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Table 3-2. Primary source of support for postdoctoral appointees in science, engineering, and health, by field: 2018

Broad field Total Federal Institutional Nonfederal domestic Foreign Self-support Unknown
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All surveyed fields 64,783 32,022 49.4 14,750 22.8 10,012 15.5 1,708 2.6 981 1.5 5,310 8.2
Science 37,564 19,422 51.7 8,427 22.4 5,518 14.7 900 2.4 361 1.0 2,936 7.8
Agricultural sciences 1,072 466 43.5 272 25.4 185 17.3 24 2.2 10 0.9 115 10.7
Biological and biomedical sciences 21,533 11,862 55.1 3,916 18.2 3,254 15.1 442 2.1 141 0.7 1,918 8.9
Computer and information sciences 879 419 47.7 228 25.9 127 14.4 28 3.2 13 1.5 64 7.3
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 1,726 901 52.2 393 22.8 259 15.0 73 4.2 35 2.0 65 3.8
Mathematics and statistics 982 307 31.3 491 50.0 74 7.5 28 2.9 3 0.3 79 8.0
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 980 447 45.6 323 33.0 95 9.7 27 2.8 15 1.5 73 7.4
Natural resources and conservation 764 338 44.2 232 30.4 125 16.4 12 1.6 17 2.2 40 5.2
Physical sciences 6,976 3,748 53.7 1,606 23.0 980 14.0 209 3.0 83 1.2 350 5.0
Psychology 1,145 586 51.2 296 25.9 131 11.4 24 2.1 26 2.3 82 7.2
Social sciences 1,507 348 23.1 670 44.5 288 19.1 33 2.2 18 1.2 150 10.0
Engineering 7,914 3,709 46.9 1,878 23.7 1,430 18.1 301 3.8 98 1.2 498 6.3
Health 19,305 8,891 46.1 4,445 23.0 3,064 15.9 507 2.6 522 2.7 1,876 9.7
Clinical medicinea 16,563 7,679 46.4 3,708 22.4 2,744 16.6 469 2.8 515 3.1 1,448 8.7
Other health 2,742 1,212 44.2 737 26.9 320 11.7 38 1.4 7 0.3 428 15.6
a Clinical medicine includes postdoctoral appointees in anesthesiology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology and cancer research, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, psychiatry, public health, pulmonary disease, radiology, surgery, and clinical medicine not elsewhere classified.
NOTES: "Field" refers to the field of the unit that reports postdoctoral appointees to the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. Percentages may not add to total because of rounding.
SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, 2018.