Download or read book A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States (2-volume set with CD) - Prepublication Version written by and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-09-28 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States provides an unparalleled dataset that can be used to assess the quality and effectiveness of doctoral programs based on measures important to faculty, students, administrators, funders, and other stakeholders. The data, collected for the 2005-2006 academic year from more than 5,000 doctoral programs at 212 universities, cover such characteristics as faculty publications, grants, and awards; student GRE scores, financial support, and employment outcomes; and program size, time to degree, and faculty composition. Measures of faculty and student diversity are also included. In addition to the data, the report contains illustrative ranges of rankings for each program, as well as ranges of rankings for three dimensions of program quality: research activity, student support and outcomes, and diversity of the academic environment. Accompanying the report is a comprehensive Data Table in Excel and a detailed explanation of the methodology used to collect data and calculate ranges of rankings. All three of these publications-the two reports and the Data Table spreadsheet-are available to be downloaded from this site free of charge and purchased as a set of two printed volumes and a CD. As an aid to users, the Data Table is offered with demonstrations of some Excel features that may enhance the usability of the spreadsheet, such as hiding and unhiding columns, copying and pasting columns to a new worksheet, and filtering and sorting data. Also provided with the Data Table are a set of scenarios that show how typical users may wish to extract data from the spreadsheet. These aids are available on this site and are also included in the Data Table CD. PhDs.org, an independent web site not affiliated with the National Research Council, has incorporated data from the research-doctorate assessment into its Graduate School Guide. Users of the Guide can choose the weights assigned to the program characteristics measured by the National Research Council and others, and rank graduate programs according to their own priorities.