these graduates being almost five times that for engineering sciences, materials and technologies.
Field-specific differences with regard to the number of doctoral graduates are evident as early as 2000.
However, these differences had become even more pronounced by 2007 (see Figure 8).
Most PhDs are produced in the social sciences (34%
in 2007) and together with humanities, social science doctorates constitute more than half (54%) of all doc- toral graduates in 2007. Engineering, materials and technologies consistently produced the smallest share of graduates from 2000 to 2007. For 2007 the headcount figure for social sciences (437) was almost five times that for engineering, materials and technologies (92).
The social sciences also recorded the single highest annual average growth rate (11.9%) in terms of gradu- ates during the period 2000-2007; during this period the graduates increased on average by about 34 a year (see Table 7). The natural and agricultural sciences displayed the second highest growth rate (5.8%) and also produced the second largest number of doctoral graduates for most years during the period 2000-2007 (see Figure 8, below).
Figure 7: Profiles of doctoral graduates by broad field in terms of % graduates <30 years, 2000 & 2007
Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix 11)
Figure 7: Profiles of doctoral graduates by broad field in terms of % graduates <30 years, 2000 & 2007
Nat & Agric Humanities
Tech Total
Sciences Eng Sc, Mat & Health Sciences Social Sciences 38%
30%
22%
26%
4% 3% 6% 3%
40%
30%
20%
35%
25%
15%
5%
0%
10%
13%
19%
15% 12%
2000 2007 Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix 11)
The data indicates that humanities recorded the low- est average annual growth rate of doctoral graduates during the period 2000 to 2007 (see Table 7, below).
From the following data (Table 7, below) it is evident that the social sciences showed the most consistent
growth in terms of graduates, as the difference be- tween growth rates for 2000-2005 and 2000-2007 is smallest in this field (11.6% versus 11.9%). The field of health sciences showed the largest inconsistency (9.5% versus 4.5%).
Figure 8: Headcount of doctoral graduates by broad field of study, 2000-2007
The share of doctoral graduates by broad field for the period 2000 to 2007 is illustrated in Figure 9. From this it is evident that the respective share of each broad
field has stayed more or less constant during the period under review.
Table 7: Average annual growth rate and average headcount growth of doctoral graduates
in public higher education institutions in South Africa by broad field of study, 2000-2005 and 2000-2007
Social Sciences Natural & Agricul-
tural Sciences Health Sciences Humanities
Engineering Sci- ences, Materials &
Technologies 2000-
2005
2000- 2007
2000- 2005
2000- 2007
2000- 2005
2000- 2007
2000- 2005
2000- 2007
2000- 2005
2000- Average an- 2007
nual growth rate
11.6% 11.9% 6.8% 5.8% 9.5% 4.5% 4.6% 3.4% 2.6% 4.6%
Average growth in headcount
34 34 17 16 11 5 9 7 2 4
Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix1)
Table 7: Average annual growth rate and average headcount growth of doctoral graduates
in public higher education institutions in South Africa by broad field of study, 2000-2005 and 2000-2007 Social Sciences Natural & Agri-
cultural Sciences
Health Sciences Humanities Engineering Sci- ences, Materials
& Technologies
2000-
2005 2000-
2007 2000-
2005 2000-
2007 2000-
2005 2000-
2007 2000-
2005 2000-
2007 2000-
2005 2000- 2007 Average an-
nual growth
rate 11.6% 11.9% 6.8% 5.8% 9.5% 4.5% 4.6% 3.4% 2.6% 4.6%
Average growth in
headcount 34 34 17 16 11 5 9 7 2 4
Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix1) 450
400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50
0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Social Sciences
Natural &
Humanities
Health Sciences Agricultural Sciences
Engineering.
Materials &
Technologies
Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix 1)
Table 8: Share of doctoral graduates in public higher education institutions in South Africa in terms of sub- fields of study with largest headcounts, 2000 and 2007
Sub-fields with largest number of headcounts in broad field
Headcount As % of broad field total Headcount as % of grand total (819) Headcount As % of broad field total Headcount as % of grand total (1274)
2000 2007
Social Sciences 251 32% 437 34%
Education 115 46% 14% 142 32% 11%
Economic & Management Sciences 45 18% 5% 136 31% 11%
Humanities 177 22% 252 20%
Religion 75 42% 9% 106 42% 8%
Language & Linguistics 57 32% 7% 78 31% 6%
Health Sciences 111 14% 132 10%
Clinical & Public Health 69 62% 8% 88 67% 7%
Natural & Agricultural Sciences 205 25% 362 28%
Biological Sciences 71 35% 9% 89 25% 7%
Chemical Sciences 39 19% 5% 73 20% 6%
Engineering Sciences, Materials & Technologies 65 8% 92 7%
Electrical & Electronic Engineering 15 23% 2% 28 30% 2%
Mechanical Engineering 17 26% 2% 17 18% 1%
Note: The sub-fields are not necessarily mutually exclusive because any degree could be classified in more than one category.
Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix 1) Finding 6: Education, economic and management
sciences, and religion produce the largest share of all doctoral graduates.
The breakdown of 2007 data by sub-field (see Table 8, below) shows that at least one quarter of doctoral
graduates in each broad field can be accounted for by a single sub-field. The dominance of specific fields of study is further illustrated by the fact that, across all fields, nearly 30% of degrees are awarded in only three fields: education, economic and management sciences, and religion.
Figure 9: Share of doctoral graduates by broad field, 2000-2007
25% 31% 30% 30% 27% 26% 28% 28%
8%
9% 9% 7% 7% 7% 10% 7%
14%
11% 9% 12% 11% 14% 10% 10%
32% 26% 32% 35% 35% 33% 37% 34%
22% 22% 20% 16% 19% 20% 16% 20%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Humanities Social Sc Health Sc Eng Sc, Mat & Tech Nat & Agric Sc
Table 8: Share of doctoral graduates in public higher education institutions in South Africa in terms of sub- fields of study with largest headcounts, 2000 and 2007
Sub-fields with largest number of headcounts in broad field
Headcount As % of broad field total Headcount as % of grand total (819) Headcount As % of broad field total Headcount as % of grand total (1274)
2000 2007
Social Sciences 251 32% 437 34%
Education 115 46% 14% 142 32% 11%
Economic & Management Sciences 45 18% 5% 136 31% 11%
Humanities 177 22% 252 20%
Religion 75 42% 9% 106 42% 8%
Language & Linguistics 57 32% 7% 78 31% 6%
Health Sciences 111 14% 132 10%
Clinical & Public Health 69 62% 8% 88 67% 7%
Natural & Agricultural Sciences 205 25% 362 28%
Biological Sciences 71 35% 9% 89 25% 7%
Chemical Sciences 39 19% 5% 73 20% 6%
Engineering Sciences, Materials & Technologies 65 8% 92 7%
Electrical & Electronic Engineering 15 23% 2% 28 30% 2%
Mechanical Engineering 17 26% 2% 17 18% 1%
Note: The sub-fields are not necessarily mutually exclusive because any degree could be classified in more than one category. Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix 1)
Figure 9: Share of doctoral graduates by broad field, 2000-2007
25% 31% 30% 30% 27% 26% 28% 28%
8%
9% 9% 7% 7% 7% 10% 7%
14% 11% 9% 12% 11% 14% 10% 10%
32% 26% 32% 35% 35% 33% 37% 34%
22% 22% 20% 16% 19% 20% 16% 20%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Humanities Social Sc Health Sc Eng Sc, Mat & Tech Nat & Agric Sc
25%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
22% 22% 20%
32% 32% 35% 35% 33% 37% 34%
8% 9% 9%
9%
7% 7% 7% 7%
31% 30% 30% 27% 26%
26%
28%
10%
10% 10%
14%
16% 19% 20% 16% 20%
14% 11% 12% 11%
28%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Humanities Social Sc Health Sc Eng Sc, Mat & Tech Nat & Agric Sc Source: Doctoral students in South Africa: A statistical profile (refer to Appendix 1)
When comparing the performance of the various sub- fields for 2000 and 2007, it emerges that most main- tained a more or less constant level in terms of their contribution to the percentage of the grand total of doctoral graduates, with the exception of educa- tion (the contribution of which dropped from 14% in 2000 to 11% in 2007) and economic and management sciences, which increased its contribution from a lowly 5% in 2000 to 11% in 2007 (see Table 8, above).
More information on graduates by broad field of study and sub-field is provided in Table 27 (Appendix 2).
1.4 Which institutions are producing the doctorates?
Finding 7: In 2007, 80% of all graduates were pro-