INTRODUCTION
Summary Report 1993 is the 27th in a series of reports on research doctorates awarded by U.S. colleges and universities. Like its predecessors, this report presents trends in doctorate production in the United States, describing the general demographic characteristics of doctorate recipients and the seven broad fields in which they earned their degrees. Each of the seven broad fields consists of several “major” fields (e.g., biological sciences is a major field within the broad field of life sciences, and psychology is a major field within the broad field of social sciences). The doctorate recipients themselves report their field of study and are counted accordingly. For a list of the fields discussed in this report, see the inside back cover and the specialties list in Appendix D. (Note: These field groupings may differ from those used by federal sponsors of the survey.)
The front section of Summary Report 1993 presents brief narratives of key survey findings, accompanied by figures showing selected trend data. The numbers and percentages from which the figures were drawn are provided in a set of tables following the front section; relevant tables are referenced at the bottom of the figures. The front section also includes major findings from data presented in tables but not in figures.
Although similar in content to last year's report, Summary Report 1993 presents additional data on race/ethnicity. Three tables that were popular with readers of past reports have been reintroduced: Table 5 (and Figure 7) display the field distribution of U.S. minority Ph.D.s, and Tables 6 and 7 list the leading baccalaureate and doctorate institutions of minorities.
Supplementary tables on 1993 doctorate recipients are displayed in Appendix A, and trend data on the 1983–1993 Ph.D. cohorts are presented in Appendix B. Appendix C provides technical notes that include nonresponse rates and other information related to tables and figures in the body of the report. Appendix D contains a copy of the survey questionnaire.
Additional information is available from the Doctorate Records Project upon request. For a cost, the Project offers tables on the baccalaureate origins of Ph.D.s from 1920 to 1992 and tables on the doctoral specialties of 1976–1993 Ph.D.s, by citizenship, race/ethnicity, and gender. Customized tables can also be prepared at cost. In addition, a special issues brief on trends in postdoctoral appointments will soon be available free-of-charge. For more information, please contact:
Doctorate Records Project
National Research Council
OSEP—Room TJ 2006
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20418
Phone: (202)334–3161
|
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE *** The estimates reported for the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) are simple tabulations of all available information, with no adjustment for nonresponse. Thus, differences in response rates from year to year can produce numerical fluctuations that are unrelated to true trends. Response to the SED has been 95 to 98 percent over the years, except during the 1980s when it gradually declined to 92 percent. In an effort to improve the response rate, the survey methodology has undergone some revision in the years since 1989. Response has risen as hoped, stabilizing at 95 percent during the last three years (1991 to 1993). (Note: These percentages represent self-report rates, i.e., the proportion of survey forms completed by doctorate recipients. Questionnaires filled in with partial information by either the doctoral institution or staff of the National Research Council are not included in these self-report rates but are included in tabulations in this report.) The self-report rate for 1993 may increase somewhat in the next year if additional questionnaires are received from doctorate recipients. See page 82 in Appendix C for a table giving survey response rates from 1980 to 1993. Item response rates have shown a parallel improvement since 1990—a natural consequence of the increase in the overall self-report rate, as well as a result of format revisions to the questionnaire and follow-ups for missing information. In 1990, new follow-up procedures were implemented, increasing coverage of several variables (birth year, gender, race/ethnicity, citizenship status, country of citizenship, baccalaureate year and institution, and post graduation plans). Response rates for these variables have thus improved—especially for citizenship and race/ethnicity, resulting in an increase in the reported numbers of minority Ph.D.s. Postsurvey adjustment to data was greatest in 1990 and 1991, with the largest impact on the number of black Ph.D.s. For both of these years, the total number of black Ph.D.s increased by about 7.5 percent in the year after survey closure. Postsurvey adjustments were much smaller for 1992 data (a 1.4 percent increase in black Ph.D.s) because the survey cycle was extended a month to allow receipt of additional follow-up information before closure; the same is expected for 1993 data. All adjustments to data are presented in reports subsequent to the initial report for a survey. Thus, updates for 1990 appeared in Summary Report 1991; those for 1991 appeared in Summary Report 1992; and those for 1992 are included in this year's report (see Appendix Table B-2). The data for 1993 will likewise be subject to further revision, but as for 1992, adjustments are expected to be minimal. Updates to 1993 data will be presented in next year's report. In using SED data, the reader should keep in mind that numerical trends are affected by fluctuations in response rates. Increasing or decreasing numbers in a citizenship or racial/ethnic group reflect to some degree any upward or downward change in both overall survey response and item response. |
