SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title of Collection: Survey of Earned Doctorates.

OMB Control Number: 3145-0019.

Expiration Date of Current Approval: June 30, 2028.

Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew information collection for three years.

Abstract: Established within the NSF by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 section 505, codified in the NSF Act of 1950, as amended, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) serves as a central Federal clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development for use by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.

The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is part of NCSES' portfolio and collects data on individuals to provide information on science and engineering education and careers in the United States. The SED has been conducted annually since 1958 and is jointly sponsored by four Federal agencies (NSF/NCSES, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education/National Center for Education Statistics, and National Endowment for the Humanities) to avoid duplication of effort in collecting such data. It is an accurate, timely source of information on our Nation's highly educated individuals. This request to renew the information collection for three years is to cover the 2028 and 2029 SED survey cycles.

Data are obtained via Web survey from each person earning a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. institution at the time they receive the degree. Data are collected on their field of specialty, educational background, sources of support in graduate school, debt level, postgraduation plans, and demographic characteristics. NCSES publishes statistics from the survey in several reports. The survey will be collected in conformance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Responses from individuals are voluntary. NCSES will ensure that all individually identifiable information collected will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only for research or statistical purposes.

Use of the Information: The Federal Government, policy makers, universities, researchers, and others use the information extensively. Results from the SED are used to assess characteristics of the doctorate population and trends in doctoral education and degrees. Data from the survey are published annually on the NCSES website in a publication series reporting on all fields of study, titled Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities ( ncses.nsf.gov/​pubs/​nsf26315). Information from the SED is also included in other series available online such as Science and Engineering Indicators (ncses.nsf.gov/​indicators). In addition, access to tabular data from selected variables is available through the NCSES online data tool ( ncsesdata.nsf.gov/​builder/​sed) and the SED Restricted Data Analysis System ( ncsesdata.nsf.gov/​rdas/​#/​).

Expected Respondents: The SED is a census of all individuals receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. academic institution in the academic year beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the subsequent year. As such, the population for the 2028 SED consists of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2027 and ending June 30, 2028. Likewise, the population for the 2029 SED consists of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2028 and ending June 30, 2029. A research doctorate is a doctoral degree that (1) requires completion of an original intellectual contribution in the form of a dissertation or an equivalent culminating project ( e.g., musical composition) and (2) is not primarily intended as a degree for the practice of a profession. The most common research doctorate degree is the Ph.D. Recipients of professional doctoral degrees, such as MD, DDS, JD, DPharm, and PsyD, are not included in the SED. The 2028 and 2029 SED are expected to include about 615 separately reporting schools with eligible research doctoral programs from about 480 doctorate-granting institutions. Based on the historical trend, NCSES expects a stable turnout of research doctorates for the next few years with a nominal increase from the 2026 cycle estimating that approximately 62,000 individuals will receive a research doctorate from U.S. institutions in each of the 2028 cycle and the 2029 cycle.

In addition to the questionnaire for individuals receiving their research doctorates, the SED needs to collect administrative data such as graduation lists from participating academic institutions. An Institutional Coordinator at each institution helps distribute the Web survey link, track ( printed page 67615) survey completions, and submit information to the SED survey contractor.

Estimate of Burden: An average overall response rate of 91.5% of the persons who earned a research doctorate from a U.S. institution was obtained in the academic years 2023, 2024, and 2025. Using the past response rate, the number of SED respondents in each cycle is estimated to be 56,730 (62,000 doctorate recipients × 0.915 response rate) in each of the 2028 and 2029 cycles.

Based on the average Web survey completion time for the 2026 SED (19.3 minutes), NCSES estimates that, on average, 20 minutes per respondent will be required to complete the 2028 or 2029 SED Web survey. The annual respondent burden for completing the SED is therefore estimated at 18,910 hours in 2028 and in 2029 (based on 56,730 respondents × 20 minutes).

Based on focus groups conducted with Institutional Coordinators, it is estimated that the SED takes no more than 1% of the Institutional Coordinator's time over the course of a year, which computes to 20 hours per year per Institutional Coordinator (40 hours per week × 50 weeks per year × .01). With 615 schools expected to participate in the SED in both 2028 and 2029, the estimated annual burden to Institutional Coordinators of administering the SED is 12,300 hours per survey cycle.

Therefore, the total burden for the SED is estimated to be 31,210 (18,910 + 12,300) hours each for the 2028 and 2029 survey cycles. NCSES estimates that the average annual burden for the 2028 and 2029 survey cycles over the course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no more than 20,807 hours [(31,210 hours + 31,210 hours)/3 years].

Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the NCSES, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the NCSES's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, use, and clarity of the information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

91 FR 67614