A "knowledge society" relies on a workforce with high-level skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Continuing development of ICT will arise partly from research undertaken by doctoral graduates. However, compared to other cognate disciplines, ICT has relatively few students taking up doctoral studies. This article…

For over 25 years, independent researchers have warned of an impending shortage of the special education (SE) faculty who staff the nation's institutions of higher education (IHEs). "The 2001 Faculty Shortage Study" (Smith, Pion, Tyler, Sindelar, & Rosenberg, 2001), which documented the imbalance between the supply of and demand for SE leadership…

"Research Universities and the Future of America" presents critically important strategies for ensuring that our nation's research universities contribute strongly to America's prosperity, security, and national goals. Widely considered the best in the world, our nation's research universities today confront significant financial…

Provides a summary of research and graduate study activities at 227 U.S. and Canadian engineering colleges. Included is information on the number of faculty and students; degree requirements; degree granted; research areas; and research expenditures of each institution. Presents indices by fields of graduate study and areas of research. (YP)

Dissertations have been an important aspect of doctoral degrees for many years. However, some educators feel that dissertations are an outdated and ineffective part of the doctoral program. A study examined the role dissertations play in doctoral programs. Questionnaires sent to educational administration faculty at the University of Arkansas,…

Science is many things to many people: a way of thinking and an activity of individuals in the laboratory; a highly structured institution that recruits, instructs, and regulates its members; and a sensitive, interactive, and integrated segment of modern culture and society. This book presents an introduction to these aspects of science from the…

Discussed is the projected shortage of Ph.D.s in the natural sciences and engineering by the turn of the century. Included are reasons for the shortage and three ways to reduce the projected shortages. Topics discussed include a complete federal strategy, attracting more minorities and women, and institutional reform. (KR)

At Western Michigan University, the Graduate Center for Research, Writing, and Proposal Development sustains both doctoral students and graduate advising faculty through the doctoral dissertation process and represents one best practices approach that promotes persistence in graduate education--an especially important benefit, given the national…

This examination of the literature on doctoral programs, dissertations, and graduates in library and information science identifies trends in the establishment and development of these programs, as well as overriding themes in the literature during three time periods based on the publication of the landmark Danton report in 1959. (CLB)

Described is the need for the development of innovative continuous programs that reach minority students at an early age. The importance of mentors for minority students is stressed at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Reasons for the underrepresentation of minorities in the sciences and engineering are discussed. (KR)

Data from three national surveys were analyzed to examine: (1) the rapid growth in postdoctoral activity; (2) the changing motivations of postdoctorals; (3) qualitative shifts in the postdoctoral population; and (4) possible changes in the character and quality of the postdoctoral experience. (JN)

Presents statistical data on chemistry and chemical engineering departments for the 1988-89 academic year. Provides tables for departments offering approved programs, degrees awarded by schools, and trends during the last five years. (YP)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) first announced the Presidential Young Investigator (PYI) awards program in January 1983 as part of the Fiscal Year 1984 budget submitted by the President to Congress. This program addresses the growing faculty shortages in highly competitive fields of engineering and science. The PYI awards represent a…

Examines the supply and national origin of the holders and near-holders of engineering doctorates who applied to one university engineering department in which extramural research has been emphasized. Compares them with national data on doctoral recipients. (TW)

This report presents recommendations for best practices in graduate education, especially Ph.D. or doctoral programs. Discussion of the national perspective reviews trends, including the rapid growth of graduate education since World War II, the large number of Ph.D.s awarded by U.S. universities to foreign students, and the increasing number of…