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NCSES HERD FY2012 DST 10 SAS Output Newer information icon. Newer information is available.
Table 10. Higher education R&D expenditures, by R&D field: FYs 2003–12
(Dollars in thousands)

Field 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
All R&D Fieldsa 41,470,419 44,838,918 47,535,201 49,645,341 51,590,017 54,113,750 57,288,415 61,257,398 65,274,235 65,774,524
    Science 34,083,432 36,923,372 39,030,577 40,663,615 41,977,651 43,914,300 46,214,473 49,031,326 51,952,691 51,963,778
        Computer sciences 1,303,446 1,403,957 1,404,105 1,443,055 1,430,660 1,471,454 1,600,447 1,637,931 1,740,416 1,821,482
        Environmental sciences 2,194,060 2,353,383 2,554,468 2,601,097 2,681,473 2,798,750 2,923,404 2,991,911 3,159,158 3,172,613
            Atmospheric sciences 396,134 414,583 460,020 507,583 446,184 423,055 416,826 429,355 480,762 476,210
            Earth sciences 723,517 827,988 919,718 897,499 910,886 950,631 1,019,429 1,085,000 1,139,823 1,166,960
            Oceanography 769,831 778,841 812,061 839,504 992,484 1,051,136 1,077,634 1,021,961 1,049,765 1,021,715
            Environmental sciences, nec 304,578 331,971 362,669 356,511 331,919 373,928 409,515 455,595 488,808 507,728
        Life sciences 23,756,233 25,948,910 27,604,138 28,803,658 29,805,328 31,192,916 32,778,944 34,949,394 37,319,252 37,215,163
            Agricultural sciences 2,555,147 2,695,390 2,656,770 2,796,961 2,913,260 2,995,518 3,055,512 2,986,458 3,112,273 3,296,327
            Biological sciences 7,383,636 8,152,337 8,843,679 9,049,032 9,207,593 9,760,099 10,146,059 10,934,309 11,841,831 11,595,919
            Medical sciences 12,779,281 14,036,843 14,877,626 15,805,806 16,553,616 17,254,161 18,229,453 19,270,320 20,401,120 20,357,802
            Life sciences, nec 1,038,169 1,064,340 1,226,063 1,151,859 1,130,859 1,183,138 1,347,920 1,758,307 1,964,028 1,965,115
        Mathematical sciences 427,858 448,466 494,282 532,832 573,070 619,854 546,915 594,254 640,393 674,932
        Physical sciences 3,275,307 3,546,916 3,702,783 3,813,770 3,863,269 3,931,833 4,282,795 4,621,945 4,780,886 4,721,131
            Astronomy 392,120 420,391 454,354 469,955 467,604 539,112 578,406 572,517 583,124 706,133
            Chemistry 1,225,546 1,318,137 1,371,984 1,414,311 1,460,415 1,486,721 1,582,562 1,749,897 1,784,092 1,750,048
            Physics 1,417,536 1,522,056 1,596,290 1,611,248 1,615,766 1,606,997 1,869,890 1,998,184 2,120,737 1,996,446
            Physical sciences, nec 240,105 286,332 280,155 318,256 319,484 299,003 251,937 301,347 292,933 268,504
        Psychology 769,233 782,464 825,009 875,641 872,547 925,069 972,319 1,078,419 1,156,794 1,187,582
        Social sciences 1,673,865 1,674,842 1,684,610 1,706,003 1,803,115 1,949,741 2,080,953 1,996,708 2,063,212 2,055,807
            Economics 313,452 317,210 324,685 339,800 349,313 398,730 379,720 349,862 387,246 383,224
            Political sciences 303,799 307,351 323,053 317,044 348,310 339,294 368,887 374,444 371,860 391,714
            Sociology 368,054 355,145 370,468 399,697 397,748 403,226 408,444 420,271 432,786 459,757
            Social sciences, nec 688,560 695,136 666,404 649,462 707,744 808,491 923,902 852,131 871,320 821,112
        Sciences, nec 683,430 764,434 761,182 887,559 948,189 1,024,683 1,028,696 1,160,764 1,092,580 1,115,068
    Engineering 5,993,939 6,314,421 6,743,373 7,095,085 7,517,262 7,957,504 8,648,525 9,328,730 10,043,544 10,302,305
        Aeronautical and astronautical engineering 405,666 436,567 445,170 385,254 471,097 537,251 613,828 635,234 667,763 662,221
        Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 313,085 370,149 419,625 477,119 539,137 601,908 648,099 744,124 818,335 878,633
        Chemical engineering 453,203 492,836 505,975 560,005 598,944 655,603 695,842 820,941 918,273 908,969
        Civil engineering 775,470 788,877 787,548 858,346 862,260 924,620 980,451 1,106,954 1,210,306 1,234,326
        Electrical engineering 1,400,413 1,437,893 1,581,700 1,615,996 1,636,983 1,704,953 1,844,482 2,053,479 2,209,772 2,314,842
        Mechanical engineering 820,290 874,933 935,302 1,048,506 1,126,726 1,162,428 1,243,910 1,460,936 1,557,472 1,550,936
        Metallurgical and materials engineering 548,254 565,367 612,016 643,244 632,941 646,523 688,225 703,915 738,049 756,843
        Engineering, nec 1,277,558 1,347,799 1,456,037 1,506,615 1,649,174 1,724,218 1,933,688 1,803,147 1,923,574 1,995,535
    Non-S&Ea 1,393,048 1,601,125 1,761,251 1,886,641 2,095,104 2,241,946 2,425,417 2,897,342 3,278,000 3,508,441
        Business and management 170,271 216,807 220,187 247,335 276,280 329,931 343,916 368,242 399,780 441,705
        Communications, journalism, and library science 55,603 73,732 75,582 84,784 90,832 89,203 107,484 129,891 153,079 159,436
        Education 604,989 711,323 766,416 819,004 905,247 868,830 915,976 994,518 1,115,002 1,229,101
        Humanities 138,080 168,541 192,309 217,263 241,683 246,713 255,289 262,769 312,503 340,628
        Law 42,774 52,671 63,118 69,387 74,809 90,907 107,966 98,122 125,474 131,662
        Social work 55,884 74,557 87,344 89,993 93,540 123,984 138,283 177,376 194,153 199,097
        Visual and performing arts 39,155 37,750 42,135 46,100 46,155 59,285 72,867 66,465 77,478 85,037
        Non-S&E, nec 244,550 242,336 314,019 312,774 366,448 432,965 483,636 799,959 900,531 921,775

nec = not elsewhere classified; S&E = science and engineering.
a Prior to FY 2010, some institution totals for all fields of R&D expenditures may be lower-bound estimates because the National Science Foundation did not attempt to estimate for nonresponse on non-S&E R&D expenditures item prior to FY 2010.
NOTE: Non-S&E detailed field data may not sum to total non-S&E R&D expenditures because some institutions reporting non-S&E R&D expenditures did not break out total and federal funds by non-S&E fields.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education Research and Development Survey.
Data from survey cycle FY 2012, as of 30 October 2013.