Missouri Ranks High Among Border States in Doctorate Degrees Awarded
Among bordering states, Missouri ranks second only to Illinois in the number of doctorate degrees awarded in 2008, according to data from the National Science Foundation. Missouri universities awarded 880 doctorates in 2008, with one-quarter in life sciences fields.
In the nation, 48,802 research doctorates were awarded in 2008, the highest number in the history of U.S. higher education, but at a slower growth rate than in recent years. The largest field was life sciences which accounted for 11,088 research doctorates awarded in 2008.
| Doctorate Degrees Awarded by Field of Study for 2008 | ||||||||
| State | Total | Life Sciences | Physical Sciences | Social Sciences | Engineering | Education | Humanities | Other fields |
| Illinois | 2,362 | 421 | 393 | 385 | 403 | 295 | 289 | 176 |
| Missouri | 880 | 228 | 127 | 107 | 125 | 162 | 78 | 53 |
| Tennessee | 788 | 223 | 77 | 97 | 124 | 157 | 72 | 38 |
| Iowa | 693 | 203 | 113 | 70 | 108 | 99 | 54 | 46 |
| Kentucky | 448 | 125 | 55 | 65 | 58 | 61 | 45 | 39 |
| Kansas | 443 | 95 | 65 | 76 | 44 | 99 | 43 | 21 |
| Oklahoma | 360 | 93 | 42 | 48 | 49 | 70 | 29 | 29 |
| Nebraska | 296 | 81 | 39 | 41 | D | 70 | 24 | D |
| Arkansas | 191 | 75 | 21 | D | 19 | D | 14 | 10 |
| United States | 48,802 | 11,088 | 8,129 | 7,509 | 7,862 | 6,578 | 4,722 | 2,914 |
| D = suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information. | ||||||||
In Missouri, life sciences (228) was the largest field in which doctorate degrees were awarded, followed by education (162), physical sciences (127), engineering (125), social sciences (107), humanities (78), and other fields (53).
Source: National Science Foundation
