Biology most popular doctorate subject in Canada

Biology was the most popular field of study for doctoral students as of 2004/2005, according to Statistics Canada.

Of the 4,000 students who graduated from doctorate programs during that period, 21 per cent were in biological sciences. Engineering and humanities followed with more than 10 per cent, while nine per cent graduated from both psychology and education and eight per cent from social sciences.

Overall, about 34,000 students were enrolled in all years of doctorate studies. Enrolment has increased by about seven per cent a year since 2000. That increase should lead to a corresponding boost in the number of graduates, the agency said in a release Monday.

According to the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the growth is attributable to an increase in the number of faculty at Canadian schools and a boost in financial assistance and research grants from governments and universities.

About 59 per cent of students said they graduated without any debt. The proportion of students who graduated without any debt from their doctorate or undergraduate studies also improved, to 50 per cent from 46 per cent in the previous survey, conducted in 2003/2004.

Nearly two-thirds of graduates expected to earn a starting salary of more than $55,000, up from 60 per cent in the previous survey. Almost three quarters had firm plans for the future, Statistics Canada said.

Nevertheless, Canada lagged behind the rest of the developed world in producing PhD graduates. Canadians with doctorates make up only 0.4 per cent of the population, whereas in the United States, that ratio is 0.7 per cent.

Canada continued to be a destination of choice for foreign students, with nearly a quarter of Canadian doctorates earned by foreign or visa students. A majority of these students planned to stay in Canada, the agency said.

Women approached parity with men in doctorate studies, making up 46 per cent of graduates, up from 43 per cent. Still, some fields remained tilted toward one gender or the other, with men accounting for more than 80 per cent of engineering graduates while psychology was the other way around.