At the doctoral level, about 18 percent of all students were enrolled in education doctoral programs (either an Ed.D. or a Ph.D. with a major in education); 62 percent were enrolled in Ph.D. programs in fields other than education; and 21 percent were in other doctoral programs such as a Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A), or Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.). Compared with master’s students, doctoral students were more likely to enroll full time, full year (54 percent vs. 27 percent), and more likely to enroll right after earning their bachelor’s degree (25 percent vs. 20 percent).

As was the case at the master’s level, doctoral students in education differed from others at their level. For example, compared with Ph.D. students in other fields, doctoral students in education were more likely to be female (71 percent vs. 46 percent), be older (42 vs. 32 years, on average), delay enrollment after earning a bachelor’s degree (89 percent vs. 72 percent), and, if they worked while enrolled, to work full time (74 percent vs. 27 percent).