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Table 7. Nonfederally financed 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 18,736,599 20,349,436 22,012,891 23,845,845 23,778,509 24,508,418 25,588,929 27,569,563 29,238,643 30,790,922
Science 14,839,829 16,003,317 17,367,500 18,673,331 18,242,750 18,584,798 19,419,474 20,858,489 22,393,276 23,624,344
Computer sciences 424,572 404,851 435,018 493,568 463,711 448,205 461,888 516,217 537,242 542,944
Environmental sciences 833,101 873,884 970,834 1,032,987 978,098 971,986 969,520 1,100,731 1,179,489 1,182,038
Atmospheric sciences 100,977 91,684 85,335 94,587 90,667 97,535 87,634 95,840 112,276 120,899
Earth sciences 305,785 309,560 347,460 374,356 349,906 342,747 350,161 396,014 418,974 413,734
Oceanography 278,514 320,774 365,030 365,876 354,926 343,777 351,508 389,164 408,852 403,158
Environmental sciences, nec 147,825 151,866 173,009 198,168 182,599 187,927 180,217 219,713 239,387 244,247
Life sciences 10,523,827 11,478,799 12,533,706 13,456,150 13,248,070 13,676,038 14,448,435 15,340,577 16,691,401 17,632,955
Agricultural sciences 1,913,578 2,016,151 2,133,075 2,192,134 2,029,712 2,075,262 2,163,513 2,243,136 2,306,317 2,375,833
Biological sciences 2,802,240 3,018,885 3,398,797 3,524,454 3,357,133 3,642,672 3,870,913 4,077,022 4,467,939 4,603,539
Medical sciences 5,367,676 5,990,490 6,505,457 7,171,918 7,199,145 7,213,813 7,648,935 8,167,221 8,968,163 9,598,242
Life sciences, nec 440,333 453,273 496,377 567,644 662,080 744,291 765,074 853,198 948,982 1,055,341
Mathematical sciences 157,901 164,462 172,455 178,185 176,469 181,494 183,911 206,209 216,495 216,821
Physical sciences 1,113,616 1,174,390 1,188,880 1,319,680 1,238,653 1,241,583 1,235,390 1,335,765 1,460,458 1,595,064
Astronomy 152,532 162,059 186,001 190,501 167,275 174,884 171,364 158,341 186,141 269,813
Chemistry 446,177 484,692 494,446 545,130 550,102 539,845 535,386 569,014 643,525 663,019
Physics 395,731 396,045 391,733 509,085 440,710 448,053 453,216 529,127 546,157 585,173
Physical sciences, nec 119,176 131,594 116,700 74,964 80,566 78,801 75,424 79,283 84,635 77,059
Psychology 246,388 269,124 290,212 316,123 319,791 323,751 319,788 351,865 390,691 420,839
Social sciences 993,375 1,040,415 1,133,696 1,226,214 1,096,095 1,116,108 1,137,885 1,275,652 1,295,900 1,402,219
Economics 219,484 224,913 271,045 258,178 222,412 238,465 239,073 271,034 291,239 310,348
Political science 210,053 213,499 214,324 231,605 221,961 222,079 248,793 284,149 281,279 323,621
Sociology 183,248 190,867 200,607 206,570 193,822 200,665 213,272 244,815 253,435 262,471
Social sciences, nec 380,590 411,136 447,720 529,861 457,900 454,899 436,747 475,654 469,947 505,779
Sciences, nec 547,049 597,392 642,699 650,424 721,863 625,633 662,657 731,473 621,600 631,464
Engineering 2,787,292 3,061,420 3,232,661 3,613,527 3,605,972 3,757,221 3,841,240 4,234,478 4,553,024 4,614,411
Aeronautical and astronautical engineering 97,676 130,995 137,873 182,439 168,243 163,221 160,722 176,419 187,807 218,064
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 182,289 218,329 237,764 262,563 273,912 301,959 319,476 327,838 344,771 397,409
Chemical engineering 240,012 276,620 314,560 336,116 399,771 422,986 398,860 431,870 435,514 451,984
Civil engineering 523,691 506,663 539,287 580,171 645,843 663,600 662,641 718,581 678,907 717,312
Electrical engineering 539,312 571,924 593,766 644,353 676,521 695,435 709,749 766,053 737,437 721,448
Mechanical engineering 362,790 430,765 425,208 443,007 505,463 524,252 514,600 586,373 557,757 558,101
Metallurgical and materials engineering 257,097 255,310 269,644 298,970 274,502 283,170 295,721 346,583 708,660 599,572
Engineering, nec 584,425 670,814 714,559 865,908 661,717 702,598 779,471 880,761 902,171 950,521
Non-S&Ea 1,109,478 1,284,699 1,412,730 1,558,987 1,929,787 2,166,399 2,328,215 2,476,596 2,292,343 2,552,167
Business and management 194,766 221,668 264,613 276,460 282,021 300,663 346,425 380,879 405,750 501,547
Communications, journalism, and library science 54,869 59,834 60,551 77,875 88,567 100,461 106,593 97,841 112,523 126,021
Education 382,580 432,043 419,977 441,405 458,329 488,581 544,896 554,874 582,553 649,426
Humanities 161,047 181,612 190,623 195,041 205,168 251,584 271,940 309,950 327,010 370,253
Law 41,126 45,219 62,431 84,760 78,726 97,375 106,954 150,957 124,979 150,080
Social work 49,308 52,883 64,821 76,384 82,907 88,995 89,949 100,638 116,873 113,725
Visual and performing arts 42,496 42,143 55,563 68,674 61,576 70,823 74,177 80,728 86,761 92,107
Non-S&E, nec 183,285 249,187 294,023 338,388 672,493 767,917 787,281 800,729 535,894 549,008
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.