Graduate Student Report, 1997. AIP Report.

The 1990s have seen change in the populations of graduate students in physics departments across the country. The Graduate Student Survey captures demographic characteristics of approximately 10,600 physics and astronomy students who were enrolled in the 1996-97 academic year. It describes the students' sources of support, areas of specialization, country of origin, and years of study for those receiving degrees. The paper discusses the results in light of the decline of total enrollment in U.S. physics graduate departments over the past decade. First-year enrollment has declined in the last decade and is expected to continue to decline over the next decade. The enrollment decline has been steeper for U.S. students than for foreign students. Foreign students now make up 45% of the physics graduate student population. Support for graduate students in physics and astronomy varies by department. Years of study averages 6.1 for students receiving doctorates. Foreign students are higher in numbers in physics than astronomy, and the number of women in physics is less than the number of women in astronomy. The report includes tables and summaries of major findings. (HB)