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Introduction
Interest in the number of engineering doctoral degrees awarded by
universities in various countries continues to increase. It is expected
that this increasing interest stems from a variety of concerns. It is
unfortunate that there has not been a central agency to collect such
information annually in order to provide a standardized database that
facilitates analysis of trends for all countries awarding engineering
degrees.
Engineering Trends recently completed a study of available data on
engineering doctoral degrees awarded in over forty countries. Additional
data were obtained from our direct requests to these countries for data.
Information obtained is summarized in this report and is also analyzed
in terms of degrees relative to the population of the individual
countries.
Doctoral Degrees Awarded
The National Science Foundation report "Science and Engineering
Indicators 2004" (NSB 0401) (www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind04/start.htm)
provided degree data from 1975 through 2000 for nine countries (China,
France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom
and the United States) and single-year (mostly 2000) data for thirty-six
others. Engineering Workforce Commission doctoral degree data for the
United States were used instead of the NSF data. In several instances,
data obtained directly from individual countries were also substituted
for the NSF data. The two graphs below provide a comprehensive view of
most of this information.
China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom have undergone
substantial increases in the numbers of engineering doctoral degrees
awarded since the mid-1980s. These five countries are among the eleven
leading producers of doctorates. Germany, India and, possibly, France,
all three in the group of eleven leading producers, appear to
experiencing little degree growth in recent years.
Engineering doctoral degree output in the United States experienced an
unprecedented growth from AY1976-80 to AY1996-97. The subsequent decline
in degrees has now ended, growth has returned and the maximum in
AY1996-97 will probably be surpassed in AY2005-06 judging from the
growth of enrollments in the last few years. The United States should
remain as the leading producer of engineering doctorates at least for
the next decade. It is noteworthy that 58% of engineering doctorates in
the United States were awarded to foreign nationals in AY2003-04. Thus,
a decline in the foreign national enrollment in graduate programs would
have a serious impact on the number of engineering doctoral degrees
awarded in the United States.
Doctoral Degrees Relative to Population
Engineering doctoral degree data for 2000 were divided by the population
of each of the countries studied in order to obtain "relative degrees".
When degree data for 2000 were not available, the populations for the
appropriate years were used.
The bar graph shown below gives the ranking of the countries studied
in terms of engineering doctoral degrees per population (millions).
The leading countries in relative number of doctorates (degrees per
population), Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland, are not among the
leading degree producers. Considering the ten leading relative degree
producers, only three (South Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom) are
among the ten leading doctorate producers. Taiwan ranks fifteenth, the
United States is sixteenth and China is thirty-fourth. The large rate of
doctoral degree growth by China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the
United Kingdom shown in the graphs above will result in higher relative
doctoral degree rankings of these countries in the future.
Summary
Engineering doctoral degree output in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
and the United Kingdom increased substantially since the mid-1980s.
Growth in doctorates awarded in the United States, the current leader in
engineering doctorate output, has returned following the maximum reached
in AY1996-97.
In terms of the relative number of doctoral degrees (degrees per
population), the leading countries are Sweden, Finland, Austria and
Switzerland. South Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom are in the ten
leading countries. Of the thirty-nine countries for which data are
presented in this report, Taiwan is fifteenth, the United States is
sixteenth and China is thirty-fourth.
Acknowledgments
The doctoral degree data for the United States used in this study
originated from the annual surveys of the Engineering Workforce
Commission of the American Association of Engineering Societies.
Engineering Trends acknowledges the efforts of this organization in
providing credible data and expresses its gratitude for their services
to the engineering profession. Persons seeking further information about
their surveys and the availability of survey data should visit the AAES/EWC
Web site (www.aaes.org).
The efforts of the National Science Foundation in assembling degree data
from various countries are gratefully acknowledged. Their report series
on "Science and Engineering Indicators" is highly valued and Engineering
Trends supports an expansion of this area of endeavor.
Engineering Trends greatly appreciates the information received from the
embassies and education ministries of Bulgaria, Iceland, Japan, Taiwan,
Turkey and the United Kingdom. Their efforts provided valuable data that
were not available through other sources.
Footnotes
Engineering Trends data are compiled mainly from information submitted
by universities to the annual surveys of EWC and ASEE. On the very rare
occasions where errors in data appear, Engineering Trends corrects the
error, if possible, or deletes the data if the error is large enough to
alter significantly the trend of the university or the US total.
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