Study Overview. The Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) is a survey of doctorate recipients who received their degrees from institutions within the United States. The SDR is designed to provide demographic and career history information about individuals with doctorate degrees. The results of the SDR are used by government agencies and academia to make planning decisions regarding education. It is also used by employers to understand and predict employment, industry, and salary trends.

This study is the only source of data on the careers of the science, engineering, and health doctorate holders from U.S. institutions. The results provide an essential and irreplaceable resource on the education and training, work experience, and career development of a highly educated population.

The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) is proud to conduct the SDR for our study sponsors.

Study Sponsors. The SDR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The missions of the NSF and NIH are to promote the progress of science, to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and to secure national defense. The NSF and NIH sponsor and support, through grants and contracts, scientific research and programs designed to strengthen scientific potential, educational programs, and appraise the impact of research upon industrial development. The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended by Title 42, United States Code, Section 1862 requires the National Science Foundation to:

"provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal Government..."

In meeting its responsibilities under the NSF Act, the NSF established and continues to maintain the SESTAT (Scientists and Engineers Statistical data system).

The SDR & SESTAT. The SDR is one of three principal surveys that provide data to NSF's SESTAT data system. The SESTAT combines data from the SDR (which represents persons in the general U.S. population with a doctorate in science, engineering, or health from a U.S. university), with data from the National Survey of Recent College Graduates (with a bachelor's or master's degree in science, engineering, or health from a U.S. university) and the National Survey of College Graduates (all other college graduates). SESTAT's integrated database of these survey data represents the demographic, educational and employment characteristics of scientists and engineers in the United States. The SDR as part of the SESTAT data system is the only available source that provides detailed information to support a wide variety of policy and research analyses on science, engineering and health (SEH) issues.

The time series data yielded by the SDR on the demographic, employment, and other characteristics of the nation's U.S.-trained doctoral scientists and engineers have been used extensively in the policy and planning activities of the Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The SDR data are used in assessing the quality and supply of the Nation's SEH personnel resources in terms of meeting the needs of educational institutions, private industry, and professional organizations as well as federal, state, and local governments. Other federal agencies, such as Department of Commerce, USDA, DOE, and NASA, as well as state agencies such as the Connecticut State Economic Employment Office request and make use of the SDR data for a variety of purposes.

Study Results. The information collected from the SDR is needed by NSF to prepare two Congressionally mandated reports: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering and Science & Engineering Indicators. In addition to these reports, the NSF uses the survey information to produce other report series, Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers, and Profile of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States. These reports are produced biennially by the NSF and describe the detailed employment and demographic characteristics of this highly trained group. In addition to these biennial reports, NSF also produces various data briefs and issue briefs on the doctoral SEH workforce as they relate to policy and research issues. See NSF's Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States web site for further details.

The SDR provides a data file that focuses on the education and training, work experience, and career development of persons holding doctorates from U.S. institutions. Without this information, those at the NSF and other sponsoring agencies, along with researchers and policymakers, would be less informed when carrying out their responsibilities.