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Table 5. Higher education R&D expenditures, by R&D field: FYs 2006–15

(Dollars in thousands)

Field 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
All R&D fieldsa 49,645,341 51,590,017 54,113,750 57,288,415 61,253,743 65,274,305 65,729,006 67,013,137 67,199,635 68,667,801
Science 40,663,615 41,977,651 43,914,300 46,214,473 49,032,201 51,955,662 51,914,451 52,621,088 52,795,079 53,973,580
Computer sciences 1,443,055 1,430,660 1,471,454 1,600,447 1,639,054 1,742,485 1,822,318 2,068,518 1,927,125 1,963,572
Environmental sciences 2,601,097 2,681,473 2,798,750 2,923,404 2,991,852 3,153,192 3,172,919 3,195,421 3,230,001 3,249,068
Atmospheric sciences 507,583 446,184 423,055 416,826 429,354 481,275 476,729 493,460 501,667 576,460
Earth sciences 897,499 910,886 950,631 1,019,429 1,085,000 1,142,653 1,168,946 1,163,784 1,159,665 1,110,057
Oceanography 839,504 992,484 1,051,136 1,077,634 1,021,856 1,049,629 1,025,396 1,051,383 1,072,122 1,051,652
Environmental sciences, nec 356,511 331,919 373,928 409,515 455,642 479,635 501,848 486,794 496,547 510,899
Life sciences 28,803,658 29,805,328 31,192,916 32,778,944 34,948,346 37,337,511 37,200,134 37,565,750 37,961,141 38,820,016
Agricultural sciences 2,796,961 2,913,260 2,995,518 3,055,512 2,986,456 3,116,839 3,300,097 3,352,448 3,389,720 3,464,738
Biological sciences 9,049,032 9,207,593 9,760,099 10,146,059 10,935,508 11,855,494 11,611,633 11,681,425 11,705,921 11,710,677
Medical sciences 15,805,806 16,553,616 17,254,161 18,229,453 19,267,742 20,398,355 20,330,412 20,454,601 20,710,816 21,347,494
Life sciences, nec 1,151,859 1,130,859 1,183,138 1,347,920 1,758,640 1,966,823 1,957,992 2,077,276 2,154,684 2,297,107
Mathematical sciences 532,832 573,070 619,854 546,915 594,244 640,460 674,445 670,802 657,901 641,712
Physical sciences 3,813,770 3,863,269 3,931,833 4,282,795 4,622,928 4,768,923 4,709,976 4,646,802 4,616,558 4,711,297
Astronomy 469,955 467,604 539,112 578,406 573,229 583,843 706,544 558,781 567,025 672,838
Chemistry 1,414,311 1,460,415 1,486,721 1,582,562 1,750,222 1,783,553 1,748,881 1,703,959 1,723,824 1,758,127
Physics 1,611,248 1,615,766 1,606,997 1,869,890 1,998,131 2,108,520 1,985,828 2,097,064 2,056,085 2,052,860
Physical sciences, nec 318,256 319,484 299,003 251,937 301,346 293,007 268,723 286,998 269,624 227,472
Psychology 875,641 872,547 925,069 972,319 1,078,311 1,159,199 1,179,288 1,128,267 1,141,626 1,184,016
Social sciences 1,706,003 1,803,115 1,949,741 2,080,953 1,996,863 2,063,056 2,053,639 2,173,148 2,215,748 2,321,892
Economics 339,800 349,313 398,730 379,720 350,086 387,069 383,405 408,162 430,236 461,574
Political science 317,044 348,310 339,294 368,887 374,503 370,705 390,058 427,524 427,014 460,196
Sociology 399,697 397,748 403,226 408,444 420,284 433,499 461,011 482,294 505,377 524,867
Social sciences, nec 649,462 707,744 808,491 923,902 851,990 871,783 819,165 855,168 853,121 875,255
Sciences, nec 887,559 948,189 1,024,683 1,028,696 1,160,603 1,090,836 1,101,732 1,172,380 1,044,979 1,082,007
Engineering 7,095,085 7,517,262 7,957,504 8,648,525 9,324,604 10,032,588 10,284,113 10,733,856 10,976,410 11,070,258
Aeronautical and astronautical engineering 385,254 471,097 537,251 613,828 635,234 667,757 662,444 689,553 662,420 734,144
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 477,119 539,137 601,908 648,099 744,124 817,389 871,918 884,360 951,723 1,003,803
Chemical engineering 560,005 598,944 655,603 695,842 821,040 913,904 903,613 910,412 907,028 914,713
Civil engineering 858,346 862,260 924,620 980,451 1,106,723 1,208,592 1,232,944 1,296,971 1,256,865 1,288,098
Electrical engineering 1,615,996 1,636,983 1,704,953 1,844,482 2,049,832 2,206,893 2,311,666 2,408,824 2,479,754 2,493,901
Mechanical engineering 1,048,506 1,126,726 1,162,428 1,243,910 1,458,707 1,556,893 1,550,151 1,647,643 1,504,646 1,515,893
Metallurgical and materials engineering 643,244 632,941 646,523 688,225 703,914 738,892 757,967 812,240 1,203,035 1,096,021
Engineering, nec 1,506,615 1,649,174 1,724,218 1,933,688 1,805,030 1,922,268 1,993,410 2,083,853 2,010,939 2,023,685
Non-S&Ea 1,886,641 2,095,104 2,241,946 2,425,417 2,896,938 3,286,055 3,530,442 3,658,193 3,428,146 3,623,963
Business and management 247,335 276,280 329,931 343,916 368,461 400,324 443,084 476,106 483,025 571,483
Communications, journalism, and library science 84,784 90,832 89,203 107,484 129,906 153,727 159,930 148,901 166,860 168,496
Education 819,004 905,247 868,830 915,976 994,073 1,120,698 1,233,956 1,221,460 1,245,353 1,292,225
Humanities 217,263 241,683 246,713 255,289 262,678 313,004 339,632 386,754 402,125 430,284
Law 69,387 74,809 90,907 107,966 98,064 124,763 131,529 173,479 148,771 174,524
Social work 89,993 93,540 123,984 138,283 177,329 194,656 199,308 212,331 226,048 215,652
Visual and performing arts 46,100 46,155 59,285 72,867 66,419 77,344 84,612 87,767 95,817 100,716
Non-S&E, nec 312,774 366,448 432,965 483,636 800,008 901,539 938,391 951,395 660,147 670,583
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.