Among science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, the only ones that had less than 10 per cent of all PhD students were mathematical studies and computer science, with 3 per cent each, according to data supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
The numbers of those starting PhDs in law, education, business, creative arts and design, languages, humanities, and social, economic and political studies accounted for just per cent of the total embarking on PhD study.
The subjects with the fewest PhD starters were veterinary science, librarianship and information science, and agriculture and related subjects, which each had less than 1 per cent of the total.