Directorate Profiles: Technical Notes

The data were derived from two NCSES survey sources: the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) and the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR). The data presented for both the SED and the SDR were derived by NCSES analysts from restricted use microdata files. SED data used in these Directorate Profiles reflect the characteristics of research doctorate recipients at the time of their graduation in academic years 2005, 2015, and 2025. SDR data used reflect the characteristics for the employed population of science, engineering, or health research doctorate recipients under age 76 as of the week of 1 February 2023.

The SED is an annual census of all individuals who earned a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. institution in a given academic year. For more detailed information about the SED and its methodology, please see the survey's Technical Notes (available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/earned-doctorates/2025#methodology).

The SDR is a biennial survey that collects longitudinal data on demographic and general employment characteristics of individuals who have received a research doctorate in a science, engineering, or health field from an accredited U.S. institution. The SED provides the sampling frame for the SDR through its annual update of the longstanding Doctorate Records File, a cumulative listing of all U.S.-earned doctorate recipients dating back to 1920. For more detailed information on the SDR and its methodology, please see the survey's Technical Notes (https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/doctorate-recipients/2023#methodology).

The fields of degree included in each Directorate Profile are those related to the work of the respective NSF directorates. Because of overlapping interests in degree fields among some NSF directorates, several degree-code values were assigned to more than one field and included in more than one profile (table 1).

Degree fields in visualizations based on SED data use the SED trend fields that facilitate data comparability over time amid survey field taxonomy changes. See the SED Technical Notes, "Data Comparability." The SDR degree field data were based on the SDR field of study codes.

Efforts were made to harmonize the degree fields between the two data sources. However, each survey has differences in the eligible degree fields (all fields in the SED versus only science, engineering, or health fields in the SDR) due to the respective surveys' differing target populations. The differences are most notable in the education degree data found in the profilefor EDU. For that directorate, SDR data include only a single education field (educational psychology). However, SED data are available across six degree categories: (1) education administration, (2) education research (which includes the detailed field of educational psychology), (3) non-science and math education, (4) science and math education, (5) teacher education, and (6) other education.

The following sections provide the data source, tabular view, and other relevant methodological information for each visualization topic presented across the Directorate Profiles.

The Directorates Profiles column chart visualization for the number of research doctorate recipients for the academic years 2005, 2015, and 2025 is based on SED data. This visualization's data are also presented below in tabular form (table A-1).

SED data are used for the 100% stacked column chart showing the distribution of research doctorate recipients by sex for the academic years 2005, 2015, and 2025. The 2025 SED has two response options for sex: male and female. The distribution calculation excludes respondents who did not report sex (table A-2).

SED data are used for the 100% stacked column chart showing the distribution of research doctorate recipients by field of degree for academic year 2025 (table A-3). Each profile presents data on the degree fields of interest to the NSF directorate; see section Defining Field of Degree for more information.

SED data are used for the 100% stacked bar chart showing the distribution of research doctorate recipients by citizenship status for academic year 2025. SED data have the following options for citizenship status: U.S. citizen, permanent resident, and temporary visa holder. For these profiles, responses were collapsed into two categories: U.S. citizens and permanent residents and temporary visa holders. The distribution calculation excludes respondents who did not report citizenship (table A-4).

SED data are used for the 100% stacked column chart showing the distribution of research doctorate recipients with definite non-postdoctoral employment commitments (including military service) by employer type for academic years 2005, 2015, and 2025. The 14 employer types included as response options in the employment commitments variable were collapsed to create three categories: educational institution, government, and business or industry. The educational institution category includes U.S. 4-year colleges or universities, U.S. medical schools, U.S. university-affiliated research institutes, U.S. community or 2-year colleges, U.S. elementary or secondary schools, and foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) educational institutions. Government includes U.S. federal, state, and local governments, as well as foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) governments. Business or industry includes for-profit industries or businesses, not-for-profit organizations, those who are self-employed, and other. The distribution calculation excludes respondents who did not report employer type (table A-5).

SED data are used for the highlighted percentage of academic year 2025 research doctorate recipients with no graduate education-related debt at the time of graduation. The percentage calculation excludes respondents who did not report debt information.

SED data are used for the pie chart showing the distribution by amount of debt for academic year 2025 doctorate recipients who reported graduate education-related debt. The distribution calculation excludes respondents who did not report debt information (table A-6).

SDR data are used for the 100% stacked bar chart showing the distribution of employed research doctorate recipients under age 76 by employment sector and field of degree as of 2023 (table A-7). The SDR includes data on three employment sectors: (1) educational institution, (2) business or industry, and (3) government. Educational institution includes 4-year colleges or universities, medical schools (including university-affiliated hospital or medical centers), university-affiliated research institutes, 2-year colleges, community colleges, technical institutes, precollege institutions, and other educational institutions. Business or industry includes private for profit, private not for profit, self-employed or business owners in incorporated or nonincorporated business, and employers not broken out separately. Government includes U.S. federal, state, and local governments, as well as non-U.S. governments.

SDR data are used for the bar chart showing the median salary for employed research doctorate recipients under age 76 by field of degree as of 2023 (table A-8).