CHEMISTRY GRADUATES: Strong growth in annual number of graduates through 1970, no further gains since then

The number of graduates with chemistry bachelor's degrees held up quite well during the Depression (1930s), dipped during World War II (1941-45), and surged in its immediate aftermath. The number of graduates then moved up to a high in the late 1960s, fluctuated, and hit a low in 1990. Since then, the numbers have increased steadily. Master's and doctorates show similar patterns, with current levels at, or near, highs set in the early 1970s.