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Research Guides

Dissertations and Theses

Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)

Doctoral graduates are invited to participate in the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED).

The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is an annual census conducted since 1957 of all individuals receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. institution in a given academic year. The SED is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and by three other federal agencies: the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and National Endowment for the Humanities. The SED collects information on the doctoral recipient's educational history, demographic characteristics, and postgraduation plans. Results are used to assess characteristics of the doctoral population and trends in doctoral education and degrees.

The survey is voluntary; however, the information for the NSF Survey is of particular importance to establishing statistical data which assists The Graduate Center with funding and grants. The data from this survey are also used by policy-makers in government and universities when making decisions about funding graduate education, developing new programs, and supporting existing ones. All information collected will be aggregated and kept confidential. The most recent SED national results are located on the NSF website.

How to participate

  • Register online to participate in the survey. After you register, you will receive a PIN and password with a link to the survey.
  • After you complete the survey, you will receive a certificate of completion. You can enter up to two email addresses where you would like the notification of completion to be sent to or forward the email notification. Please send all notifications to institutionalresearch@gc.cuny.edu.

If you have questions related to the SED, please contact 1-877-256-8167 or email sed@rti.org. You can also view the current and past versions of the survey questionnaire.