Assessment of Quality-related Characteristics of Research-doctorate Programs in the United States, 1982

<p>This study attempts to compare the quality of programs in 32 disciplines and from more than 200 doctorate-granting universities. No study as comprehensive has been undertaken since 1970 when the Roose-Anderson report, A Rating of Graduate Programs was published. The sponsor of the current study, the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils (comprised of the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Council on Education, the National Research Council and the Social Science Research Council) is quick to admit that there are problems with assessment and that like earlier assessments, it is open to criticism. However, the Conference Board does feel that they have made every effort to be fair, unbiased and objective, using the following measures to determine excellence: program size; characteristics of graduates; reputational survey results; university library size; research support; publication records. Each of these measures was in turn broken down into still more specific measures (e.g. number of faculty members, number of program graduates, number of full-time and part-time graduates,etc). The five volumes included in this study are divided into 1) Engineering, 2) Humanities, 3) Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 4) Social and Behavioral Sciences, and 5) Biological Sciences.</p>