Survey of Doctorate Recipients
The Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) provides demographic, education, and career history information from individuals with a U.S. research doctoral degree in a science, engineering, or health field. The SDR is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation and by the National Institutes of Health. Conducted since 1973, the SDR is a unique source of information about the educational and occupational achievements and career movement of U.S.-trained doctoral scientists and engineers in the United States and abroad.
Survey Description
Questionnaires
Overview: SDR
This overview provides a brief introduction to the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, general details on the type of information collected, and how to access the data.
- Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2008
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 13-302 | December 20, 2012 - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2006(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 09-317 | August 4, 2009 (Revised: March 9, 2011) - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2003(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 06-320 | May 25, 2006 (Revised: March 9, 2011) - Doctoral Scientists and Engineers: 2001 Profile Tables(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 04-312 | April 29, 2004 - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the US: 2001(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 03-310 | March 12, 2003 - Doctoral Scientists and Engineers: 1999 Profiles(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 03-302 | November 27, 2002 - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the US: 1999(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 02-328 | August 29, 2002 - Doctoral Scientists and Engineers: 1997 Profile Tables(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 02-320 | May 29, 2002 - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the US: 1997(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 00-308 | January 21, 2000 - Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the US: 1995 Profile(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 99-305 | January 5, 1999 - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the US: 1995(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 97-319 | November 4, 1997 - Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the US: 1993(A)
Detailed Statistical Tables | NSF 96-302 | May 1, 1996 - See more in Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers with U.S. Doctorates →
- Science and Engineering State Profiles
- State Profiles is an interactive website providing access to state-level data on science and engineering (S&E) personnel and finances and state rankings. State Profiles displays up to 7 state profiles of the user’s choice. Data are available from surveys sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation on employed science, engineering, or health (SEH) doctorate holders; S&E doctorates awarded, including by major S&E fields; SEH graduate students and postdoctorates; federal research and development obligations by agency and performer; state government agency R&D expenditures; total and business R&D performance; and higher education R&D performance, including by major S&E fields. Data available from other sources include population, civilian labor force, per capita personal income, federal expenditures, patents, small business innovation research awards, and gross domestic product. All data are available for download. Data cover 2003 to present.
Because of the time it takes to produce and post the Science and Engineering State Profiles data set, some source data may have been updated since these profiles were created. See the source data for the most up-to-date information.
(A): Archived Publication
- U.S. Residing Doctoral Scientists and Engineers Report Modest Professional Impacts from the Coronavirus Pandemic: Findings from the 2021 Survey of Doctorate Recipients
InfoBriefs | NSF 23-318 | January 27, 2023 - Labor Force Transitions of U.S.-Trained Doctoral Scientists and Engineers: Findings from a New Longitudinal Panel
InfoBriefs | NSF 22-327 | June 1, 2022 - Where Are They Now? Most Early Career U.S.-Trained S&E Doctorate Recipients with Temporary Visas at Graduation Stay and Work in the United States after Graduation
InfoBriefs | NSF 21-336 | August 19, 2021 - Number of Women with U.S. Doctorates in Science, Engineering, or Health Employed in the United States More Than Doubles since 1997
InfoBriefs | NSF 19-307 | February 12, 2019 - The 2015 Survey of Doctorate Recipients Expands Its Population Coverage and Reporting on Field of Study
InfoBriefs | NSF 17-319 | June 28, 2017 - Unemployment among Doctoral Scientists and Engineers Remained Below the National Average in 2013
InfoBriefs | NSF 14-317 | September 11, 2014 - Employment Decisions of U.S. and Foreign Doctoral Graduates: A Comparative Study
InfoBriefs | NSF 15-302 | December 4, 2014 - Unemployment among Doctoral Scientists and Engineers Increased but Remained Below the National Average
InfoBriefs | NSF 14-310 | April 17, 2014 - Employment and Educational Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers
InfoBriefs | NSF 13-311 | January 7, 2013 - International Mobility and Employment Characteristics among Recent Recipients of U.S. Doctorates
InfoBriefs | NSF 13-300 | October 17, 2012 - Racial and Ethnic Diversity among U.S.-Educated Science, Engineering, and Health Doctorate Recipients: Methods of Reporting Diversity(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 12-304 | January 9, 2012 - Unemployment Among Doctoral Scientists and Engineers Remained Below the National Average in 2008(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 11-308 | January 27, 2011 - Postdoc Participation of Science, Engineering, and Health Doctorate Recipients(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 08-307 | March 27, 2008 - The End of Mandatory Retirement for Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in Postsecondary Institutions: Retirement Patterns 10 Years Later(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 11-302 | December 23, 2010 - Academic Institutions of Minority Faculty with S&E Doctorates(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 06-318 | June 15, 2006 - All In a Week's Work: Workweeks of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 06-302 | December 9, 2005 - Healthy Economy Yields Even Lower Unemployment Rate for Doctoral Scientists and Engineers(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 99-340 | April 15, 1999 - Number of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers Grows by 6 percent between 1993 and 1995(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 97-305 | March 13, 1997 - For 1993, Doctoral Scientists & Engineers Report 1.6 Percent Unemployment Rate But 4.3 Percent Underemployment(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 95-307 | May 25, 1995 - What's Happening in the Labor Market for Recent S&E Ph.D. Recipients?(A)
InfoBriefs | NSF 97-321 | September 1, 1997 - See more in Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers with U.S. Doctorates →
- Most Foreign-Born S&E Doctorate Recipients Who Stay in the United States after Graduation Work in S&E Occupations
Other | NSF 22-306 | October 12, 2021 - See more in Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers with U.S. Doctorates →
- Publications Output: U.S. Trends and International Comparisons
Special Reports | NSB 2021-4 | October 28, 2021 - Science and Technology: Public Perceptions, Awareness, and Information Sources
Special Reports | NSB 2022-7 | May 4, 2022 - The STEM Labor Force of Today: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers
Special Reports | NSB 2021-2 | August 31, 2021 - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2019
Special Reports | NSF 19-304 | March 8, 2019 - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2017
Special Reports | NSF 17-310 | January 30, 2017 - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2015
Special Reports | NSF 15-311 | January 30, 2015 - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: Data Update
Special Reports | NSF 13-304 | October 31, 2014 - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: Data Update
Special Reports | NSF 13-304AB | November 14, 2013 - Older Doctoral Scientists and Engineers: Selected Labor Force Characteristics(A)
Special Reports | NSF 02-324 | August 1, 2002 - See more in Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers with U.S. Doctorates →
- Matching SDR Respondents to Investigators of NSF Awards
Working Papers | NCSES 22-211 | August 12, 2022 - Replicating the Job Importance and Job Satisfaction Latent Class Analysis from the 2017 Survey of Doctorate Recipients with the 2015 and 2019 Cycles
Working Papers | NCSES 22-208 | June 28, 2022 - Job Importance versus Job Satisfaction: A Latent Class Analysis of the 2017 Survey of Doctorate Recipients
Working Papers | NCSES 22-207 | June 28, 2022 - Trends in the Relationship between U.S. Academic Scientific Publication Output and Funding and Personnel Inputs: 1988–2011
Working Papers | NCSES 16-200 | June 16, 2016 - Research Issues in the International Migration of Highly Skilled Workers: A Perspective with Data from the United States(A)
Working Papers | SRS 07-203 | June 14, 2007 - Comparison of the National Science Foundation's Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT) with the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey (CPS)(A)
Working Papers | SRS 07-205 | August 17, 2007 - Current and Alternative Sources of Data on the Science and Engineering Workforce(A)
Working Papers | SRS 07-202 | June 8, 2007 - Design Options for SESTAT for the Current Decade: Statistical Issues(A)
Working Papers | SRS 07-201 | June 8, 2007 - See more in Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers with U.S. Doctorates →
(A): Archived Publication
- Profiles of the National Science Foundation Directorates
These Profiles highlight key trends in doctoral education, characteristics of recent doctorate recipients, and employment outcomes of early career doctorate holders for the fields of science and engineering funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
NSF has seven directorates that fund science and engineering research: Biological Sciences; Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Education and Human Resources; Engineering; Geosciences; Mathematical and Physical Sciences; and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences.
Data for this series are from the Survey of Earned Doctorates and the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, conducted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within NSF. NCSES is the nation's leading provider of data on the science and engineering enterprise.
- SESTAT: Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers in the United States
- Tabular data, generated from the SESTAT data system, provides a profile the U.S. science and engineering (S&E) workforce. The tabulations include characteristics of all U.S. scientists and engineers, employed scientists and engineers, and salaries information for scientists and engineers. Data are presented by degree field and occupation, and by characteristics such as sex, race, ethnicity, age and citizenship. Learn about the redesign of SESTAT.
- Science and Engineering Indicators
- This biennial report to Congress provides a broad base of quantitative information about U.S. science, engineering, and technology.
- Science and Engineering State Profiles
- State Profiles is an interactive website providing access to state-level data on science and engineering (S&E) personnel and finances and state rankings. State Profiles displays up to 7 state profiles of the user’s choice. Data are available from surveys sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation on employed science, engineering, or health (SEH) doctorate holders; S&E doctorates awarded, including by major S&E fields; SEH graduate students and postdoctorates; federal research and development obligations by agency and performer; state government agency R&D expenditures; total and business R&D performance; and higher education R&D performance, including by major S&E fields. Data available from other sources include population, civilian labor force, per capita personal income, federal expenditures, patents, small business innovation research awards, and gross domestic product. All data are available for download. Data cover 2003 to present.
Because of the time it takes to produce and post the Science and Engineering State Profiles data set, some source data may have been updated since these profiles were created. See the source data for the most up-to-date information.
- Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in S&E
- This series presents trends in the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering fields. Topics include higher-education enrollments, degrees, institutions, and financial support and employment status, occupations, sectors, and salaries.
Lynn Milan
Survey Manager
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
(703) 292-2275
Last Updated: January 2023
