The higher the ratio of this group, the more developed, usually, is the higher education system in a state. The ratio of science and technology graduates to the total number of Arab graduates averaged 35 percent in all Arab states for the same period, but varies from 60 percent in Algeria to 14 percent in Djibouti. The Ph.D. is the basic professional degree in most fields of science. The share of the leading six Arab states in total number of Ph.D. candidates adds up to 84 percent. Almost 50 percent of Ph.D. candidates study outside their home state.
Arab states vary widely in their institutional capacity to grant the Ph.D. degree.
Basic sciences and medical sciences each had a share of 17 percent of the total enrollment, followed by engineering and agriculture with 14 percent for each. The quality of most Ph.D. granting science programs in Egypt and their graduates is very high. Graduate education in sciences is a long and expensive process. The government is the only funding source for Ph.D. and M.S. production in Egypt. Sixty-eight percent of Ph.D. graduates are in science and technology fields.