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nsf.gov - Table 5 - NCSES Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2010 - US National Science Foundation (NSF) SAS Output
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Table 5. U.S. scientists and engineers, by detailed field and level of highest degree: 2010
 

Field of highest degree               All degree levelsa Bachelor's Master's Doctorate
Number SE Number SE Number SE Number SE
All degree fields 26,882,000 166,000 15,436,000 142,000 7,878,000 70,500 1,297,000 15,500
S&E fields 14,479,000 108,000 10,498,000 93,000 2,978,000 40,000 979,000 8,000
Sciences 11,208,000 93,500 8,181,000 85,000 2,204,000 38,000 799,000 7,500
Biological/ agricultural/ environmental life sciences 2,256,000 37,500 1,643,000 34,000 334,000 16,000 280,000 5,000
Agricultural/ food sciences 356,000 21,000 283,000 18,500 49,000 8,500 24,000 1,500
Animal sciences 121,000 11,500 112,000 11,000 4,000 1,500 5,000 500
Food sciences/ technology 50,000 7,000 37,000 6,500 9,000 2,000 4,000 500
Plant sciences 112,000 10,500 82,000 9,000 19,000 6,000 10,000 1,000
Other agricultural sciences 73,000 11,500 52,000 9,500 16,000 6,000 5,000 1,000
Biological sciences 1,693,000 30,500 1,203,000 28,000 243,000 12,000 246,000 5,000
Biochemistry/ biophysics 145,000 8,000 77,000 6,500 19,000 3,500 49,000 2,500
Biology, general 800,000 26,500 726,000 25,000 61,000 5,500 12,000 2,500
Botany 33,000 4,000 18,000 3,500 7,000 2,000 8,000 1,000
Cell/ molecular biology 85,000 5,500 35,000 4,500 13,000 2,000 37,000 2,500
Ecology 81,000 7,000 44,000 6,000 26,000 4,000 11,000 1,500
Genetics, animal/ plant 24,000 3,000 7,000 2,500 5,000 1,500 12,000 1,000
Microbiological sciences/ immunology 124,000 8,500 72,000 7,000 29,000 4,000 23,000 1,500
Nutritional science 79,000 9,000 56,000 8,500 19,000 3,000 3,000 500
Pharmacology, human/ animal 28,000 4,500 9,000 3,500 5,000 2,000 14,000 2,500
Physiology/ pathology/ human/ animal 71,000 8,000 33,000 6,500 19,000 4,500 19,000 1,500
Zoology, General 93,000 8,500 67,000 8,000 12,000 2,500 14,000 1,000
Other biological sciences 131,000 8,000 58,000 6,000 28,000 5,000 44,000 2,000
Environmental life sciences 207,000 12,000 156,000 10,500 42,000 6,500 9,000 1,000
Environmental science studies 132,000 9,500 102,000 9,000 25,000 3,500 5,000 500
Forestry sciences 75,000 8,000 54,000 5,500 16,000 5,500 5,000 500
Computer/ mathematical sciences 2,292,000 45,500 1,559,000 36,000 655,000 24,500 78,000 4,000
Computer/ information sciences 1,607,000 40,500 1,079,000 30,500 496,000 24,000 32,000 3,500
Computer/ information sciences 335,000 20,500 213,000 15,500 97,000 11,000 24,000 3,500
Computer science 850,000 25,000 587,000 20,000 256,000 16,000 7,000 1,500
Computer systems analysis 37,000 4,500 23,000 3,500 14,000 3,000 D D
Information services/ systems 293,000 21,500 197,000 15,500 95,000 13,500 D D
Other computer/ information sciences 93,000 11,500 59,000 9,500 33,000 7,000 1,000 500
Mathematics/ statistics 685,000 22,500 480,000 20,000 159,000 10,000 46,000 1,500
Applied mathematics 87,000 7,500 61,000 6,500 18,000 2,500 8,000 1,000
Mathematics, general 460,000 19,500 373,000 17,500 80,000 8,000 7,000 1,000
Operations research 46,000 6,000 9,000 2,000 33,000 6,000 4,000 500
Statistics 58,000 5,500 26,000 5,500 22,000 2,500 10,000 1,000
Other mathematics 33,000 3,000 10,000 2,500 6,000 2,000 17,000 1,000
Physical/ related sciences 887,000 20,500 523,000 16,500 171,000 8,500 193,000 3,500
Chemistry, except biochemistry 429,000 14,000 259,000 11,500 69,000 6,500 100,000 3,000
Earth/ atmospheric/ ocean sciences 216,000 12,500 134,000 11,000 57,000 4,500 24,000 1,000
Atmospheric sciences/ meteorology 30,000 6,000 19,000 6,000 6,000 1,500 4,000 500
Earth sciences 36,000 7,000 27,000 6,500 7,000 2,000 1,000 500
Geology 113,000 8,000 76,000 7,000 29,000 3,000 8,000 1,000
Other geological science 25,000 3,000 9,000 2,000 9,000 2,000 8,000 1,000
Oceanography 12,000 2,000 3,000 1,000 6,000 2,000 3,000 500
Physics/ astronomy 206,000 7,500 100,000 6,500 40,000 4,000 66,000 2,000
Astronomy/ astrophysics 15,000 2,500 5,000 2,000 3,000 1,000 8,000 1,000
Physics 190,000 7,500 95,000 6,500 37,000 4,000 58,000 2,000
Other physical sciences 37,000 4,500 30,000 4,500 4,000 1,500 4,000 1,000
Social/ related sciences 5,773,000 67,500 4,456,000 64,000 1,044,000 27,500 248,000 3,000
Economics 899,000 31,500 745,000 30,500 122,000 12,500 32,000 1,500
Agricultural economics 84,000 9,000 67,000 8,500 14,000 3,500 4,000 500
Economics 815,000 30,000 678,000 29,500 108,000 12,500 29,000 1,500
Political/ related sciences 935,000 27,000 747,000 24,500 161,000 13,000 27,000 1,000
Public policy studies 49,000 4,500 11,000 3,000 35,000 3,500 4,000 500
International relations 166,000 14,500 99,000 9,500 64,000 11,000 3,000 1,000
Political science/ government 720,000 24,000 637,000 23,000 63,000 6,000 20,000 1,000
Psychology 2,236,000 45,000 1,552,000 40,500 533,000 18,500 127,000 2,000
Educational psychology 157,000 15,500 66,000 10,000 85,000 11,000 6,000 500
Clinical psychology 195,000 11,500 70,000 9,500 62,000 6,500 45,000 1,500
Counseling psychology 331,000 14,500 81,000 9,000 233,000 11,500 15,000 1,000
Experimental psychology 57,000 7,000 39,000 6,500 7,000 2,000 10,000 1,000
Psychology, general 1,165,000 33,000 1,100,000 32,000 55,000 7,000 8,000 1,000
Industrial/ organizational psychology 71,000 8,500 35,000 6,500 31,000 5,500 4,000 500
Social psychology 95,000 11,500 75,000 10,500 11,000 5,000 9,000 1,500
Other psychology 164,000 11,000 85,000 10,500 49,000 4,500 29,000 1,000
Sociology/ anthropology 1,029,000 29,500 915,000 28,500 79,000 9,500 36,000 1,500
Anthropology/ archeology 177,000 12,500 137,000 12,500 24,000 4,500 16,000 1,500
Criminology 86,000 9,500 78,000 9,000 7,000 2,000 1,000 500
Sociology 766,000 27,000 699,000 25,500 48,000 8,500 19,000 1,000
Other social sciences 674,000 27,500 498,000 23,500 150,000 13,500 26,000 1,500
Area/ ethnic studies 125,000 11,000 98,000 11,000 25,000 3,500 3,000 1,000
Linguistics 80,000 13,000 45,000 10,500 27,000 6,500 8,000 1,500
Philosophy of science 25,000 7,000 19,000 6,500 S S D D
Geography 144,000 10,000 110,000 9,500 28,000 4,000 6,000 1,000
History of science 17,000 4,500 12,000 4,000 4,000 1,500 1,000 500
Other social sciences 283,000 18,500 214,000 16,500 61,000 10,000 8,000 1,000
Engineering 3,271,000 48,000 2,317,000 41,500 774,000 15,000 180,000 3,500
Aerospace/ related engineering 130,000 12,500 92,000 12,000 30,000 3,500 7,000 1,000
Chemical engineering 228,000 12,500 172,000 12,000 34,000 3,500 23,000 1,500
Civil/ architectural engineering 481,000 16,000 362,000 15,000 105,000 5,000 14,000 1,000
Architectural engineering 38,000 8,000 33,000 8,000 6,000 1,500 D D
Civil engineering 443,000 13,000 330,000 12,500 99,000 5,000 14,000 1,000
Electrical/ computer engineering 1,078,000 24,000 738,000 21,000 288,000 10,500 52,000 2,000
Computer/ systems engineering 236,000 12,500 142,000 11,000 86,000 6,500 8,000 1,000
Other Electrical/ related engineering 842,000 20,000 596,000 18,500 202,000 8,000 44,000 1,500
Industrial engineering 213,000 12,000 153,000 11,000 53,000 5,000 7,000 1,500
Mechanical engineering 668,000 17,000 523,000 16,000 122,000 7,500 23,000 1,500
Other engineering 474,000 18,500 277,000 17,500 143,000 7,000 54,000 2,500
Agricultural engineering 45,000 12,000 39,000 12,000 3,000 1,500 3,000 500
Bioengineering/ biomedical engineering 43,000 3,500 20,000 2,500 13,000 2,000 9,000 1,000
Engineering sciences, mechanics/ physics 49,000 4,500 28,000 3,500 13,000 2,500 8,000 1,500
Environmental engineering 50,000 4,500 18,000 3,000 30,000 3,500 3,000 500
Engineering, general 48,000 4,500 33,000 3,500 14,000 3,000 1,000 500
Geophysical/ geological engineering 10,000 2,000 4,000 1,500 5,000 1,500 D D
Materials engineering, including ceramic/ textile sciences 52,000 5,500 25,000 5,000 13,000 2,500 14,000 1,000
Metallurgical engineering 21,000 3,000 14,000 3,000 4,000 1,500 3,000 500
Mining/ minerals engineering 10,000 2,000 8,000 2,000 2,000 1,000 1,000 500
Naval architecture/ marine engineering 19,000 3,000 17,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 D D
Nuclear engineering 17,000 3,500 8,000 3,000 6,000 1,500 3,000 500
Petroleum engineering 22,000 3,500 17,000 3,000 4,000 1,500 * *
Other engineering 87,000 9,500 47,000 9,000 33,000 3,000 7,000 1,500
S&E-related fields 6,385,000 74,000 3,392,000 67,500 1,498,000 31,000 107,000 8,500
Health 4,942,000 57,500 2,433,000 51,500 1,036,000 22,500 85,000 7,500
Audiology/ speech pathology 217,000 11,500 54,000 6,000 151,000 9,500 7,000 2,000
Health services administration 225,000 13,000 97,000 9,000 126,000 10,000 1,000 500
Health/ medical assistants 60,000 9,000 33,000 5,500 27,000 7,000 D D
Health/ medical technologies 176,000 14,000 161,000 12,500 8,000 2,000 S S
Medical preparatory programs 29,000 5,000 26,000 4,500 2,000 1,500 D D
Medicine 1,381,000 35,000 84,000 15,000 26,000 5,000 21,000 4,500
Nursing 1,593,000 39,500 1,291,000 36,500 292,000 13,500 10,000 1,000
Pharmacy 325,000 17,000 191,000 14,500 13,000 2,500 5,000 1,000
Physical therapy/ other rehabilitation/ therapeutic services 424,000 19,000 250,000 17,500 153,000 8,500 7,000 2,500
Public health 185,000 11,500 59,000 6,000 113,000 9,000 13,000 1,000
Other health/ medical sciences 327,000 19,500 187,000 17,500 124,000 11,500 13,000 2,000
Science/ mathematics teacher education 510,000 28,000 257,000 22,000 241,000 20,500 11,000 2,000
Computer teacher education 36,000 5,500 S S 30,000 4,000 D D
Mathematics teacher education 184,000 18,500 99,000 14,500 80,000 13,000 5,000 1,500
Science teacher education 172,000 18,500 74,000 11,500 95,000 14,500 4,000 1,500
Social science teacher education 117,000 14,000 79,000 12,500 36,000 5,500 2,000 1,000
Technology/ technical fields 518,000 31,000 435,000 29,500 78,000 9,500 5,000 1,500
Computer programming 100,000 10,000 80,000 9,500 20,000 4,500 D D
Data processing S S S S S S D D
Electrical/ electronics technologies 87,000 9,000 77,000 8,500 10,000 3,000 S S
Industrial production technologies 139,000 17,500 119,000 16,000 19,000 7,000 D D
Mechanical engineering-related technologies 57,000 9,000 51,000 8,500 6,000 2,000 D D
Other engineering-related technologies 116,000 11,500 91,000 11,000 22,000 3,500 2,000 1,000
Other S&E-related fields 416,000 22,000 266,000 19,000 143,000 10,500 6,000 2,000
Architecture/ environmental design 380,000 17,500 235,000 13,500 139,000 10,500 6,000 2,000
Actuarial science 36,000 13,000 32,000 13,000 4,000 2,000 D D
Non-S&E fields 6,018,000 108,500 1,546,000 82,500 3,402,000 57,500 210,000 12,000
Art/ humanities fields 587,000 50,500 395,000 49,000 167,000 15,000 25,000 5,500
Education, except science/ math teacher education 1,374,000 49,000 222,000 30,500 1,066,000 41,500 86,000 6,000
Management/ administration 1,978,000 64,500 590,000 47,000 1,362,000 36,000 26,000 4,500
Sales/ marketing 163,000 16,500 63,000 14,000 97,000 10,000 3,000 1,000
Social service/ related 444,000 20,500 40,000 8,500 356,000 17,500 40,000 8,500
Other non-S&E fields 1,473,000 50,000 236,000 31,000 354,000 22,500 30,000 4,500

Data codes used in these tables: * = value < 500. D = suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information. S = suppressed for reliability; coefficient of variation exceeds publication standards.
Abbreviations used in these tables: S&E = science and engineering; SE = standard error.
a Total includes professional degrees not broken out separately.
NOTES: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000. Standard errors for numbers are rounded up to the nearest 500. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. Scientists and engineers are bachelor's and higher degreed individuals living in the United States with an S&E or S&E-related degree or occupation. See appendix for additional details on coverage, eligibility, educational field classification, and occupational classification.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT): 2010.
Data from survey cycle 2010, as of 22 September 2014.