Data

American U.

Total R&D expenditures, by field: 2024–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  All R&D fields   78,356   76,041   67,616   65,912   71,839   71,053   61,741   56,034   57,064   58,325
    Science   28,313   35,861   31,685   29,508   37,505   39,531   31,906   26,551   28,170   25,350
      Computer and information sciences   315   733   753   649   672   2,122   0   0   0   0
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences   4,294   1,082   1,091   1,035   642   482   511   396   436   542
        Atmospheric science and meteorology   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Geological and earth sciences   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec   4,294   1,082   1,091   1,035   642   482   511   396   436   542
      Life sciences   1,173   1,584   1,117   1,148   1,886   1,854   1,703   2,314   2,645   2,109
        Agricultural sciences   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Biological and biomedical sciences   1,057   979   661   719   1,235   1,225   1,168   1,617   1,895   1,416
        Health sciences   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Natural resources and conservation   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Life sciences nec   116   605   456   429   651   629   535   697   750   693
      Mathematics and statistics   376   1,501   1,615   1,538   1,559   1,319   1,618   1,741   1,890   1,396
      Physical sciences   4,981   4,853   4,351   4,404   4,714   5,167   3,545   2,504   1,809   1,945
        Astronomy and astrophysics   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Chemistry   439   1,143   983   790   847   1,864   1,300   651   599   528
        Materials science   1,120   619   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Physics   3,422   3,091   3,368   3,614   3,867   3,303   2,245   1,853   1,210   1,417
        Physical sciences nec   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Psychology   1,222   1,266   1,109   1,063   2,248   2,564   3,026   2,474   2,821   2,582
      Social sciences   11,061   18,962   17,191   16,428   20,632   20,802   16,040   12,757   13,273   10,674
        Anthropology   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
        Economics   999   2,385   2,440   2,410   2,433   3,584   2,310   2,018   1,950   2,361
        Political science and government   5,530   8,928   7,506   6,730   7,219   6,775   6,640   6,383   7,066   3,813
        Sociology, demography, and population studies   689   698   960   1,188   3,346   2,792   602   466   355   858
        Social sciences nec   3,843   6,951   6,285   6,100   7,634   7,651   6,488   3,890   3,902   3,642
      Sciences nec   4,891   5,880   4,458   3,243   5,152   5,221   5,463   4,365   5,296   6,102
    Engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Chemical engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Civil engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Mechanical engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Metallurgical and materials engineering   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Engineering nec   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
    Non-S&E   50,043   40,180   35,931   36,404   34,334   31,522   29,835   29,483   28,894   32,975
      Business management and business administration   961   6,441   6,169   5,834   5,403   5,368   5,228   4,704   4,740   4,880
      Communication and communications technologies   2,428   4,990   5,816   6,415   6,801   6,848   4,353   4,493   3,180   3,322
      Education   3,060   3,826   2,473   1,637   1,130   0   0   0   0   0
      Humanities   76   2,498   2,742   2,573   2,955   2,613   0   0   0   0
      Law   6,333   10,116   10,783   11,579   12,393   12,152   13,258   11,350   12,363   13,537
      Social work   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Visual and performing arts   44   689   707   748   798   921   0   0   0   0
      Non-S&E nec   37,141   11,620   7,241   7,618   4,854   3,620   6,996   8,936   8,611   11,236

NOTES:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

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