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Table 1-10a. Graduate students in engineering detailed fields: 1975–2018

Year Total Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering Agricultural engineering Architecturea,b Bioengineering and biomedical engineering Biological and biosystems engineering Chemical engineering Civil engineeringb Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering Engineering mechanics, physics, and science Industrial and manufacturing engineering Mechanical engineering Metallurgical and materials engineeringa Mining engineering Nanotechnologya Nuclear engineering Petroleum engineering Engineering nec
1975 68,332 1,670 631 na 883 na 5,095 12,560 16,320 1,746 11,663 8,601 2,376 412 NA 1,636 302 4,437
1976 66,723 1,477 690 na 895 na 5,271 11,995 15,926 1,759 10,687 8,313 2,398 515 NA 1,600 376 4,821
1977 68,757 1,518 754 na 855 na 5,273 12,335 17,406 1,737 10,438 8,722 2,585 452 NA 1,491 379 4,812
1978c 67,787 1,463 788 na 920 na 5,431 12,358 17,127 1,844 9,494 8,638 2,592 416 NA 1,404 428 4,884
1979 71,808 1,481 787 na 1,004 na 5,685 12,822 17,715 1,681 10,729 9,251 2,778 389 NA 1,318 424 5,744
1980 74,335 1,737 789 na 964 na 6,038 13,097 19,132 1,796 9,698 9,888 2,934 413 NA 1,241 503 6,105
1981 79,585 1,883 842 na 1,017 na 6,526 14,089 20,113 1,965 9,737 10,618 3,152 462 NA 1,283 521 7,377
1982 83,720 1,941 911 na 1,085 na 7,222 14,122 21,927 2,130 9,577 11,467 3,154 449 NA 1,301 586 7,848
1983 91,146 2,305 1,001 na 1,220 na 7,590 14,910 25,295 2,261 9,247 12,911 3,477 524 NA 1,203 737 8,465
1984 92,739 2,340 989 na 1,315 na 7,400 15,192 26,388 2,153 9,282 13,855 3,673 502 NA 1,234 744 7,672
1985 96,018 2,538 983 na 1,335 na 7,177 14,902 28,203 2,098 10,525 14,157 3,959 489 NA 1,220 782 7,650
1986 101,905 2,804 1,118 na 1,487 na 7,043 14,976 29,969 2,362 11,569 15,713 4,236 512 NA 1,265 747 8,104
1987 103,983 3,015 1,126 na 1,628 na 7,141 14,682 31,399 2,343 12,353 16,366 4,397 513 NA 1,279 818 6,923
1988 102,854 3,223 1,096 na 1,708 na 6,643 14,811 32,035 2,386 11,575 16,151 4,381 489 NA 1,303 742 6,311
1989 104,065 3,524 1,092 na 1,867 na 6,482 14,909 33,257 2,077 11,333 16,265 4,635 418 NA 1,323 665 6,218
1990 107,658 3,934 985 na 2,097 na 6,768 15,542 33,722 2,020 11,555 16,879 4,983 437 NA 1,278 670 6,788
1991 113,535 4,120 1,023 na 2,199 na 7,157 17,398 35,111 2,154 12,996 17,730 5,203 489 NA 1,282 705 5,968
1992 118,039 4,036 1,053 na 2,492 na 7,433 19,572 36,428 2,218 13,826 18,637 5,550 437 NA 1,286 737 4,334
1993 116,872 3,940 1,053 na 2,640 na 7,554 19,583 35,290 2,180 13,905 18,477 5,410 427 NA 1,306 725 4,382
1994 113,024 3,715 1,095 na 2,716 na 7,639 19,925 33,067 2,089 13,992 17,761 5,228 424 NA 1,246 624 3,503
1995 107,201 3,343 1,076 na 2,693 na 7,452 19,218 30,861 1,955 13,475 16,363 4,956 373 NA 1,154 610 3,672
1996 103,224 3,208 1,055 na 2,689 na 7,408 18,528 29,941 1,751 12,675 15,509 4,747 371 NA 980 562 3,800
1997 101,148 3,083 991 na 2,797 na 7,288 17,193 30,787 1,647 11,957 15,045 4,688 348 NA 868 561 3,895
1998 100,038 3,137 975 na 2,855 na 7,093 16,517 31,384 1,701 11,221 14,696 4,680 304 NA 821 571 4,083
1999 101,691 3,349 986 na 3,069 na 6,883 16,226 31,822 1,627 11,803 14,956 4,481 328 NA 830 642 4,689
2000 104,112 3,407 943 na 3,197 na 7,056 16,451 33,611 1,632 12,119 15,235 4,377 287 NA 792 627 4,378
2001 109,493 3,451 947 na 3,599 na 6,913 16,665 36,100 1,798 12,940 15,852 4,721 240 NA 801 656 4,810
2002 119,668 3,685 952 na 4,338 na 7,414 17,713 39,948 2,121 14,033 17,139 4,992 267 NA 795 766 5,505
2003 127,377 4,048 1,058 na 5,301 na 7,516 18,890 41,763 2,240 14,313 18,393 5,131 278 NA 885 849 6,712
2004 123,566 4,089 1,041 na 5,807 na 7,452 18,561 38,995 2,198 13,852 17,852 5,059 308 NA 971 845 6,536
2005 120,565 4,170 1,059 na 6,067 na 7,173 18,114 37,450 1,951 13,650 17,373 5,160 279 NA 1,013 808 6,298
2006 123,041 4,482 1,073 na 6,482 na 7,261 17,802 38,265 2,046 13,829 17,919 5,268 244 NA 1,099 813 6,458
2007oldb 130,255 4,616 1,126 na 6,881 na 7,383 19,867 40,207 1,843 14,290 18,366 5,365 307 na 1,208 1,014 7,782
2007newb 131,676 4,616 1,126 4,601 6,904 na 7,584 16,071 40,588 1,806 14,474 18,347 5,314 222 na 1,180 1,014 7,829
2008 137,856 4,902 1,233 5,905 7,339 na 7,892 16,931 41,164 2,099 15,692 19,585 5,539 290 na 1,201 1,009 7,075
2009 144,677 5,266 1,303 6,804 7,904 na 8,188 18,638 41,218 2,168 15,825 21,243 5,863 312 na 1,243 1,190 7,512
2010 149,241 5,540 1,457 6,795 8,497 na 8,668 19,559 41,336 2,071 15,205 22,509 6,274 419 na 1,459 1,295 8,157
2011 146,501 5,691 1,656 3,111 9,175 na 8,828 19,596 41,580 2,101 14,494 21,883 6,649 500 na 1,499 1,301 8,437
2012 148,385 5,069 1,552 2,363 9,157 na 9,222 19,922 42,347 2,227 14,469 23,088 6,985 356 na 1,513 1,525 8,590
2013 153,049 5,181 1,642 2,176 9,198 na 9,698 20,110 45,562 2,142 14,363 24,087 7,144 357 na 1,459 1,609 8,321
2014oldd 162,013 5,116 1,717 1,812 9,510 na 9,853 20,660 50,051 2,151 14,659 25,508 7,473 396 na 1,467 2,056 9,584
2014newd 164,488 5,116 1,740 1,817 9,510 na 9,870 20,789 51,909 2,162 14,845 25,651 7,518 396 na 1,467 2,056 9,642
2015 169,354 5,345 1,630 1,565 9,761 na 10,008 20,978 52,940 1,708 16,284 27,314 7,741 407 na 1,449 2,021 10,203
2016 168,443 5,416 1,626 1,671 10,208 na 10,187 20,569 50,062 1,756 16,200 27,898 8,106 378 na 1,466 1,862 11,038
2017olda 166,819 na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na
2017newa 165,581 5,708 1,186 ne 10,882 234 10,166 21,132 47,752 2,136 15,905 27,428 6,541 541 139 1,442 1,578 12,811
2018 163,301 5,848 1,032 ne 11,480 283 10,011 20,461 46,227 2,157 15,987 26,593 6,689 527 118 1,453 1,403 13,032
Master's students
2017newa 96,756 3,322 505 ne 4,037 71 3,292 13,506 29,816 679 12,272 16,279 2,115 312 44 444 916 9,146
2018 93,064 3,342 371 ne 4,202 80 3,061 12,729 28,108 729 12,389 15,434 2,079 316 47 407 754 9,016
Doctoral students
2017newa 68,825 2,386 681 ne 6,845 163 6,874 7,626 17,936 1,457 3,633 11,149 4,426 229 95 998 662 3,665
2018 70,237 2,506 661 ne 7,278 203 6,950 7,732 18,119 1,428 3,598 11,159 4,610 211 71 1,046 649 4,016
na = not applicable; data were not collected at this level of detail in the year shown. NA = not available; nanotechnology was not collected until 2007. ne = not eligible.
nec = not elsewhere classified.
a As part of 2017 GSS redesign, the GSS taxonomy was changed to align with the NCSES Taxonomy of Disciplines (TOD), thus increasing comparability with other NCSES surveys. As a result, some eligible fields were reclassified and a small number of fields became fully or partially ineligible. Comparisons to prior years should use the 2017old estimates and should be limited to broad areas of study—detailed field comparisons are not recommended. Materials sciences was reported as part of metallurgical and materials engineering from 2011–16, starting in 2017 materials sciences is reported as part of physical sciences, nanotechnology was reported as part of the science detailed field multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies from 2007–16.
b In 2007, eligible fields were reclassified, newly eligible fields were added, and the survey was redesigned to improve coverage and coding of eligible units. "2007new" presents data as collected in 2007; "2007old" shows data as they would have been collected in prior years. Architecture is reported as a separate field of engineering in 2007new; data were reported under civil engineering in 2007old and previous years. See appendix A in https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf10307/ for more detail.
c Master's-granting institutions were not surveyed in 1978; totals represent estimates based on 1977 and 1979 data.
d 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. For more information, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16314.
NOTES: Sum of the broad fields may not add to total because of rounding. Master's and doctoral students were not reported separately until 2017.
SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.