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Table A-7b. Imputation for nonresponse within graduate student totals, by field and graduate enrollment status: 2015–17

Year and field Total in survey Number imputed Imputation rate (%)
Full-time students Part-time students Full-time students Part-time students Full-time students Part-time students
Fall 2016, all surveyed fieldsa 508,773 176,052 3,925 1,265 0.8 0.7
Science and engineering 462,973 157,516 3,094 992 0.7 0.6
Science 334,770 117,276 2,841 889 0.8 0.8
Agricultural sciencesb 12,806 5,478 38 30 0.3 0.5
Biological sciencesc 65,549 13,597 1,200 152 1.8 1.1
Communicationa 7,502 4,845 12 2 0.2 *
Computer sciences 63,361 29,289 695 160 1.1 0.5
Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 11,792 3,223 34 15 0.3 0.5
Family and consumer sciences and human sciencesa 2,310 1,440 44 8 1.9 0.6
Mathematics and statistics 22,171 5,879 129 130 0.6 2.2
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 6,236 3,015 22 28 0.4 0.9
Neurobiology and neurosciencec 4,922 304 24 0 0.5 0.0
Physical sciences 36,536 3,982 68 24 0.2 0.6
Psychology 34,530 13,079 418 230 1.2 1.8
Social sciencesa 67,055 33,145 157 110 0.2 0.3
Engineering 128,203 40,240 253 103 0.2 0.3
Aerospace engineering 4,081 1,335 0 0 0.0 0.0
Agricultural engineering 1,329 297 0 0 0.0 0.0
Architecturea 1,509 162 5 1 0.3 0.6
Biomedical engineering 9,136 1,072 3 1 * 0.1
Chemical engineering 9,002 1,185 67 34 0.7 2.9
Civil engineering 15,183 5,386 13 7 0.1 0.1
Electrical engineering 38,158 11,904 43 12 0.1 0.1
Engineering science, mechanics, and physics 1,318 438 0 0 0.0 0.0
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 10,582 5,618 0 0 0.0 0.0
Mechanical engineering 20,924 6,974 23 15 0.1 0.2
Metallurgical and materials engineering 7,149 957 25 7 0.3 0.7
Mining engineering 287 91 0 0 0.0 0.0
Nuclear engineering 1,229 237 0 0 0.0 0.0
Petroleum engineering 1,461 401 71 22 4.9 5.5
Engineering nec 6,855 4,183 3 4 * 0.1
Health 45,800 18,536 831 273 1.8 1.5
Clinical medicine 17,813 9,399 426 223 2.4 2.4
Other health 27,987 9,137 405 50 1.4 0.5
Fall 2015, all surveyed fields 506,262 179,135 8,820 4,412 1.7 2.5
Science and engineering 459,405 158,603 7,698 3,743 1.7 2.4
Science 331,293 117,361 6,358 3,214 1.9 2.7
Agricultural sciencesb 13,071 5,539 32 35 0.2 0.6
Biological sciences 66,347 13,749 780 294 1.2 2.1
Communicationa 7,173 4,586 138 185 1.9 4.0
Computer sciences 58,329 27,863 2,148 388 3.7 1.4
Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 12,286 3,161 105 12 0.9 0.4
Family and consumer sciences and human sciencesa 2,497 1,637 54 35 2.2 2.1
Mathematics and statistics 21,153 5,291 109 110 0.5 2.1
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 5,387 2,751 170 201 3.2 7.3
Neurobiology and neurosciencec 4,775 227 40 0 0.8 0.0
Physical sciences 36,374 4,012 194 103 0.5 2.6
Psychology 35,478 14,262 872 651 2.5 4.6
Social sciencesa 68,423 34,283 1,716 1,200 2.5 3.5
Engineering 128,112 41,242 1,340 529 1.0 1.3
Aerospace engineering 4,039 1,306 0 0 0.0 0.0
Agricultural engineering 1,380 250 0 0 0.0 0.0
Architecturea 1,379 186 0 0 0.0 0.0
Biomedical engineering 8,595 1,166 38 16 0.4 1.4
Chemical engineering 8,835 1,173 0 10 0.0 0.9
Civil engineering 15,443 5,535 32 17 0.2 0.3
Electrical engineering 40,519 12,421 1,093 296 2.7 2.4
Engineering science, mechanics, and physics 1,371 337 0 0 0.0 0.0
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 10,215 6,069 43 41 0.4 0.7
Mechanical engineering 20,320 6,994 42 112 0.2 1.6
Metallurgical and materials engineering 6,826 915 10 6 0.1 0.7
Mining engineering 300 107 0 0 0.0 0.0
Nuclear engineering 1,198 251 0 0 0.0 0.0
Petroleum engineering 1,560 461 0 0 0.0 0.0
Engineering nec 6,132 4,071 82 31 1.3 0.8
Health 46,857 20,532 1,122 669 2.4 3.3
Clinical medicine 18,565 10,041 400 537 2.2 5.3
Other health 28,292 10,491 722 132 2.6 1.3
* = value < 0.05%
nec = not elsewhere classified.
a In 2017, changes to the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS) taxonomy led to the fields of architecture, communication, and public administration (part of social sciences) to become ineligible for the GSS. Parts of family and consumer sciences and human sciences and nutrition (in biological and biomedial sciences) also became ineligible. These newly inelgible units led to a large drop in overall counts of graduate students in the GSS.
b In 2017, natural resources and conservation was split out of agricultural sciences.
c Prior to 2017, neurobiology and neuroscience was reported as a separate broad field; starting in 2017, neurobiology and neuroscience is reported as part of biological and biomedical sciences.
NOTE: 2017 was the first year that master's and doctoral counts were reported seperately.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.