for all science and engineering fields by 14 

 percent between 1968 and 1974. 



D Annual awards of bachelor's and first- 

 professional degrees in the sciences and 

 engineering doubled between 1963 and 

 1972; as a fraction of first degrees awarded 

 in all fields, however, those in science and 

 engineering remained essentially constant 

 at nearly 30 percent during the period, due in 

 large part to a rapid growth in the number of 

 social science degrees awarded. Awards of 

 master's level degrees in science and 

 engineering followed a similar trend, but 

 declined in recent years to 21 percent of all 

 master's degrees awarded. 



D Annual awards of doctoral degrees in science 

 and engineering began to level off in 1971, 

 decreasing for the first time in a decade to a 

 level in 1974 of approximately 18,000; the 

 largest declines occurred in the number of 

 physical science doctorates awarded; science 

 and engineering doctorates as a fraction of 

 all doctorates declined from 64 percent in 

 1965 to 56 percent in 1974. 



D The proportion of science and engineering 

 graduate students receiving Federal support 

 declined from 42 percent in 1967 to 25 

 percent in 1974; this decrease was compen- 

 sated primarily by increases in self-support 

 (up 13 percent) and institutional support (up 

 6 percent). 



D Women comprised 5 percent of the persons 

 employed in science and engineering oc- 

 cupations in 1974, and were primarily 

 involved in psychology, social sciences, and 

 mathematics; in the academic sector, women 

 represented 15 percent of all scientists and 

 engineers employed full-time in 1974. 



D The predominant proportion of all scientists 

 and engineers in 1972 were Caucasian (96 

 percent), while 2 percent were Asian, and 1 

 percent each were Black or were of other 

 nonwhite background; the smallest propor- 

 tional representation of minorities is in 

 engineering (3 percent) and the largest is in 

 mathematics (8 percent). 



The country's scientists and engineers are an 

 important national asset. They provide instruc- 

 tion and training in the various fields of science 

 and engineering, conduct basic research to 

 advance the understanding of nature, and 

 perform applied research and development in a 

 diversity of areas such as health, defense, 

 energy, and industrial technology. In addition, 

 persons trained in the sciences and engineering 

 are employed throughout the economy — from 

 industrial management to agricultural 

 production — to provide the knowledge and skills 

 which are essential in a technologically advanced 

 society. The role of scientists and engineers in 

 helping to meet the changing needs of the 

 Nation, coupled with the extended time and high 

 cost involved in their training, requires that 

 continuous attention be given to trends and 

 patterns in the production and utilization of such 

 personnel. 



This chapter presents information on the 

 magnitude and characteristics of the Nation's 

 population of scientists and engineers. It con- 

 siders trends in the supply and utilization of 

 these personnel and examines developments 

 which may affect their future supply. 



Scientists and engineers, in this chapter, are 

 defined as persons actually engaged in scientific 

 or engineering work at a level which requires 

 knowledge of the physical, life, social, 

 mathematical, or engineering sciences 

 equivalent at least to that acquired through 

 completion of a four-year college program with a 

 major in one of these fields, regardless of 

 whether a college degree is actually obtained in 

 the field. In regard to data presented on 

 employment, enrollments, and degrees awarded, 

 the health professions are not included under 

 "science and engineering", unless otherwise 

 indicated. 



Throughout the chapter, information is 

 limited to certain quantitative aspects of scien- 

 tists and engineers. These measures, it is 

 recognized, provide only a partial indication of 

 the characteristics of such personnel. Lacking 

 are measures of the quality of their work, extent 

 of "underutilization", and the increasingly 

 important concerns of productivity and output. 

 Furthermore, little is known about motivational 

 factors that affect the supply and utilization of 

 scientists and engineers, such as considerations 

 which lead students to enter science and 



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