SAP Metadata Portal

The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) began in 1957-58 to collect data continuously on the number and characteristics of individuals receiving research doctoral degrees from all accredited U.S. institutions. Information from this survey becomes part of the Doctorate Records File (DRF). The DRF contains data on all earned doctorates granted by U.S. universities, in all fields from 1920 to the present. The results of this annual survey are used to assess characteristics and trends in doctorate education and degrees. This information is vital for educational and labor force planners within the federal government and in academia.

NCSES is updating their data linkage policy to better meet the data linkage needs of NCSES and external researchers. Currently, NCSES does not support researcher access to direct Personally Identifiable Information (PII). NCSES encourages researchers interested in developing an SAP application that includes linking NCSES restricted data to non-NCSES data sources to contact NCSES at NCSES_Licensing@nsf.gov to assess feasibility and appropriateness.

This dataset is available through the NCSES Secure Data Access Facility (SDAF), a virtual enclave that can only be accessed within the United States.

Data Access

Fees

Usage Restrictions

SED restricted-use data must be used for statistical purposes and cannot be used for purposes of enforcing laws or regulations or for profit. Access to tabular data on selected variables from 1958 onward is now available in an interactive data tool from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). Users can build custom tables of the number of doctorate recipients by academic discipline and institutional characteristics of either the doctorate-granting institution or the baccalaureate-granting institution of doctorate recipients. A few demographic data items are available in the data tool to create custom tables by academic discipline. The SED restricted-use data from 2017 onward is also available in SED Restricted Data Analysis System for the data user to generate custom data tables with more comprehensive set of analysis variables. Access to the Doctorate Records File, which contains cumulative SED data is available for researchers under a licensing agreement. For more information, see the NCSES Licensing Page.

Is a Public-Use Version (PUF) Available?

Does Geography Differ from Public Version?

Does Level of Variable Detail Differ from Public Version?

Survey of Earned Doctorates

Description

Data Access