Number of bachelor's degrees doubled since 1999

In the class of 2013, a record number of students earned bachelor's degrees in physics: 7,363. This is more than double the number of students doing so only 14 years earlier. Over the same time period, the total number of bachelor's degrees awarded in all disciplines was up also, but only by about 40%. The graph shows the number of students earning a bachelor's degree in physics since 1955. Between 1955 and the early 1960s, the number of undergraduates earning degrees in physics grew rapidly. After a brief downward turn in the middle of the decade, the number peaked at 5,975 in 1969. Thirty years later, it reached a low of 3,646 students in 1999. Every fall, the Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics reaches out to all of the departments that award at least a bachelor's degree in physics. The departments graciously provide data on enrollments in introductory courses and the number of students earning degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. In January, we will look at under-represented minorities among physics faculty members. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Susan White at the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics (swhite@aip.org).