June 17, 2008

Dear User of the Survey of Earned Doctorates,

In fall 2007 NSF’s Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) in the context of heightened concerns about confidentiality/privacy completed a detailed review of its existing rules and procedures for protection of the data collected under a pledge of confidentiality in all its surveys. As a result of that review, SRS implemented more stringent procedures to protect the confidentiality of data provided by respondents to the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). The revised procedures resulted in suppressing more data cells with very small counts in tables in the 2006 SED Summary Report as well as in ones which individuals could special order from the survey contractor. The cells primarily affected were certain categories for the variables of race/ethnicity, citizenship and gender.

NSF received many complaints from the user community about the availability of less information from the SED than before, particularly for underrepresented minorities. A great deal of the concern related to the fact that SRS had implemented the changes without prior input from the user community. Users strongly suggested that SRS solicit user input as to how best to design the tables to meet a broad spectrum of user needs. NSF has listened to this concern. The following statement was released by NSF in early May.

SRS will be releasing the race/ethnicity, citizenship and gender data collected for the 2006 Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) as in previous years. There are privacy and confidentiality issues that must be addressed, particularly in the context of small data sets. The question of how to aggregate the data in future years will be addressed with the data user community over the next few months and new tables will be developed to release data from the 2007 SED.

Summary Report tables containing 2006 SED data with the same level of detail as in previous years for race/ethnicity, citizenship and gender are available below and can also be requested through the NSF/SRS website at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctorates/2006/sed06data.htm.  The Baccalaureate-Origins of U.S. research doctorate recipients tables and the Race/Ethnicity/Gender tables are also available at the NSF/SRS site.

The NSF/SRS web page has a comment box requesting suggestions for ways to redesign the tables presenting the SED data so as to address issues of both privacy/confidentiality and the needs of data users. SRS is also asking interested parties to take part in a small web survey on the same topic that will be conducted in the near future. You can take advantage of both these opportunities to provide input to SRS’ efforts.

In addition, SRS is engaging in a major outreach activity with users about the presentation of SED data and began meeting with users in early May. SRS welcomes your input as it engages in this redesign activity.  Please let me know if you want to provide additional input or to set up a meeting.

Please note that the redesign of the tables for the 2007 SED Summary Report is likely to result in a delay of the 2007 report of several months until spring 2009.  The Race/Ethnicity/Gender Tabulations are likely to be somewhat delayed as well.  However, aggregate, national level 2007 SED data will be released as in the past in late fall in time for the annual Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) meeting, which has been a tradition. The exact nature of the late fall release is still under consideration but may involve a short report and a few high-level tables normally contained in the Summary Report.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Jaqui Falkenheim at jfalkenh@nsf.gov or Nancy Leach at nleach@nsf.gov

TABLES

Table 1: Number of doctorates awarded and annual percentage change in doctorates awarded by U.S. colleges and universities, 1957–2006 (pdf)

Table 2: Number of U.S. colleges and universities awarding doctorates and average doctorate recipients per institution, 1966-2006 (pdf)

Table 3: Top 20 doctorate-granting institutions, by broad field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table 4: State of awarding institution, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, ranked by number of doctorate recipients, 2006 (pdf)

Table 5: Major field of study of doctorate recipients for selected years, 1976–2006 (pdf)

Table 6: Number of doctorate recipients and percent female, by major field of study, 1996 and 2006 (pdf)

Table 7: Number and percent of doctorate recipients, by sex within broad field of study for selected years, 1976–2006 (pdf)

Table 8: (Revised June 2008) Number of U.S. citizen doctorate recipients, by race/ethnicity and broad field of study, for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 9: (Revised June 2008) Major field of study for U.S. citizen doctorate recipients, by race/ethnicity, 2006 (pdf)

Table 10: Doctorate-granting institutions having the largest number of U.S. citizen minority doctorate recipients, by race/ethnicity, 2002-2006 (pdf)

Table 11: Citizenship status of doctorate recipients, by broad field of study for selected years, 1976-2006 (pdf)

Table 12: Top 30 countries/economies of origin of non-U.S. citizens earning doctorates at U.S. colleges and universities (ranked by number of doctorate recipients), 2006 (pdf)

Table 13: Doctorate-granting institutions having the largest number of non-U.S. citizen doctorate recipients (ordered by number of doctorate recipients), 2006 (pdf)

Table 14: Parental education attainment of doctorate recipients, by selected demographic characteristics and field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table 15: Highest educational attainment of either parent for selected years, 1976-2006 (pdf)

Table 16: Percentage of doctorate recipients who earned a master's degree, by whether related to field of doctorate, broad field of doctoral study, and demographic characteristics, 2006 (pdf)

Table 17: Percentage of doctorate recipients who attended community college, broad field of study and demographic characteristics, 2006 (pdf)

Table 18: Median number of years to doctorate award, by broad field of study, for selected years, 1981-2006 (pdf)

Table 19: Median number of years from baccalaureate to doctorate award, by  selected demographic group and broad field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table 20: Median age and number of doctorate recipients at different age groups, by field of study and demographic characteristics, 2006 (pdf)

Table 21: Percentage of doctorate recipients indicating one or more disabilities, by selected demographic characteristics, 2006 (pdf)

Table 22: (Revised June 2008) Primary source of financial support for doctorate recipients, by broad field of study and demographic group, 2006 (pdf)

Table 23: Education-related debt of doctorate recipients, by broad field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table 24: Education-related debt of doctorate recipients, by demographic group, 2006 (pdf)

Table 25: Number of U.S. citizen doctorate recipients reporting graduate school debt and percentage with levels of graduate school debt greater than $30,000, by broad field of study and race/ethnicity, 2006 (pdf)

Table 26:  Postgraduation status of doctorate recipients, by broad field of study for selected years, 1986-2006 (pdf)

Table 27: Postgraduation status of doctorate recipients, by selected demographic groups for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf) 

Table 28: Postgraduation plans of doctorate recipients with definite commitments, by broad field of study for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 29: Postgraduation plans of doctorate recipients with definite commitments, by demographic group for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 30: Employment sector of doctorate recipients with definite postgraduation employment commitments in the U.S., by broad field of study for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 31: Employment sector of doctorate recipients with definite postgraduation employment commitments in the U.S., by selected demographic characteristics for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 32: (Revised June 2008) Sources of support for doctorate recipients with postgraduation plans for postdoctoral study, by selected demographic characteristics for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 33: Postgraduation location and type of plan of non-U.S. citizen doctorate recipients with definite postgraduation commitments, by major field of study and visa residency status, 2006 (pdf)

Table 34: Postgraduation location of non-U.S. citizen doctorate recipients with definite postgraduation commitments, by visa residency status for selected years, 1986–2006 (pdf)

Table 35: Percentage of non-U.S. citizen doctorate recipients intending to stay in the United States after doctorate receipt, by country of citizenship, 2000-2006 (pdf)

Table 36: (Revised June 2008) Number and percentage of doctorate recipients with definite plans for postgraduation employment identifying various roles as primary and secondary work activities, by major field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table 37: (Revised June 2008) Number and percentage of doctorate recipients with definite plans for postgraduation study or training identifying various roles as primary and secondary work activities, by major field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table 38: Primary and secondary work activities of doctorate recipients with definite plans for postgraduation employment, by broad field of study for selected years, 1976-2006 (pdf)

Table 39: Primary and secondary work activities of doctorate recipients with definite plans for postgraduation employment, by broad field of study and employment sector, 2006 (pdf)

Table 40: Primary and secondary work activities of doctorate recipients with definite plans for postgraduation employment, by demographic characteristics, 2006 (pdf)

APPENDIX TABLES

Table A-1: (Revised June 2008) Number of doctorate recipients, by sex and subfield of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-2: (Revised June 2008) Number of doctorate recipients, by citizenship, race/ethnicity, and subfield of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-3a: (Revised June 2008) Statistical profile of doctorate recipients, by major field of study, 2006 - Total all doctorates (pdf)

Table A-3b: (Revised June 2008) Statistical profile of doctorate recipients, by major field of study, 2006 - Total all males (pdf)

Table A-3c: (Revised June 2008) Statistical profile of doctorate recipients, by major field of study, 2006 - Total all females (pdf)

Table A-4: (Revised June 2008) Statistical profile of doctorate recipients, by race/ethnicity and citizenship, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-5: (Revised June 2008) Doctorate recipients' financial resources in support of doctoral programs, by broad field of study and sex, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-6: (Revised June 2008) Distribution of doctorate recipients' financial resources in support of doctoral programs, by sex and broad field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-7: (Revised June 2008) State of doctoral institution of doctorate recipients, by broad field of study and sex, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-8: Institutions granting research doctorates, by major field of study, 2006 (pdf)

Table A-9: Top 50 doctorate-granting institutions, 2006 (pdf)

Table B-1: Number of doctorate recipients, by subfield of study, 1996-2006 (pdf)

Table B-2a: (Revised June 2008) Number of doctorate recipients, by sex, race/ethnicity, and citizenship, 1996-2006 - Total all doctorates (pdf)

Table B-2b: (Revised June 2008) Number of doctorate recipients, by sex, race/ethnicity, and citizenship, 1996-2006 - Total all males (pdf)

Table B-2c: (Revised June 2008) Number of doctorate recipients, by sex, race/ethnicity, and citizenship, 1996-2006 - Total all females (pdf)