| Field of study | 1999 | 2009 | Change |
| Agricultural sciences | 1,065 | 1,166 | +9.5% |
| Biological sciences | 5,581 | 8,026 | +43.8% |
| Biochemistry | 759 | 859 | +13.2% |
| Molecular biology | 716 | 763 | +6.6% |
| Neurosciences | 431 | 979 | +127.1% |
| Other biological sciences | 3,675 | 5,425 | +47.6% |
| Computer sciences | 856 | 1,611 | +88.2% |
| Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences | 706 | 877 | +24.2% |
| Mathematics | 1,083 | 1,554 | +43.5% |
| Physical sciences | 3,579* | 4,289 | +19.8% |
| Chemistry | 2,132 | 2,398 | +12.5% |
| Physics and astronomy | 1,430 | 1,891 | +32.2% |
| Psychology | 3,668 | 3,471 | -5.4% |
| Social sciences | 4,063 | 4,842 | +19.2% |
| Engineering | 5,330 | 7,634 | +43.2% |
| Aerospace/aeronautical engineering | 206 | 296 | +43.7% |
| Chemical engineering | 576 | 808 | +40.3% |
| Civil engineering | 506 | 708 | +39.9% |
| Electrical engineering | 1,236 | 1,694 | +37.1% |
| Industrial/manufacturing engineering | 211 | 252 | +19.4% |
| Materials science engineering | 393 | 622 | +58.3% |
| Mechanical engineering | 786 | 1,095 | +39.3% |
| Other engineering | 1,416 | 2,159 | +52.5% |
| Education | 6,552 | 6,531 | -0.3% |
| Health | 1,407 | 2,094 | +48.8% |
| Humanities | 5,036 | 4,667 | -7.3% |
| Foreign languages and literature | 626 | 602 | -3.8% |
| History | 960 | 989 | +3.0% |
| Letters | 1,516 | 1,414 | -6.7% |
| Other humanities | 1,934 | 1,662 | -14.1% |
| Professional fields | 2,172 | 2,800 | +28.9% |
| Business management/administration | 1,111 | 1,403 | +26.3% |
| Communication | 418 | 651 | +55.7% |
| Other professional fields | 642 | 746 | +16.2% |
| Unknown | 1 | 0 | -100.0% |
| All fields | 41,098 | 49,562 | +20.6% |
| * Includes 17 doctoral degrees in physical sciences not shown separately. | |||
| Source: National Science Foundation | |||
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