Doctoral Degrees on the Rise

The number of earned doctorates awarded by American Universities rose by 3.4% in 2004, the largest annual incrase since 1992. Over the last four decades the number of doctorates has grown by about 3.5% per year, but has remained flat or even dropped in recent years. The incrase in 2004 was the second consecutive increase, suggesting a trend. The rise in doctorates appears to be a function of international students. Nearly one third of doctoral reicipents in 2004 were non-US citizens holding temporary visas (up from 11% thirty years ago). The number of US citizens earning doctorates is on the decline and is currently at the 1974 level. These findings are from the annual Survey of Earned Doctorates, adminsitered by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The survey also assessed time to degree; the median time to degree was eight years although it varied by field. Those awareded doctorates in the physical sciences in 2004 took a median of 6.7 years while those who earned doctorates in education took 12.7 years.

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