Characteristics of Psychology Research Doctorates in Faculty Positions (1995-2015)
This report provides educational, employment and demographic information of psychology research doctorates in faculty positions based on data from the 1995–2015 Survey of Doctorate Recipients from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics of the National Science Foundation.
The report included individuals with a research doctorate (such as a PhD) in psychology from a U.S. institution, who were employed full-time in a faculty job (professor, associate professor, or assistant professor, both tenure-track and non-tenure track).
Key findings
In 2015, approximately 29,300 psychology research doctorates were faculty, representing a quarter (25%) of all psychology research doctorates in the workforce, or 17% of all psychology doctorate or professional degree holders in the workforce.
Between 1995 and 2015, the number of psychology research doctorates in faculty positions increased by 58%. The proportion of psychology research doctorates in faculty positions remained stable at approximately 25%.
In 2015, 76% of faculty were in tenured/tenure-track positions and 24% were in non-tenured positions (not on tenure-track, or not applicable to the tenure system). Between 1995 and 2015, the proportion of tenured/tenure-track positions among faculty decreased from 86 to 76%.
In 2015, approximately 4,600, or 16% of faculty worked in leadership positions: approximately 400, or two% in top-level leadership (president, provost, or chancellor), and approximately 4,200, or 14% in mid-level leadership (dean, department head, or department chair).
Between 1995 and 2015, female representation among faculty increased from 37 to 53%, and racial/ethnic minority representation among faculty increased from eight to 22%.
