 42 47 53 53 55 51 77
Obstetrics and gynecology 26 29 33 33 33 36 34
Oncology and cancer research 51 42 50 50 48 49 51
Ophthalmology 37 39 42 42 42 42 51
Otorhinolaryngology 22 21 20 20 19 21 26
Pediatrics 47 50 54 54 50 65 74
Psychiatry 31 39 38 38 38 42 50
Public health 75 70 85 85 93 116 116
Pulmonary disease 19 22 25 25 24 26 28
Radiological sciences 49 43 50 50 44 51 57
Surgery 81 80 105 105 93 95 107
Clinical medicine nec 170 188 207 208 201 216 310
Other health 218 220 245 248 247 267 275
Communication disorders sciences 17 22 21 21 23 24 21
Dental sciences 20 18 27 27 27 30 28
Nursing science 26 23 23 23 22 29 32
Pharmaceutical sciences 49 45 53 55 60 63 66
Veterinary biomedical and clinical sciences 43 47 45 46 45 50 45
Other health nec 63 65 76 76 70 71 83
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 reogranized. Part of nutritional sciences became ineligble in 2017; aside from this, all other deleted fields in the biological and biomedical sciences remained eligble under a different field name. Thus, while fields such as zoology and animal biology 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.