Enrollments and Degrees Report. AIP Report.

In fall 2000, the 770 degree-granting physics departments in the United States were asked to provide information on their current enrollments and recent degrees granted, and responses were received from 98% of the departments. Findings show that the number of individuals receiving physics bachelors degrees increased substantially after a decade of declines. There were 3,894 physics bachelors degrees conferred in 2000, an increase of 7% from the previous year. First-year graduate student enrollments increased for the second consecutive year. Although the number of African Americans receiving PhDs went from 10 in 1999 to 17 in 2000, minorities remained highly underrepresented among physics degree recipients. Astronomy degree recipients, at all levels, have a higher proportion of women and a lower proportion of foreign citizens that physics degree recipients. The percentage of women receiving bachelors or doctoral degrees in physics remained unchanged in 2000 in comparison with 1999. An appendix contains three tables of enrollment trends. (Contains 8 figures and 14 tables.) (SLD)