The number of research doctorates awarded by U.S. colleges and universities reached an all-time high last year. According to the latest Survey of Earned Doctorates, 57,862 research doctoral degrees were conferred in academic year 2023 (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023), the most recent year for which relatively complete data are available.
In 2022, the total number of awarded research doctoral degrees was 57,448. The year-over-year increase was considerably smaller this year than last, when the number of doctorates increased by 5,288 after a pandemic-related decline of 3,043 in 2021. Across all the years the survey has been conducted, annual increases in earned doctorates have averaged about 3%.
Once again, the number of research doctorates awarded in science and engineering (S&E) fields (45,533 ) exceeded the number of non-S&E doctorates (12,329), a gap that’s become larger over time. Between 2003 and 2023, the number of S&E doctorate recipients increased by 70%, while the number of non-S&E doctorate recipients decreased by 12%. As a result, the share of S&E doctorates among all doctorates has grown from 66% in 2003 to 79% in 2023.
The SED is an annual census of individuals earning a research doctorate from an accredited American institution in an academic year. It’s been conducted since 1957, under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics along with three other federal agencies (the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and National Endowment for the Humanities).
The survey collects data about recipients’ demographics, educational backgrounds, time to degree completion, sources of support, post-graduation career plans, and compensation as well as the fields of study in which research doctorates (primarily Ph.D.’s, and excluding professional doctorates like the J.D., M.D or D.D.S.) are awarded. The results are contained in a detailed report titled Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2023.
A snapshot of research doctorate recipients.
In academic year 2023:
- Women earned 47.5% of all research doctoral degrees; among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, women earned 53% of the doctorates;
- Women earned more than half of the doctorates in psychology, health sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, agricultural sciences and natural resources, social sciences, education, and other non-S&E fields.
- U.S. citizens and permanent residents accounted for 61.5% of research doctorates, while temporary visa holders made up 33.5% of the total. The citizenship status of 5% of the recipients was not known.
- The representation of racial and ethnic minorities in doctoral awards has increased over time. Between 2003 and 2023, the proportion of doctorates earned by white U.S. citizens and permanent residents has declined from 75% to 65.1%.
- In addition to white recipients, among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, Asians earned 12% of the research doctorates; Hispanics/Latinos 9.6%; Blacks/African Americans 6.1%; recipients of more than one race 3.9%; and American Indians/Alaska Natives .3%. Race/ethnicity was not reported by 2.9% of respondents.
- The median time to complete a research doctorate after earning a baccalaureate degree was 8.6 years, with science and engineering recipients completing in fewer years on average (8 years) than those in non-science and engineering fields (12.3 years). The median time to degree completion has been declining over time; in 1993, it stood at 10.7 years.
- In 2023, 54% of doctorate recipients said the timeline for completing their doctoral degree was delayed by the pandemic, similar to the 53% who reported a delay in 2022 but higher than the 39% who claimed one in 2021. Ten percent of doctorate recipients said funding for their doctoral studies had been reduced or suspended, a slight decrease from 2022, when 12% reported a reduction or delay.
Post-graduation plans
Among those doctoral recipients in science and engineering who responded to questions about their post-graduation employment, 74% said they had definite commitments for employment or a postdoctoral appointment. The proportions of those with employment or postdocs ranged from 68% in biological and biomedical sciences to 80% in psychology.
The proportion of non-S&E doctoral recipients who reported definite post-graduation employment commitments was 73%. Business had the highest proportion of definite commitments of all fields (86%). Humanities and arts had the lowest proportion among all fields (66%).
A shift away from academic jobs
The shift away from academic employment continues. In 2023, 34% of doctoral recipients with definite non-postdoc employment commitments in the U.S. reported that their principal job would be in academia, a sharp drop from 54% in 2003. The proportion of recipients who reported non-postdoc employment commitments in academia was highest in non-S&E fields (61%) and lowest in engineering (10%) and physical sciences (12%).
By contrast, the proportion of new recipients with non-postdoc employment commitments in industry or business in the United States was 47% in 2023, more than double what it was 20 years ago. Even among new graduates whose degree was in the humanities, more than a quarter said their first job would be in business or industry, the government or a nonprofit organization.
The top 20 universities and their number of awarded doctorates in 2023 were:
U. Michigan, 900
U. California, Berkeley, 834
Purdue U., 810
Texas A&M U., 806
Stanford U., 799
U. Texas, Austin, 767
U. Wisconsin-Madison, 761
U. California, Los Angeles, 749
Ohio State U,. 748
U. Florida, 745
U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 731
U. Minnesota, 726
Harvard U., 725
U. Washington, 710
Pennsylvania State U., 691
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 684
Walden U., 612
U. California, Davis, 609
Columbia U., 606
U. Maryland, College Park, 595