40 



120 



I 



Figure 5-6 



Employment of academic scientists and engineers, by level of attainment, 1965-74 



(Thousands) 



160 200 



I I 



^_^^^^_^^^^_^^^_^_^^^^^____^_^^_ 1965 

 Total 



Ph.D. or Sc.D, 



320 



I 



1974 



M.D., D.D.S. 



Master's 



Bachelor's 

 or equivalent 



SOURCE: National Science Foundation. 



by 8 percent from 1968 to 1974. However, the 

 young doctorate faculty proportions declined in 

 all seven fields, while even the absolute numbers 

 of young doctorate faculty decreased in 5 of the 

 fields, biology and psychology being the only 

 exceptions. 



Proportion of young'^ doctoral faculty in 



doctoral level science and engineering 



departments in universities and colleges, 



by selected fields, 1968 and 1974 



Young doctoral 



faculty as a percent 



of all doctoral faculty 



Selected fields 1968 1974 



Biology 32 27 



Cfiemistry 35 21 



Economics 43 34 



Electrical engineering . . 52 27 



Mathematics 52 36 



Physics 40 19 



Psychology 43 37 



'■> Those who had held doctorates for seven years or less at 

 the time of each study. 



Another recent trend is the substantial 

 increase in the proportion of faculty with tenure. 

 An American Council on Education study" 

 found in 1973 that 65 percent of the faculty in all 

 fields were tenured, compared with 47 percent in 

 1969. Figure 5-8 presents more recent NSF data 

 which show the 1974 proportions of tenured 

 faculty in doctoral level science and engineering 

 departments for 15 fields. Overall, 70 percent of 

 these faculty have tenure, with the proportions 

 ranging from a high of 81 percent in chemical 

 engineering to 59 percent in physiology. 



Between 1969 and 1973, the median age of 

 faculty in science and engineering fields 

 employed in doctorate-granting institutions 

 rose from 41 to 44 years. '^ Changes in the 



" Alan E. Bayer, Teaching Faculty in Academe: 1972-73, 

 {Washington, DC; American Council on Education, 1973). 



>5 Bayer, Ihid.. and Alan E. Bayer, College and University 

 Faculty: A Slatiilical Descrifilwn. (Washington, D.C.; American 

 Council on Education, 1970). 



122 



