Purpose History of the SED and how it works Data collection process Results from the SED Questions

What is it? SED is an annual census of all new research doctorate recipients from United States colleges and universities Research Doctorate –requires an original contribution of knowledge to the field (typically, though not always, in the form of a written dissertation) – Not primary intended for the practice of a profession

History of the SED Established by the National Science Foundation in the 1950s. Currently, five other agencies also sponsor the SED –National Institutes of Health –Department of Education –Department of Agriculture –National Endowment for the Humanities –National Aeronautics and Space Administration

History of the SED (continued) Data collection began in 1957, for the class of doctorate recipients. For , data collected on nine basic items from graduation announcements and lists from institutions.

SED and Confidentiality Respondents increasingly concerned about confidentiality. All Federal and NORC employees must also sign legally binding confidentiality forms. Public data are in aggregate form only and in sufficiently large numbers.

SED & FERPA Participating institutions are permitted to provide student information to the SED without violating FERPA, per the Family Policy Compliance Office in the United States Department of Education.

How is the SED collected? The majority (80% or more) of participants complete the form through their graduate school. Each participating institution has an Institutional Contact (IC) who handles the SED.

Role of the IC Crucial in the success of the survey. Responsible for distributing the survey to the students, monitoring completions, and returning the surveys to NORC. Also provide supplementary data as needed.

Traditional Paradigm Students approaching graduation are given a set of forms to be completed. The survey and other forms are turned in when the students hand in their dissertation to the graduate school. The IC collects all the forms for one graduation and sends them to NORC for processing.

Advantages Control Face-to-face contact Efficiency Disadvantages Storing paper surveys Doesnt work with ETDs

Solution for ETD schools? The SED survey is available online! –Web version first developed in –Percent of web completes has grown each round since the release (about 10% in 2008).

SED Web Survey Survey can be completed and submitted entirely online from any location. Survey is housed on a secure server, and students need their unique PIN and password to access the survey. NORC instantly receives the survey data for processing.

Distributing the Web Survey Timing should not change, best response achieved when students are preparing to graduate PIN/Password distribution necessary

PIN/Password Assignment lC provides the web registration URL to their students who are eligible to complete the survey Students register online, provide degree information and an address sent to students with their login information, and the link to the correct survey

PDF PDF can be posted on your website, e- mailed to students, etc. –Has form features that allow users to type their responses directly onto the form, save and completed PDF back to their university.

New Issues Raised 1.Many students file for graduation, but do not complete all the requirements in time. - Graduation list crucial 2.How do you know who has completed?

1. Institution Interface Administrator website –ICs or others can view the list of their students and their survey status. –Also has useful forms and information NOTE: There is a hour lag with the Interface

2. Certificate of Completion Last page of the web survey. –Can be printed –Savvier users can copy the screenshot into an electronic document and it.

3. Notification New feature added for SED Students can receive an when they submit their survey online. Can be used like the certificate, without the need to print anything.

Best Practices for Monitoring Use the roster for students who are filing well before the deadline to verify the completion of their survey Ask for certificate, , or PDF from anyone filing within 1-2 days of deadline –NORC can also verify completes in real time.

Shift of ICs focus Old paradigm: handling the paperwork, keeping track of survey forms, mailing them to NORC in timely manner. New paradigm: Monitoring and post- graduation quality control.

Making the switch For best response rate, SED should be integrated with the rest of the graduation process. Web option can be used exclusively, or as an additional option to paper/PDF survey. To maintain response rate when switching to the web, monitoring is necessary.

Why am I doing this again? The Doctorate Records File (DRF), 1920 – 2007 –The richest and most complete source of information on doctorate recipients. –Used by the federal, state, and local government, graduate schools, and higher education researchers to make policy decisions affecting graduate education throughout the country.

Products using the DRF Summary Report Detailed Statistical Tables Institutional Data External requests

Summary Report For each survey round, the Summary Report provides information on the specific class of graduates, follows trends over time, and explores emerging trends Summary Report is pending.

Highlights from the 2007 Report Largest number of doctorate recipients in the history of the SED (48,079). Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates Doctorates awarded at U.S. colleges and universities,

Since 2002, more female than male U.S. citizens have earned a doctorate Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates Doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens, by gender,

Nearly all of the growth in the number of doctorates attributed to increase in non-US citizens earning degrees Doctorates by citizenship type, Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

Detailed Statistical Tables/S&E Reports Produced annually, the DSTs give detailed breakdowns on demographics and graduation plans for Science & Engineering graduates. Additional S&E reports with focus on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities, S&E Degrees report, etc.

Institutional Data Profile – sent to the dean along with the Summary Report, describes institutions graduates for that round and compares them to their peer institutions. Institution Datasets - Graduate deans can order data set of all their graduates from

External Requests External Requests - Provided at cost, with data specified by the requestor.

Other Products Baccalaureate Origins Tables Race/ethnicity/gender tables – being revamped. InfoBriefs WebCASPAR - webcaspar.nsf.gov

TDL Institutions TDL ALL 0307 % Change0307 % Change Total grads (#)1,9902, %40,75748, % Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDL ALL Gender Male57%59%55%54% Female43%41%45%46% Doctorates by Gender Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDL ALL Citizenship US65%54%68%62% Permanent4%5%4% Temporary32%41%27%34% Doctorates by Citizenship Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDLALL Race/Ethnicity (US citizens) American Indian/Alaska Native1.0% 0.5% Asian4.5%4.9%5.3%5.7% Black3.9%4.7%6.6%6.7% Hispanic7.6% 4.9%5.4% White81.4%81.3%80.1%78.8% Other1.6%1.0%2.6%2.9% Doctorates by Race/Ethnicity Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDLALL Field of Study Physical science/math13%18% (2) 14%17% (2) Engineering17%20% (1) 13%16% (3) Life Sciences18%17% (3) 21%22% (1) Social Sciences16%13% (5) 17%15% (4) Humanities14%10% (6) 13%11% (6) Education16%15% (4) 16%13% (5) Other2% 7% (7) 3% 6% (7) Doctorates by Major Field Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDL ALL Postgrad plans Continuing pre-doc. Employment22%17% Signed contract44%48%52% Negotiating9%11%10%9% Seeking24%22%19% Other full-time degreeNA2%NA%1% Other1%2% Postgraduation Plans Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDL ALL Employment Type Postdoc30% 33%36% Non-Postdoc Employment70% 67%64% Employment Type Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDL ALL Employment Sector (exc. Postdocs) Academia53%59%54%64% Government8%7%9%8% Industry20%23%19%18% Other19%10%20%10% Employment Sector Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

TDL ALL Median time to degree (Number of years) Since baccalaureate Since starting graduate school Time to Degree Source: NSF/NIH/USED/NEH/USDA/NASA, 2007 Survey of Earned Doctorates

Contact Information Kristy Webber NORC 55 E. Monroe St Chicago, IL