Back to Data Tables
Excel icon Download to excel

Table A-8. Imputation for nonresponse in postdoc and nonfacutly research totals, by field: 2015–17

Year and field Total in survey Number imputed Imputation rate (%)
Postdoctoral appointees Doctorate nonfaculty researchers Postdoctoral appointees Doctorate nonfaculty researchers Postdoctoral appointees Doctorate nonfaculty researchers
Fall 2017, all surveyed fieldsa 64,733 28,180 2,229 1,792 3.4 6.4
Science and engineering 46,080 20,542 1,604 1,372 3.5 6.7
Science 38,241 17,268 1,540 1,200 4.0 6.9
Agricultural sciencesb 1,024 496 9 3 0.9 0.6
Biological and biomedical sciencesa,c 21,781 8,203 803 681 3.7 8.3
Computer and information sciences 854 476 30 33 3.5 6.9
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 2,089 1,794 52 29 2.5 1.6
Mathematics and statistics 991 240 55 8 5.5 3.3
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 1,131 806 145 18 12.8 2.2
Natural resources and conservationb 731 364 15 1 2.1 0.3
Physical sciences 7,211 2,871 385 389 5.3 13.5
Psychology 1,082 494 30 8 2.8 1.6
Social sciencesa 1,347 1,524 16 30 1.2 2.0
Engineering 7,839 3,274 64 172 0.8 5.3
Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 196 102 1 1 0.5 1.0
Agricultural engineering 111 52 0 0 0.0 0.0
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 1,398 415 19 19 1.4 4.6
Biological and biosystems engineering 78 36 0 0 0.0 0.0
Chemical engineering 1,197 281 6 29 0.5 10.3
Civil engineering 804 422 6 19 0.7 4.5
Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering 1,170 557 5 36 0.4 6.5
Engineering mechanics, physics, and science 316 200 0 0 0.0 0.0
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 127 119 2 26 1.6 21.8
Mechanical engineering 1,089 458 10 27 0.9 5.9
Metallurgical and materials engineering 550 181 12 12 2.2 6.6
Mining engineering 15 52 0 1 0.0 1.9
Nanotechnology 85 33 0 0 0.0 0.0
Nuclear engineering 94 22 0 2 0.0 9.1
Petroleum engineering 65 59 0 0 0.0 0.0
Engineering nec 544 285 3 0 0.6 0.0
Health 18,653 7,638 625 420 3.4 5.5
Clinical medicine 16,100 6,448 503 343 3.1 5.3
Other health 2,553 1,190 122 77 4.8 6.5
Fall 2016, all surveyed fieldsa 64,712 25,747 1,924 2,054 3.0 8.0
Science and engineering 45,737 19,095 1,325 1,575 2.9 8.2
Science 37,941 15,940 1,147 1,326 3.0 8.3
Agricultural sciencesb 1,484 767 3 21 0.2 2.7
Biological sciencesc 19,427 7,058 527 571 2.7 8.1
Communicationa 86 29 4 0 4.7 0.0
Computer sciences 914 470 39 51 4.3 10.9
Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 2,104 1,635 26 141 1.2 8.6
Family and consumer sciences and human sciencesa 116 120 1 4 0.9 3.3
Mathematics and statistics 1,005 213 78 15 7.8 7.0
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 1,095 727 61 25 5.6 3.4
Neurobiology and neurosciencec 2,071 760 83 39 4.0 5.1
Physical sciences 7,269 2,735 202 402 2.8 14.7
Psychology 1,177 456 74 19 6.3 4.2
Social sciencesa 1,193 970 49 38 4.1 3.9
Engineering 7,796 3,155 178 249 2.3 7.9
Aerospace engineering 201 77 8 0 4.0 0.0
Agricultural engineering 165 55 0 3 0.0 5.5
Architecturea 16 30 1 2 6.3 6.7
Biomedical engineering 1,278 311 10 25 0.8 8.0
Chemical engineering 1,218 297 23 32 1.9 10.8
Civil engineering 706 420 26 47 3.7 11.2
Electrical engineering 1,186 560 57 34 4.8 6.1
Engineering science, mechanics, and physics 284 188 3 13 1.1 6.9
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 130 162 7 29 5.4 17.9
Mechanical engineering 1,080 393 15 24 1.4 6.1
Metallurgical and materials engineering 882 353 22 13 2.5 3.7
Mining engineering 10 23 0 0 0.0 0.0
Nuclear engineering 100 29 4 2 4.0 6.9
Petroleum engineering 72 57 0 0 0.0 0.0
Engineering nec 468 200 2 25 0.4 12.5
Health 18,975 6,652 599 479 3.2 7.2
Clinical medicine 16,165 5,470 468 341 2.9 6.2
Other health 2,810 1,182 131 138 4.7 11.7
Fall 2015, all surveyed fields 63,861 25,292 1,461 2,392 2.3 9.5
Science and engineering 45,295 18,596 887 1,634 2.0 8.8
Science 37,639 15,667 796 1,381 2.1 8.8
Agricultural sciencesb 1,525 747 33 33 2.2 4.4
Biological sciences 19,304 6,948 423 818 2.2 11.8
Communicationa 83 31 2 0 2.4 0.0
Computer sciences 888 459 20 53 2.3 11.5
Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 2,129 1,754 26 172 1.2 9.8
Family and consumer sciences and human sciencesa 103 74 0 10 0.0 13.5
Mathematics and statistics 1,011 235 37 24 3.7 10.2
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 972 630 3 29 0.3 4.6
Neurobiology and neurosciencec 1,957 718 39 40 2.0 5.6
Physical sciences 7,358 2,701 147 109 2.0 4.0
Psychology 1,130 472 40 26 3.5 5.5
Social sciencesa 1,179 898 26 67 2.2 7.5
Engineering 7,656 2,929 91 253 1.2 8.6
Aerospace engineering 217 67 9 0 4.1 0.0
Agricultural engineering 221 70 0 3 0.0 4.3
Architecturea 17 6 0 1 0.0 16.7
Biomedical engineering 1,201 289 15 31 1.2 10.7
Chemical engineering 1,283 264 0 22 0.0 8.3
Civil engineering 670 364 3 27 0.4 7.4
Electrical engineering 1,160 492 7 39 0.6 7.9
Engineering science, mechanics, and physics 251 184 8 11 3.2 6.0
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 142 150 7 25 4.9 16.7
Mechanical engineering 1,161 425 15 62 1.3 14.6
Metallurgical and materials engineering 911 295 13 15 1.4 5.1
Mining engineering 15 20 0 0 0.0 0.0
Nuclear engineering 107 26 0 2 0.0 7.7
Petroleum engineering 73 56 0 0 0.0 0.0
Engineering nec 227 221 14 15 6.2 6.8
Health 18,566 6,696 574 758 3.1 11.3
Clinical medicine 15,850 5,494 514 616 3.2 11.2
Other health 2,716 1,202 60 142 2.2 11.8
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.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.