American Historical Association

The Education of Historians for the Twenty-first Century

Appendix C: Survey Instrument and Numerical Results, AHA Survey of Doctoral Programs in History (Spring 2001)

Note: The format of the questionnaire has been altered somewhat for inclusion in this report. A copy of the questionnaire as distributed is available from the AHA Web site at http://www.theaha.org/grad-survey/grad-survey.pdf . Unless otherwise indicated, all results are based on 105 survey responses and averages are presented as means. Some results do not add up to 100 percent because of rounding. Narrative responses are only summarized in those cases where there was a clear pattern to the responses.

Home Acknowledgements Intro Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Biblography Index

Section I: About Your Department

      I.1. Please use the grid below to indicate how many full-time faculty members were employed by your department during the 2000-2001 academic year, how many part-time faculty members were employed by the department, and how many of each group had responsibilities for teaching and/or advising graduate students. (For these purposes, a tenured or tenure-track faculty member with a joint appointment should be considered "full-time"; emeritus faculty members who teach but do not carry a full course load should be considered "non-tenure-track" and "part-time.") [N = 101]

 

      I.2A. In the past five years, has the size of your department (calculated in FTE's) grown? 35% larger, 20% smaller, 44% remained about the same, 1% no answer

      

      I.2B. In the past five years, has the number of faculty members who teach and/or advise graduate students grown? 38% larger, 18% smaller, 43% remained about the same, 1% no answer

      

      I.3. In your department, what are the minimum requirements to be a member of the graduate faculty (i.e., be allowed to teach and/or advise graduate students)?

      

      I.4. Does your department have a terminal master's program (or programs) in addition to its doctoral program? (74% yes, 26% no) If Yes, list these other master's program(s).

      

      Note: Questions 5 through 11 pertain to all of the graduate education that takes place in your department.

      

      I.5A. How many enrolled graduate students did your department have during the 2000-2001 academic year? (range: 11-300, mean: 81, median: 60) 61% Check here if that number includes graduate students enrolled in a terminal master's degree program.

      

      I.5B. How many undergraduate history majors did your department have during the 2000-2001 academic year? (range: 0-1,356, mean: 285, median: 226)

      

      I.6. Taking into consideration all of the instructional activities carried out by your department (classes, preparation, advising, etc.), what percentage of the department's instructional time would you say is devoted to graduate students? 3% 10% or less, 40% between 10% and 25%, 49% between 25% and 50%, 2% more than 50%, 3% more than 75%, 1% don't know, 3% no answer

      

      I.7. Taking into consideration all of the administrative activities carried out by your department (faculty meetings, committee meetings, preparing reports, etc.), what percentage of the department's administrative time would you say is devoted to its graduate program? 7% 10% or less, 38% between 10% and 25%, 42% between 25% and 50%, 5% more than 50%, 4% more than 75%, 2% don't know, 3% no answer

      

      I.8. In your department, is training graduate students considered to be 20% more important than teaching undergraduates, 7% less important than teaching undergraduates, or 68% just about as important as teaching undergraduates? (2% don't know, 4% no answer)

      

      I.9. Within the past five years, has your department conducted an internal evaluation of its graduate program(s)? (67% yes, 31% no, 2% don't know, 1% no answer) Is your department planning to conduct an internal evaluation during the next five years? (49% yes, 17% no, 16% don't know, 18% no answer) If Yes to either question, what prompted the evaluation?

      

      I.10. Within the past five years, has your department undergone an external evaluation of its graduate program(s)? (54% yes, 41% no, 3% don't know, 2% no answer) If Yes, who conducted the evaluation (graduate school, visiting committee, state or regional accrediting board, etc.)?

      

      I.11. Compared to five years ago, would you say that graduate training in your department receives 51% more attention, 11% less attention, or 35% about the same level of attention from the administration (graduate school, division, etc.) of your university? (1% don't know, 2% no answer) If there has been a change, what do you think is/are the reason(s)?

      

      I.12. Please describe the main goals of your department's doctoral program.

      

      I.13. Is there consensus about these goals among the faculty members in your department who teach and/or advise doctoral students? (91% yes, 4% no, 3% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      I.14. Do you think the main goals of your department's doctoral program are being met? (90% yes, 4% no, 4% don't know, 3% no answer)

 

Section II: Recruitment/Admission of Graduate Students

      II.1. In the spaces below, tell us about the size and composition of the most recent cohort of students admitted to your doctoral program (i.e., students admitted during the 2000-2001 academic year who intend to begin their studies in fall 2001). If your department has separate doctoral and master's programs, do not include the students explicitly admitted to a terminal master's degree program. Do include all graduate students who apply to your department with the expectation of continuing through to a doctoral degree.

      

 

      II.1B. Entering doctoral students only:

Gender:      54% male      based on the entire entering cohort                   46% female }      as described by 101 respondents

      Race/ethnic origin:

      African American (range: 0-10, median: 0, total: 59)

      Asian/Pacific American (N = 91 surveys; range: 0-9, Median: 0, total: 63)

      Caucasian (range: 0-41, median: 6, total: 682)

      Latino/a (range: 0-12, median: 0, total: 64)

      Native American (range: 0-2, median: 0, total: 9)

      *Other (range: 0-33, median: 0, total: 84)

      [*Includes at least one program that refused to characterize the racial/ethnic origin of its students.]

      

      Citizenship:      U.S. (range: 0-40, mean: 9.15, median: 8)

            Non-U.S. (N = 99 surveys; range: 0-12, mean: 1.67,             median: 1)

      

      Intended field(s) of geographic specialization (N = 95 surveys):

       2.2%      Africa       4.8%      Asia

       27.3%      Europe        5.9%      Latin America

       2.0%      Middle East       49.3%      North America

       1.4%      World       7.2%      Region unspecified

      

      II.2. Are doctoral students generally admitted to your department with an intended area of geographic specialization? (91% yes, 9% no) What other fields of specialization do you offer the entering students?

      

      II.3. Considering the graduate cohorts that your department has admitted during the past five years, would you consider the cohort of entering students described above as typical? (50% yes, 43% no, 4% don't know, 3% no answer) If No, how is it different?

      

      II.4. During the past five years, would you say that the pool of applicants for graduate study in your department has gotten 37% better in quality, 21% worse, or 37% remained about the same? (5% no answer) If there has been a change, what do you think is/are the reason(s)? [Larger doctoral programs—based on graduate enrollment and Ph.D. production—were more likely to report that the pool of applicants had become worse. By region, the doctoral programs in the Southeast were significantly more likely to make this complaint. No clear difference emerged between public and private institutions.]

      

      II.5. During the past five years, has recruiting graduate students for your department become 54% harder, 10% easier, 31% or remained about as difficult? (1% don't know, 4% no answer) If there has been a change, what do you think is/are the reason(s)?

      

      II.6. Does your department make any special efforts to recruit female graduate students? (23% yes, 74% no, 3% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

      

      II.7. Does your department make any special efforts to recruit minority graduate students? (73% yes, 20% no, 7% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

      

      II.8. As part of the admissions process for potential doctoral students, which of the following does your department require or recommend? (check all that apply)

 

      II.9. Does your department admit part-time students to its doctoral program? (66% yes, 31% no, 3% no answer)

      

      II.10. In general, would you say that the faculty members in your department are satisfied with the recruitment and selection of entering graduate students? (47% yes, 43% no, 6% don't know, 4% no answer) If No, why not?

      

      II.11. In the past five years, has your department made any changes in the way it recruits or admits graduate students to its doctoral program? (70% yes, 28% no, 1% don't know, 1% no answer) Do you anticipate any changes in the next few years? (42% yes, 34% no, 18% don't know, 6% no answer) If Yes to either question, briefly describe the changes.

 

Section III: Funding and Financial Support

      III.1. What is the full cost of tuition for a year of graduate study in your department? (Please distinguish, as necessary, between in-state and out-of-state tuition charges, charges for pre- and post-general examination graduate students, etc.)

 

      III.2. Consider the "entering doctoral students" that you described in the previous section of this survey.

      

      III.2A. How many of these students will receive financial aid (of any sort) during their first year of study? 79% [Ninety-one percent for private institutions, 75% for public institutions.]

      

      III.2B. What kinds of aid will they receive? (check all that apply)

       89%      tuition aid/remission?

       68%      stipend?

       19%      guaranteed loan?

       75%      teaching assistantship?

       34%      research assistantship?

       34%      other financial assistance?

      

      III.2C. Use this grid to describe the range of outright awards (i.e., not loans or employment offers) made to the entering cohort of graduate students. [Respondents were asked to list the highest award, the lowest award, and the average award.]

 

      III.2D. Considering the graduate cohorts that your department has admitted during the past five years and the aid packages they were offered, is this a typical year of financial aid packages? (60% yes, 30% no, 2% don't know, 8% no answer) If No, how is it different?

      

      III.3. If a student is admitted without aid, will they typically receive aid at a later point? (57% yes, 24% no, 1% don't know, 18% no answer). If Yes, when? [mode: second year] [Thirty-one percent of doctoral programs at private institutions answered "yes" to this question versus 67% of the programs at public institutions.]

      

      III.4. Do you think that entering graduate students have a realistic sense of the costs that they will incur on the way to a doctoral degree? (2% always, 54% usually, 27% sometimes, 5% rarely, 0% never, 9% don't know, 4% no answer)

      

      III.5. Are entering students routinely provided with information about the following financial aspects of graduate school? (check all that apply)

       89%      the history department's financial aid policies

       78%      the graduate school's/university's financial aid policies

       83%      opportunities for subsequent employment as T.A.'s or R.A.'s

       38%      the availability of guaranteed loans

       38%      the availability of government grants

       32%      the availability of outside (private) grants

       50%      cost of living information for the community

       70%      information about health insurance costs

       35%      opportunities for summer employment (or other financial assistance)

       11%      employment opportunities for partners/spouses

       7%      other

      

      III.6A. How many years of guaranteed funding do you typically offer entering graduate students? [range: 0-6 years, mean: 3.5 years, median: 4 years] [Large doctoral programs (i.e., those producing an average of eight or more Ph.D.'s per year over the past five years) offer an average of 4.1 years of funding versus 3 years for small doctoral programs (i.e., those producing fewer than three Ph.D.'s annually during the past five years). Departments at private institutions offer an average of 4.2 years of funding versus 3.2 years for departments at public institutions.]

      

      III.6B. Are continuing students typically offered 56% single-year aid packages or 31% multiyear aid packages? If multiyear packages, how many years does the aid package cover? [mode: 4 years]

      

      III.6C. Can students exhaust their financial aid eligibility? (81% yes, 6% no, 8% don't know, 6% no answer) If Yes, at what point does this happen? [range: 3-6 years, mode: 5 years]

      

      III.7. What percentage of graduate students in your doctoral program have outside (private, state, or federal) fellowships? 13% (feel free to approximate) [N = 89; responses averaged]

      

      III.8. What form(s) of financial assistance are available to continuing graduate students after their first year? (check all that apply)

       83%      tuition aid/remission

       70%      stipends

       52%      merit fellowships (awarded by department)

       58%      merit fellowships (awarded by graduate school or institution)

       57%      research assistantships

       92%      teaching assistantships

       41%      other program-related employment

       38%      guaranteed loans

       33%      free health care/health insurance

       21%      subsidized housing

       8%      other

      

      III.9. History departments rely on a variety of criteria for awarding funds to their graduate students. Which criteria play a significant role in your department's decision-making? (check all that apply and then circle the most important factor) [Twenty-eight percent of respondents did not indicate the "most important" factor.]

       96%      academic merit [63% marked this as "most important"]

       61%      assessment of future potential in the profession [7%]

       25%      financial need

       46%      incumbency (i.e., how long the student has been enrolled)

       19%      field of specialization

       32%      the history department's teaching needs [1%]

       52%      diversity issues

       5%      other

      

      III.10. In your department, who makes the decisions about graduate student financial aid? (check all that apply and circle the most important decision-maker) [Nineteen percent of respondents did not indicate the "most important" decision-maker.]

       28%      the department chair [2% marked this as "most important"]

       54%      the DGS [11%]

       79%      a faculty committee [55%]

       18%      faculty members in the student's particular field [2%]

       25%      the faculty as a whole [8%]

       26%      the graduate school/dean/administration [3%]

       8%      other [1%]

      

      III.11. Does your department (or institution) have special provisions for funding graduate students who are not U.S. citizens and thus are ineligible for some varieties of financial aid? (14% yes, 75% no, 8% don't know, 6% not applicable/no answer) If Yes, what are these provisions?

      

      III.12. These six questions are about the debts that graduate students may incur while studying for a doctoral degree. Please provide approximate answers if you do not have precise data available to you.

      

      III.12A. Does your department maintain information about the debt levels of its graduate students? (3% yes, 92% no, 4% don't know, 2% not applicable/no answer)

      

      III.12B. About how many graduate students in your program rely on loans to finance all or part of their studies? 44.5% percent [Average based on 30 responses.]

      

      III.12C. About how many graduate students in your program rely on consumer debt (e.g., credit cards) to finance part of their studies? 22.5% percent [Average based on 8 responses.]

      

      III.12D. How much debt, on average, do graduate students carry into your department from their undergraduate studies? $3,336 [Average based on 6 responses.]

      

      III.12E. How much debt, on average, do graduate students incur while enrolled in your doctoral program? $14,547 [Average based on 11 responses.]

      

      III.12F. Do you think that graduate students in your program incur excessive debt on the way to completing their degrees? (0% always, 9% usually, 29% sometimes, 15% rarely, 3% never, 41% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      III.13A. Given the cost of living in your area, do you think that your department is able to offer an adequate financial aid package to most of its graduate students? (42% yes, 52% no, 1% don't know, 5% not applicable/no answer)

      

      III.13B. Will the typical financial aid package fully support a single parent and child? (4% yes, 85% no, 8% don't know, 4% not applicable/no answer)

      

      III.13C. Will it fully support a married graduate student with a family? (0% yes, 90% no, 7% don't know, 3% not applicable/no answer)

      

      III.14. Is additional funding available for foreign language training? (43% yes, 55% no, 2% no answer) If Yes, list the source(s).

      

      III.15. Is additional funding available for computer, multimedia, or other technical training? (17% yes, 81% no, 2% no answer) If Yes, list the source(s).

      

      III.16. Is additional funding available for dissertation travel/research? (92% yes, 5% no, 3% no answer) If Yes, list the source(s).

      

      III.17. About how many graduate students in your department receive outside funding for dissertation travel/research? [range: 0-100%, mean: 25%, N = 97]

      

      III.18. What concerns, if any, do the graduate students in your department raise about funding issues? Have these concerns changed in the past five years?

      

      III.19. In general, would you say that faculty members in your department are satisfied with the way graduate students are funded? (30% yes, 59% no, 8% don't know, 1% no answer) If No, why not?

      

      III.20. In the past five years, has your department implemented any changes in the funding of graduate students? (60% yes, 31% no, 1% don't know, 8% no answer) Do you anticipate any changes in the next few years? (35% yes, 30% no, 17% don't know, 18% no answer) If Yes to either question, briefly describe the change(s).

      

      III.21. What do you think is the most important issue facing the historical profession when it comes to funding graduate students?

      

      III.22. What do you think the AHA can do to change (and improve) the funding of graduate students in history? [In general, responses to this question fell into one of five categories: (1) the AHA cannot do very much; (2) it should lobby the government (at state and federal levels); (3) it should create fellowships of its own or encourage corporations and foundations to do so; (4) it should act as an information-gathering agency; (5) it should apply moral persuasion to departments, administrators, and others, perhaps in the form of suggested funding guidelines.]

 

Section IV: Sharing Information and Expectations

      IV.1. Do you think the graduate students in your department have a clear understanding of the formal requirements for completing your doctoral program? (15% always, 75% usually, 8% sometimes, 0% rarely, 0% never, 0% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      IV.2. Do the graduate students express concern about the formal requirements of the doctoral program? (50% yes, 43% no, 4% don't know, 3% no answer) If Yes, what concerns do they express? [According to the respondents, the most common concerns among graduate students revolve around foreign-language requirements and comprehensive exams.]

      

      IV.3. Do you think the faculty members in your department have a clear understanding of the formal requirements of your doctoral program? (10% always, 59% usually, 24% sometimes, 6% rarely, 0% never, 0% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      IV.4. Do the faculty members express concern about the formal requirements of the doctoral program? (49% yes, 45% no, 5% don't know, 1% no answer) If Yes, what concerns do they express? [Respondents at public institutions were more likely to note faculty concerns than were their colleagues at private institutions, 53% versus 38%. According to the narrative responses, the most common causes of faculty dissatisfaction are: (1) the nature, timing, and commensurability (across fields) of comprehensive exams; (2) the difficult balance between disciplinary breadth and a timely dissertation; and (3) foreign language requirements.]

      

      IV.5. How do the graduate students in your department learn about the formal requirements of the doctoral program? (check all that apply, then circle the most important source of information) [Forty-one percent of respondents did not indicate the "most important" factor.]

       97%      history department publication (student handbook, etc.) [25% marked this as "most important"]

       72%      university publications [1%]

       90%      history department Web site [5%]

       46%      university Web site [0%]

       82%      orientation (or other) meetings held by the department [3%]

       81%      formal meeting(s) with the director of graduate studies [10%]

       93%      informal interactions with the director of graduate studies [4%]

       89%      research/dissertation advisors [2%]

       46%      mentors (i.e., other faculty members with a formal responsibility to advise graduate students) [7%]

       54%      other faculty members [0%]

       89%      other graduate students [1%]

       47%      graduate student organizations (including unions) [0%]

       0%      don't know [0%]

       10%      other [3%; in all cases, "other" = administrative staff]

      

      IV.6. In the past five years, have there been any changes in the formal requirements of your doctoral program? (71% yes, 27% no, 1% don't know, 1% no answer) Do you anticipate any changes in the next few years? (32% yes, 37% no, 20% don't know, 14% no answer) If Yes to either question, briefly describe the change(s).

      

      IV.7. Moving beyond formal program and degree requirements, do you think the graduate students in your department have a clear sense of what the faculty expect from them as students? (1% always, 78% usually, 19% sometimes, 0% rarely, 0% never, 0% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      IV.8. Do you think that faculty members' expectations about the performance of the graduate students in your department have changed in the past five years? (35% yes, 53% no, 9% don't know, 3% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the change(s). [Of 34 narrative responses to this question, 33 indicated that expectations had risen during the past five years.]

      

      IV.9. Do you think that faculty members in your department have a clear sense of what the graduate students expect from them as teachers and advisors? (70% always, 24% usually, 1% sometimes, 1% rarely, 0% never, 1% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      IV.10. Do you think that graduate students' expectations about the faculty in your department have changed in the past five years? (17% yes, 49% no, 31% don't know, 3% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the change(s). [The most common narrative response was that students "expect more mentoring" now than in the past.]

 

Section V: Completion and Attrition Patterns

      V.1. Does your institution collect formal data on graduate student completion and attrition rates? (52% yes, 27% no, 19% don't know, 2% no answer)

      

      V.2. How does your department obtain information about the completion and attrition patterns of its own graduate students? (check all that apply)

       44%      formal data collection

       66%      informal reporting

       10%      exit interviews

       5%      other

       10%      we don't obtain this information

       2%      don't know

       5%      no answer

      

      V.3. Use the grid to describe the completion and attrition patterns of graduate students in your department in the last decade. At each stage, you should indicate how many students from a typical cohort of entering graduate students are still actively pursuing doctoral degrees. It is not necessary to provide a detailed numerical breakdown, but please give us the best estimates you can.

 

      [Question V.3 did not yield statistically reliable data. The only firm conclusion that can be drawn from the survey responses is that students are more likely to depart from doctoral training early rather than later—that is, during the first year of a doctoral program and just before or after general/qualifying examinations.]

      

      V.4. Based on the experience of graduate students who entered your department in recent years, what percentage of the graduate students entering in fall 2001 do you expect will complete a Ph.D.? [range: 10-100%, mean: 65%, N = 86]. Just complete a master's degree? [range: 1-100%, mean: 59%, N = 59] [Doctoral programs at public institutions and smaller doctoral programs have higher implicit attrition rates. On average, respondents at private institutions expected a completion rate for the Ph.D. of 81% versus 59% at public institutions. Respondents from large doctoral programs (i.e., those producing an average of eight or more Ph.D.'s per year over the past five years) expected a completion rate for Ph.D.'s of 70% versus 61% at smaller programs. Finally, respondents from doctoral programs in the upper two quartiles of the 1993 National Research Council rankings expected a completion rate of 72% versus programs in the bottom two quartiles.]

      

      V.5. What is the average time to complete a Ph.D. degree in your department (from the time that a graduate student enters the department)? [range: 4-11 years, mean: 6.9 years, median: 7 years, N = 90]

      

      V.6. Compare the history department to other departments that train doctoral students at your institution. Are history graduate students: 4% more likely to leave before completing a doctoral degree, 16% less likely to leave before completing a doctoral degree, or 18% just about as likely? (50% don't know, 11% not applicable/no answer)

      

      V.7. Based on your department's experience during the past few years, are female graduate students 4% more likely, 10% less likely, or 68% about as likely as male graduate students to leave the department before completing a doctoral degree? (13% don't know, 9% no answer)

      

      V.8. Based on your department's experience during the past few years, are minority graduate students 14% more likely, 15% less likely, or 47% about as likely as other graduate students to leave the department before completing a doctoral degree? (13% don't know, 10% no answer)

      

      V.9. What do you think is/are the main reason(s) graduate students leave your department before completing their degrees? (check all that apply, then circle the most important reason) [Thirty-five percent of respondents did not indicate a "most important" reason.]

       68%      financial strain of graduate school [13% marked this as "most important"]

       90%      personal reasons [22%]

       66%      family reasons [4%]

       41%      inadequate preparation for graduate school [2%]

       63%      unable to do the level of work expected by our department [9%]

       14%      foreign language requirements [0%]

       29%      they switch to another school [0%]

       17%      they switch to another academic field [0%]

       64%      they decide to pursue another career [11%]

       52%      pessimism about career opportunities for historians [2%]

       8%      dissatisfied with intellectual content of program [2%]

       18%      dissatisfied with advisor/can't find an advisor [0%]

       4%      dissatisfied with other faculty members [0%]

       3%      dissatisfied with other graduate students [0%]

       3%      dissatisfied with other aspects of the program [0%]

       9%      don't know [0%]

       10%      other [2%] [The two reasons listed under "other" as most important were "[students] don't finish the dissertation" and "inability to complete dissertation[s], primarily because they find full-time employment during dissertation-writing phase."]

      

      V.10. In the past five years, has your department made any special efforts to retain students once they enter graduate school? (46% yes, 47% no, 4% don't know, 4% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe. [According to the narrative responses, the most important changes have been increased funding and closer attention to formal mentoring arrangements, though many respondents also noted general revisions to their graduate programs—such as revamping field requirements—that had a secondary effect of reducing attrition.]

 

Section VI: Graduate Curricula, Exams, and Dissertations

      VI.1. In the 2000-2001 academic year, how many graduate courses did your department offer? (please count each course just ONCE) [Results are given as arithmetical averages.]

       16      combined undergraduate/graduate courses [range: 0-61]

       3      graduate lecture courses [range: 0-36]

       11      graduate seminars [range: 0-47]

       4      graduate research seminars [range: 0-26]

       9      independent reading courses [range: 0-60]

       5      independent research courses [range: 0-72]

       2      thesis preparation/prospectus-writing seminar or course [range: 0-5]

       1      other methodology/historiography/pedagogy courses (not counted above) [range: 0-5]

      <1 other [range: 0­13]

      49 total number of courses [range: 7­164]

VI.2. Looking back over the past five years, would you consider this a typical year of graduate course offerings in terms of both number and variety? (84% yes, 10% no, 3% don't know, 3% no answer) If No, please explain.

VI.3A. How many courses (or credits of coursework) are students required to complete for a Ph.D. degree in your department? Courses: [range: 4­27, mean: 14, N = 32] Credits: [range: 30­135, mean: 60.5, N = 48]

VI.3B. Does your department have a course (or courses) that all doctoral students are required to take? (79% yes, 20% no, 0% don't know, 1% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

VI.4. Would you say that faculty members in your department are 10% very satisfied, 62% somewhat satisfied, 23% somewhat dissatisfied, or 2% unsatisfied with the current number and variety of graduate course offerings? (2% don't know, 2% no answer) If "somewhat dissatisfied" or "unsatisfied," what would they like to see changed? [Most of the narrative responses to this question were a variation on the theme "Faculty would like to offer more graduate seminars in fields of specialization."]

VI.5. Would you say that graduate students in your department are 4% very satisfied, 63% somewhat satisfied, 25% somewhat dissatisfied, or 1% unsatisfied with the current number and variety of graduate course offerings? (6% don't know, 2% no answer) If "somewhat dissatisfied" or "unsatisfied," what would they like to see changed? [A typical narrative response to this question was "doctoral students would like more reading seminars and more variety"; several respondents also noted student dissatisfaction with the frequency of some course offerings.]

VI.6. Within the past five years, has your department implemented any significant changes in the number and/or variety of its graduate course offerings? (57% yes, 40% no, 1% don't know, 2% no answer) Do you anticipate any changes in the next few years? (32% yes, 37% no, 17% don't know, 13% no answer). If Yes to either question, briefly describe the change(s).

VI.7. For each of the subdisciplines or approaches to history listed (see grid), please indicate if graduate courses are available or unavailable in your department, whether students are required to take a course in the area, and whether the students are encouraged or discouraged to take a course in the area (if students are neither encouraged nor discouraged, do not check either box). We are not interested in the chronological or geographical focus of the courses, just the historical approaches that are engaged. For the purposes of this question, a course is "available" if it has been offered within the past three years or will be offered in the next three years.

VI.8. We are also interested in learning more about the opportunities that graduate students in history have for interdisciplinary education. The grid contains a list of various interdisciplinary opportunities that a graduate student might pursue as part of his/her training. In each case, please check whether the indicated activity is required, encouraged, allowed, discouraged, or not accepted by your department.

Question VI.8: Interdisciplinary opportunities for graduate students

 

VI.9A. What foreign language requirement(s) does your department have for doctoral students? (Be sure to indicate if different fields of specialization have different requirements.) [Typically, one language for graduate students in U.S. history, 2 languages (or more) in other fields]

VI.9B. Has the language requirement changed within the past five years? (24% yes, 68% no, 5% don't know, 4% no answer) If Yes, describe the change. [There were 21 narrative responses to this question: 3 respondents indicated a stiffening of language requirements and 12 indicated a reduction in the requirements usually from two to one required languages for Americanists; the other responses indicated that "technical changes" had taken place.]

VI.10A. Typically, when do graduate students in your department take their general (or qualifying) examinations? [Responses ranged from "third semester" to "fifth year"; the most common answers were "the end of the second year" and "during the third year."]

VI.10B. Has this changed in the past five years, either as a matter of policy or in actuality? (14% yes, 82% no, 3% don't know, 1% no answer) If Yes, describe the change.

VI.11. How many fields are graduate students in your department asked to prepare for general examinations? Major: [range: 1­4, mode: 1, N = 97] Minor: [range: 0­3, mode: 2, N = 87] (___ Check here if your department does not require a general exam for students pursuing a doctorate. In the space below, briefly describe the evaluation procedure(s) that take the place of general exams in your department.) [No respondent checked this option.]

VI.12. Do you require 11% a written examination, 12% an oral examination, or 73% both? (3% no answer)

VI.13. The following questions relate to the minor examination field(s).

VI.13A. Are all minor fields subject to a written exam? (55% yes, 43% no, 11% not applicable/no answer)

VI.13B. Are all minor fields subject to an oral exam? (56% yes, 28% no, 16% not applicable/no answer)

VI.13C. Can the written exam in a minor field be "replaced" by another qualification (e.g., a research course, a foreign language, etc.)? (15% yes, 67% no, 18% not applicable/no answer) If Yes, explain. [In 13 narrative responses, the two most common "replacements" were coursework and a research/bibliographical essay.]

VI.13D. Are students expected to be able to conduct original research in their minor field(s)? (18% yes, 65% no, 17% not applicable/no answer)

VI.13E. Are students expected to be able to teach their minor field(s) at the undergraduate level? (74% yes, 10% no, 15% not applicable/no answer)

VI.14. Are graduate students in your department provided with set bibliographies for any or all of their general examination fields? (74% always, 10% sometimes, 10% never, 15% not applicable/no answer)

VI.15. Are written guidelines available to graduate students and faculty describing the format and purpose of the general examination? (70% yes, 28% no, 3% no answer)

VI.16. For this question, consider all of the general examinations that your department has administered in the past decade or so.

VI.16A. Have you noticed a shift in the graduate students' historical interests (geographic, chronological, thematic, etc.), as reflected in their choice of examination fields? (52% yes, 28% no, 14% don't know, 6% no answer)

VI.16B. Have you noticed a shift in the faculty's interests? (52% yes, 27% no, 15% don't know, 6% no answer) If Yes to either part A or B, describe the shift(s) in the space at the end of question 16. If Yes to both A and B, indicate whether the graduate students' and faculty's interests have shifted in the same direction(s). [There is a very strong correlation between the answers to questions VI.16A and VI.16B, with more than 82% of the respondents giving the same reply to both questions.]

VI.16C. Has there been an increase in examination fields with a thematic focus (as opposed to a geographic and/or chronological focus)? (51% yes, 29% no, 8% don't know, 12% no answer)

VI.16D. Has there been an increase in examination fields with a comparative or transnational focus? (57% yes, 27% no, 9% don't know, 8% no answer) [For each part of question VI.16, respondents from large doctoral programs were significantly more likely to report a shift in the examination fields Based on the 49 narrative responses to questions VI.16A and VI.16B, the most common changes in the examinations fields have been (in order of frequency): more thematic fields; more transnational, comparative, or transatlantic fields; more cultural and social history; more "theory"; more "world history"; and less European history.]

VI.17. When it comes to the breadth and depth of their historical knowledge at the time of general examinations, would you say that graduate students in your department today are 29% more knowledgeable, 11% less knowledgeable, or 30% just about as knowledgeable as their counterparts a decade ago? (25% don't know, 6% no answer)

VI.18. In the past five years, has your department changed the number and/or character of examination fields for doctoral students? (33% yes, 61% no, 1% don't know, 5% no answer) Have you implemented any other changes to the examination process? (21% yes, 50% no, 2% don't know, 27% no answer) If Yes to either question, briefly describe the change(s).

VI.19. Would you say that faculty members in your department are 18% very satisfied, 62% somewhat satisfied, 11% somewhat dissatisfied, or 2% unsatisfied with the current approach to general exams? (4% don't know, 4% no answer) If "somewhat dissatisfied" or "unsatisfied," what would they like to see changed?

VI.20. Would you say that graduate students in your department are 14% very satisfied, 62% somewhat satisfied, 14% somewhat dissatisfied, or 1% unsatisfied with the current approach to general exams? (5% don't know, 4% no answer) If "somewhat dissatisfied" or "unsatisfied," what would they like to see changed?

VI.21. Does your department offer its graduate students training in digital, Web-based, or multimedia research methods? (21% yes, 72% no, 2% don't know, 5% no answer). Does your department offer its graduate students training in digital, Web-based, or multimedia teaching methods? (31% yes, 54% no, 2% don't know, 12% no answer)

VI.22A. Does your department require graduate students to submit a formal dissertation proposal? (87% yes, 10% no, 3% no answer) If No, skip to question 23. If Yes, at what point in the graduate program do students usually submit the proposal? [Based on 51 narrative responses to this question, the average time to submit a dissertation proposal ranges from "year 1" to "end of third year, beginning of fourth"; the most common answer was "within a semester of completing comprehensive exams."]

VI.22B. Are students required to formally defend their dissertation proposals? [N = 99]

36% yes, before a committee of faculty members

25% yes, before a committee drawn from the student's intended dissertation field

7% no

13% no, but it must be approved by the student's advisor

17% no, but it must be approved by a committee of faculty members

1% our department uses another approval procedure (please describe)

VI.23. Over the past decade or so, have the graduate students in your department been taking 7% more time to complete their dissertations, 19% less time to complete their dissertations, or 58% about the same amount of time? (11% don't know, 5% no answer). How would you explain the change, if any?

VI.24. In general, do you think the dissertations completed by students in your department today are 46% stronger, 3% weaker, or 34% about the same in quality as they were a decade ago? (17% no answer) In general, do you think the dissertations completed by all graduate students in history are 14% stronger, 9% weaker, or 40% about the same in quality as they were a decade ago? (37% no answer) How would you explain the changes, if any?

VI.25. In the past five years, has your department revised the list of research fields in which a dissertation can be submitted? (30% yes, 65% no, 1% don't know, 5% no answer) Do you anticipate making any changes in the next few years? (18% Yes, 49% No, 15% don't know, 18% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the changes. [Most of the 31 narrative responses to this question were a variation on the theme "We have revised the list of fields for study... to reflect changes in the department's personnel."]

VI.26. In the past five years, has your department made any other changes in its doctoral dissertation requirements or procedures? (23% yes, 70% no, 2% don't know, 5% no answer) Do you anticipate making any changes in the next few years? (7% yes, 55% no, 14% don't know, 24% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the changes.

VI.27. In the past five years, has your department introduced any new policies or procedures designed to reduce the average time to degree for its graduate students? (44% yes, 51% no, 5% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe. [Based on 46 narrative responses to this question, the most common new policies (in order of frequency) are: better student funding; stricter enforcement of deadlines, coupled with closer monitoring of student progress; new examination formats; more emphasis on workable dissertation proposals; more emphasis on mentoring.]

Section VII: Advising and Mentoring

Note: in this section, "advisor" refers to a faculty member with formal and primary responsibility for directing a particular graduate student's academic work (e.g., an academic advisor or dissertation supervisor.

VII.1. For each activity listed in the grid below, please check the most important source of information and assistance for the graduate students in your department. These should be the most important sources in practice, not necessarily the sources suggested in departmental guidelines or other official statements. [The responses to this question are presented as whole numbers, based on 105 questionnaires.]

 

VII.2. Which of the following best describes the way that graduate students in your department usually match up with their advisors?

21% graduate students enter the department planning to work with particular faculty members

7% graduate students are assigned to advisors

26% graduate students are initially assigned to advisors but they are expected to pick another advisor when they begin their dissertations

33% graduate students pick their own advisors

3% faculty members select the graduate students they want to advise

4% other

6% no answer

VII.3. In general, would you say that graduate students in your department are 51% very satisfied, 40% somewhat satisfied, 5% somewhat dissatisfied, or 0% unsatisfied with the current system of matching students and advisors? (3% don't know, 2% no answer) What concerns, if any, do graduate students express about the current system?

VII.4. In general, would you say that faculty members in your department are 50% very satisfied, 43% somewhat satisfied, 4% somewhat dissatisfied, or 1% unsatisfied with the current system of matching students and advisors? (1% don't know, 1% no answer) What concerns, if any, do faculty members express about the current system?

VII.5A. Do the graduate students in your department tend to change advisors in the course of their studies? (0% frequently, 59% sometimes, 39% rarely, 1% never, 1% don't know/no answer)

VII.5B. Does your department have policies that make it difficult to change advisors? (1% yes, 99% no)

VII.5C. Based on your experience over the past few years, are female graduate students in your department 5% more likely, 70% about as likely, or 4% less likely to change advisors than male graduate students? (19% don't know, 2% no answer)

VII.5D. Based on your experience over the past few years, are minority graduate students in your department 10% more likely, 53% about as likely, or 13% less likely to change advisors than other graduate students? (20% don't know, 4% no answer)

VII.6A. In the past year, has your doctoral program experienced any serious conflicts between individual graduate students and their advisors (i.e., serious enough to require the involvement of a third party)? (27% yes, 67% no, 5% don't know, 2% no answer)

VII.6B. Does your department have a formal procedure for resolving conflicts between graduate students and their advisors? (36% yes, 55% no, 5% don't know, 4% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the procedure.

VII.7. On the whole, would you say that graduate students are 27% very satisfied, 57% somewhat satisfied, 9% somewhat dissatisfied, or 0% unsatisfied with the advising/mentoring they receive in your department? (6% don't know, 2% no answer) What concerns, if any, do they express about advising/mentoring? [Based on 33 narrative responses to this question, the most significant concern is faculty availability/access.]

VII.8. On the whole, would you say that faculty members are 25% very satisfied, 64% somewhat satisfied, 7% somewhat dissatisfied, or 0% unsatisfied with the advising/mentoring of graduate students in your department? (2% don't know, 3% no answer) What concerns, if any, do they express about advising/mentoring? [Based on 26 narrative responses to this question, the most significant concerns are an uneven distribution of advising responsibilities among faculty members and the unwillingness of some students to follow the advice that is offered to them.]

VII.9. In the past five years, has your department made any changes in graduate advising? (24% yes, 70% no, 4% don't know, 2% no answer) Do you anticipate making any changes in the next few years? (8% yes, 51% no, 10% don't know, 31% no answer) If Yes to either question, briefly describe the changes. [Based on 30 narrative responses to this question, three common changes have been: more advising by committees, as opposed to individual advisors; a stronger role for the director of graduate studies; and more formal reviews of student progress.]

VII.10. In the past decade or so, have you seen any significant changes in the relationship between history graduate students and their advisors especially in the expectations that either side brings to the relationship? (18% yes, 56% no, 22% don't know, 4% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the changes. [Based on 19 narrative responses to this question, the most significant change has been rising expectations on the part of students and faculty alike.]

Section VIII: Social and Cultural Factors in
Graduate Training

VIII.1. Every history department tries to make its graduate students "feel more at home" through a variety of formal and informal practices. Some of these practices are listed in the following grid. (Note: The list is not exhaustive, and no department will be able to answer "yes" to every question on it.) Please indicate whether each practice is followed in your own department. [For this question, the lack of a response has been calculated as a "no" answer.]

VIII.2. In addition to the practices listed above, what else does your department (or graduate program) do to make graduate students feel welcome and valued as members of the department? [There were 47 narrative responses, with a range of practices that cannot be easily summarized.]

VIII.3. In your experience, do faculty members generally consider the departmental culture to be welcoming and supportive? (70% yes, 14% no, 9% don't know, 4% no answer) What concerns, if any, do faculty members raise about the social or cultural climate in your department? Have these concerns changed during the past five years?

VIII.4. In your experience, do graduate students generally consider the departmental culture to be welcoming and supportive? (74% yes, 9% no, 15% don't know, 2% no answer) What concerns, if any, do graduate students raise about the social or cultural climate in your department? Have these concerns changed during the past five years?

VIII.5. In general, do you think that foreign graduate students feel 22% less comfortable, 1% more comfortable, or 55% about as comfortable as other students in the social and cultural climate of your department? (17% don't know, 5% no answer)

VIII.6. In general, do you think that minority graduate students feel 28% less comfortable, 2% more comfortable, or 52% about as comfortable as other students in the social and cultural climate of your department? (15% don't know, 3% no answer)

VIII.7. In general, do you think that female graduate students feel 9% less comfortable, 2% more comfortable, or 82% about as comfortable as other students in the social and cultural climate of your department? (4% don't know, 4% no answer)

VIII.8. In the past five years, have any complaints of sexual harassment, whether formal or informal, arisen in your department? (9% yes, 11% no, 7% don't know, 73% no answer) If Yes, was your department's procedure for addressing such issues satisfactory to all parties involved? ( Yes, No, don't know) [Insufficient number of responses.]

VIII.9. In the past five years, has your department made any specific efforts to improve the social and cultural climate for graduate students? (63% yes, 30% no, 5% don't know, 2% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the efforts. [Based on 36 narrative responses to this question, the most common improvements (in order of frequency) have been: creating (or upgrading) a graduate student lounge or office space; more student-faculty social functions; more opportunities for student-faculty intellectual exchanges (such as departmental colloquia or brown bag lunches); the encouragement of student associations; and smaller student cohorts.]

VIII.10. In the past five years, has your institution made any specific efforts to improve the social and cultural climate for all of its graduate students? (47% yes, 27% no, 25% don't know, 2% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe the efforts. [Based on 32 narrative responses to this question, the most common improvements (in order of frequency) have been: campus-wide social events; new (or improved) orientation activities; better funding; increased support for graduate student associations; seminars/workshops on professional development and/or teaching; cross-disciplinary student colloquia.]

Section IX: Graduate Students as Teachers

IX.1A. Is teaching a degree requirement for graduate students in your doctoral program? (15% yes, 84% no, 1% no answer) If No, are graduate students nonetheless encouraged to teach? (87% yes, 2% no, 11% no answer, N = 89)

IX.1B. If your department also has a separate master's program (or programs), is teaching a degree requirement for the master's degree? (1% yes, 82% no, 1% not applicable, 16% no answer) If No, are students in the master's program(s) nonetheless encouraged to teach? (29% yes, 48% no, 23% no answer, N = 86)

IX.2. About how many graduate students in your doctoral program teach undergraduates at some point during their time in graduate school? 2% 10% or less, 5% between 10% and 25%, 7% between 25% and 50%, 10% more than 50%, 25% more than 75%, 50% more than 90% (2% no answer) [There was no significant difference in these responses between public and private institutions.]

IX.3. Considering all of the undergraduate instruction offered by your department, about how much of that instruction is performed by graduate students? (For this question, you may combine the teaching done by doctoral and master's degree candidates.) 28% 10% or less, 48% between 10% and 25%, 15% between 25% and 50%, 1% more than 50%, 0% more than 75%, 0% more than 90% (8% no answer)

IX.4. Compared to five years ago, do graduate students in your department now teach 31% a greater percentage of undergraduates, 4% a smaller percentage of undergraduates, or 58% about the same percentage of undergraduates? (4% don't know, 3% not applicable/no answer)

IX.5. Does the administration of your school exert pressure on the history department to increase the amount of undergraduate teaching done by graduate students? (2% yes, a great deal of pressure, 14% yes, some pressure, 66% no, 12% no, they want to decrease the amount of teaching done by graduate students, 1% don't know, 4% not applicable/no answer) [There was no significant difference in these responses between public and private institutions.]

IX.6. Use the grid to describe the different varieties of undergraduate teaching that graduate students in your department are asked (or required) to perform. Is any particular kind of undergraduate teaching required for the doctoral degree? At what point in their training are your graduate students usually expected to undertake each kind of teaching mentioned on the list?

IX.7. Do your graduate students engage in any kind(s) of undergraduate teaching not listed in the grid for question 6? (13% yes, 74% no, 12% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

IX.8. For how many years can a graduate student teach in your department after reaching ABD status? [range: 0­7 years, median: 2 years, mode: 2 years, N = 43] Are any other limits imposed on how much undergraduate teaching an advanced doctoral student can do? (34% yes, 40% no, 4% don't know, 22% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

IX.9. Would you say that teaching responsibilities significantly delay the progress of your graduate students toward the completion of doctoral degrees? (47% yes, 40% no, 8% don't know, 5% no answer)

IX.10. On average, how much compensation do graduate students in your department receive for each kind of teaching they perform? (If your department's pay scale does not t neatly into the categories provided, please describe it in more detail below.)
A. grading (per course) $________ See

B. teaching assistant (per course) $________ } note
C. independently taught courses (per course) $________ below

D. average annual stipend for a TA $_10,494_ [range:

$2,400­18,900, median: $10,400, N = 95]

[It was not possible to calculate averages (or even ranges) for these values, because the respondents gave their answers in incommensurable units: some recorded the teaching compensation per course, some the compensation per semester, some provided an hourly rate (especially for graders), and some provided a figure for the average annual stipend without distinguishing among different kinds of teaching activities.]

IX.11. How much teaching must a graduate student in your department do to secure employment benefits (such as health care) from your institution?

12% one-quarter time (or 10 hours/week or one course/semester)

2% one-third time (or 15 hours/week)

17% one-half time (or 20 hours/week or two courses/semester)

3% full appointment (specific terms of appointment not identified)

10% all T.A. appointments come with benefits

13% benefits are not tied to employment but to graduate fellowships, enrollment status, registration, or other student fees (implicitly, only available to currently enrolled graduate students)
20% insurance benefits not available (or TA's must pay out of pocket)

5% other

1% don't know

16% no answer

IX.12A. Do graduate students in your department routinely teach at other institutions while pursuing their doctoral degrees? (54% yes, 45% no, 1% no answer)

IX.12B. If Yes, how do they learn about teaching opportunities at other institutions? [Based on 56 narrative responses to this question, students learn about teaching opportunities at other institutions through informal means ("the grapevine") and formal means (announcements by the director of graduate studies, a departmental e-mail list, postings on a departmental bulletin board, etc.) with about the same frequency.]

IX.12C. Does your department maintain a formal relationship with any neighboring institutions as a way to provide different kinds of teaching opportunities for your graduate students? (15% yes, 82% no, 3% no answer) If Yes, what type of neighboring school(s) do you work with (e.g., community colleges, comprehensive colleges, etc.)?

IX.12D. Do your graduate students receive any special mentoring or other professional support from their home department when they are teaching elsewhere? (10% yes, 69% no, 3% don't know, 18% not applicable/no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

IX.13. Which of the following methods does your department use to train graduate students as college teachers? (check all that apply)

67% personal supervision ("apprenticeship") by a student's advisor

88% personal supervision ("apprenticeship") by other faculty member(s)

51% teaching workshop(s) run by the history department

55% teaching workshop(s) run by another department/program at your institution

22% a voluntary course or seminar in teaching

36% a required course or seminar in teaching

14% "Preparing Future Faculty" program

7% other

[Doctoral programs at public institutions are twice as likely as those at private institutions to have a required course on teaching (42% vs. 21%).]

IX.14A. Does your institution have a "teaching center" or other facility devoted to improving undergraduate instruction? (71% yes, 22% no, 5% don't know, 2% no answer) If No, skip to the next question. [Ninety-four percent of respondents from large doctoral programs (i.e., an average of eight or more Ph.D.'s per year) reported the presence of a teaching center versus 63% of respondents from smaller doctoral programs.]

IX.14B. If Yes, does the "teaching center" offer programs designed specifically for graduate students? (31% yes, 7% no, 11% don't know, 5% no answer, N = 75)

IX.14C. Does your department work with the "teaching center" to devise programs specifically for history graduate students? (31% yes, 57% no, 9% don't know, 3% no answer, N = 75)

IX.14D. Would you say that the "teaching center" is effective in training history graduate students for college teaching? (37% yes, 23% no, 37% don't know, 3% no answer, N = 75)

IX.15A. Do your graduate students have any opportunities to receive formal training in teaching with technology? (50% yes, 46% no, 1% don't know, 3% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

IX.15B. Does your department maintain its own computer or multimedia lab? (50% yes, 49% no, 2% no answer)

IX.15C. Does your institution have a "center" or other facility devoted to teaching with computer or multimedia technologies? (81% yes, 12% no, 3% don't know, 4% no answer)

IX.15D. Would you say that graduate students in history have adequate access to the computer and multimedia resources at your institution? (82% yes, 11% no, 6% don't know, 1% no answer)

IX.15E. Do your graduate students have regular opportunities to teach with computer or multimedia technologies? (44% yes, 40% no, 12% don't know, 4% no answer)

IX.16. Do the graduate students in your department have regular opportunities to teach in collaborative settings? (15% Yes, 75% No, 7% don't know, 3% no answer) If Yes, briefly describe.

IX.17. As part of their graduate training, do your students receive any exposure to teaching in the liberal arts (or humanities), broadly defined? (26% yes, 60% no, 9% don't know, 6% no answer) Is there institutional support for training history graduate students as teachers in the liberal arts? (19% yes, 67% no, 6% don't know, 8% no answer) If Yes to either question, briefly describe.

IX.18. As part of their graduate training, do your students receive any exposure to history teaching at the K­12 level? (5% yes, 88% no, 3% don't know, 5% no answer) At the community college level? (15% yes, 61% no, 7% don't know, 17% no answer)

IX.19A. Does or would your department accept a graduate research project (e.g., a seminar paper) that has an explicitly pedagogical focus? (25% yes, 44% no, 28% don't know, 4% no answer)

IX.19B. Does or would your department accept a dissertation with an explicitly pedagogical component? (10% yes, 64% no, 22% don't know, 5% no answer)

IX.19C. If Yes to either A or B, can you provide an example? [Most of the 23 narrative responses to this question reiterated that a pedagogy-focused project might be accepted but did not provide actual examples.]

IX.20. Traditionally, doctoral programs in history have included training for both researc