Graduate and Professional Student Survey

Welcome Duke Student!
(If you are not Duke Student, please retrieve your unique web link to this survey.)

The purpose of this survey is to gather your opinions on your graduate education. All of your responses will be kept strictly confidential. The information obtained from you and other students will help university administrators and faculty members identify strategies to improve graduate and professional education and cocurricular support.

Your participation is very important and greatly appreciated!

Enter the Survey >>

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact David Jamieson-Drake by email (david.jamieson.drake@duke.edu) or by phone at 684-3501.

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I. Educational Status

1. In which degree program(s) are you currently enrolled? Choose all that apply:
Master's degree in the Arts & Sciences (MA, MS)
Master's degree in Business (MBA)
Master's degree in Divinity (MDiv, ThM, etc.)
Master's degree in Environment (MEM, MEMF, etc.)
Master's degree in Nursing (MSN, etc.)
Other graduate/professional master's degree (MPA, MSE, MSW, etc.)
Law degree (JD, LLB)
Medical doctorate (MD, DO, DDS, DVM)
Other professional doctorate (EdD, DDiv)
Ph.D.

2. In what department or field are you pursuing your degree? For joint degrees, please indicate department/field of each.

3. What was your age when you began this graduate program?
20 or younger
21 - 25
26 - 30
31 - 35
36 - 40
41 - 45
Over 45

4. What was your primary activity immediately prior to this program?
Undergraduate student
Graduate student
Volunteer/Community service
Cared for a family
Employed in a field related to that of current study
Employed in a field unrelated to that of current study
Travel
None of the above

5. What is your current official enrollment status?
Full-time
Part-time

6. When did you first enroll in your current program?
Before Fall 2000
Spring 2001
Fall 2001
Spring 2002
Fall 2002
Spring 2003
Fall 2003
Spring 2004
Fall 2004
Spring 2005
Fall 2005
Spring 2006

7. What is your current year of study?
1st year
2nd year
3rd year
4th year
5th year or above

8. How many years TOTAL do you expect it will take to obtain your degree, from the time you started your current program until you complete it?
Less than one year
One year
Two years
Three years
Four years
Five years
More than five years

9. Do you expect to graduate at the end of the current academic year?
No
Yes

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II. Satisfaction with Program, Quality of Interactions, and Coursework

1. Please rate the following dimensions of your program.

	Excellent	Very Good	Good	Fair	Poor
1. The intellectual quality of the faculty
2. The intellectual quality of my fellow graduate/professional students
3. The relationship between faculty and graduate/professional students
4. Program's ability to integrate recent developments in my field
5. Program space and facilities
6. Overall quality of graduate level teaching by faculty
7. Amount of financial support
8. Quality of academic advising and guidance
9. Helpfulness of staff members in my department or program
10. Assistance in finding employment
11. The opportunity to interact across disciplines
12. Academic standards in my program
13. Overall program quality

2. If you were to start your graduate/professional career again,

	Definitely	Probably	Maybe	Probably not	Definitely not
1. would you select this same university?
2. would you select the same field of study?
3. would you recommend this university to someone considering your program?
4. would you recommend this university to someone in another field?

3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

	Strongly agree	Agree	Ambivalent	Disagree	Strongly disagree
1. Students in my program are treated with respect by faculty.
2. Faculty members are willing to work with me.
3. Rapport between faculty and students in my program is good.
4. My own relationships and interaction with faculty are good.
5. There are tensions among faculty that affect students.
6. Financial support for students in my program is distributed fairly.
7. Students in my program are collegial.
8. My relationships and interaction with other students in my program are good.
9. Overall, the climate of my program is positive.
10. Program activities foster a sense of intellectual community.
11. Program content supports my research/professional goals.
12. Program structure encourages student collaboration or teamwork.
13. Program structure provides opportunities to take coursework outside my own department.
14. Program structure provides opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary work.
15. Amount of coursework seems appropriate to the degree.

4. How would you rate your department on each of the following?

	Excellent	Very good	Good	Fair	Poor
1. Availability of area courses I needed to complete my program
2. Quality of instruction in my courses
3. Encouragement to take courses outside my program
4. Overall, the quality of course work in my program

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III. Program Support

Please indicate whether you participated (if applicable) in any of the following activities during your graduate experience and mark your level of satisfaction if you engaged in the listed activity.

	1. Participated in activity?				2. If "yes," how satisfied were you with the activity?
	Yes	No	Not applicable		Very satisfied	Generally satisfied	Generally dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied
1. received advice on degree requirements?
2. received advice on how to avoid plagiarism and other violations of the standards of academic integrity?
3. had assistance in developing professional contacts outside your program?
4. received advice on how to search for a job?
5. received advice on how to prepare a resume or curriculum vitae?
6. received advice on how to prepare for a job interview?

3. Did you enter your degree program intending to pursue a career in academia?
Yes
No
Not applicable / no opinion

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IV. Financial Support

1. Please indicate the form(s) of support you received while you were enrolled in your program.
(check all that apply)

	U.S. government fellowship
	U.S. government traineeship
	Foreign government fellowship
	External (to university) nongovernment fellowship
	University funded fellowships
	Graduate research assistantship
	Graduate teaching assistantship
	Other part-time research employment
	Other part-time teaching employment
	Residence assistantship
	Full tuition scholarships or waivers
	Partial tuition scholarships or waivers
	Other campus employment
	Off campus employment
	Employee benefit or employer funding
	Loans, savings, or family assistance

2. Are the criteria for eligibility for financial support within your program clear and available?
Usually
Sometimes
Seldom/Never

3. Please estimate the amount of undergraduate educational debt, if any, plus the amount of graduate educational debt, if any, you will have to repay when you have completed your graduate degree here.

Undergraduate Educational Debt	Graduate Educational Debt
$0 $1 - $9,999 $10,000 - $19,999 $20,000 - $29,999 $30,000 - $39,999 $40,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $59,999 $60,000 - $69,999 $70,000 - $79,999 $80,000 or more	$0 $1 - $9,999 $10,000 - $19,999 $20,000 - $29,999 $30,000 - $39,999 $40,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $59,999 $60,000 - $69,999 $70,000 - $79,999 $80,000 or more

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V. University Resources and Student Life

A. University Resources

Please rate the following university resources based on the two scales provided: first, your frequency of use of resources, and second, the quality you have experienced in using them. Please answer regarding your most recent year's experience in the graduate school at this university?

	Frequency of use?				Quality of experience (if used)?
	Frequent	Occasionally	Never		Excellent	Very Good	Good	Fair	Poor
Library facilities
On-campus computer facilities
Web-based campus computer services (e.g., for registration)
Main office of your current program
Health care services
Health insurance
Child care services
Financial Aid Office
Career Services
Student Counseling & Resource Center
Bursar or student accounts
Campus police
Athletic facilities
International Office
Housing assistance
Student Activities/Affairs Office
Ombudsperson's Office
Student parking
Campus shuttle bus service
Dining services
University bookstore
Graduate/professional student government office
Registrar
Student loan office

B. Social Life

1. How often do the following social activities occur on campus and how often do you attend them (if relevant)?

	Frequency of occurrence of activities?				Frequency of your attendance (if relevant)?
	Frequent	Occasionally	Never		Frequent	Occasionally	Never
Organized university-wide social activities
Organized social activities within your department
Organized social activities within your advisor/research group
Organized social activities within your residence

2. Does your school have a graduate/professional student center?
Yes     No
If "yes," how often do you use it?
Frequently     Occasionally     Never
If "no," do you think one should be created?
Yes     No

3. How satisfied are you with housing?

	Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Not applicable
How satisfied are you with the availability of housing?
How satisfied are you with the cost of housing?

4. Which of the following housing situations best describes your CURRENT residence?
On-campus student housing (no resident assistant/dorm responsibilities)
On-campus student housing (with resident assistant/dorm responsibilities)
Off-campus housing owned by this university
Off-campus housing not owned by this university

5. How safe do you feel under each of the following circumstances?

	Very safe	Reasonably safe	Somewhat unsafe	Unsafe	Not applicable
Walking alone by day on campus
Walking alone at night on campus
Walking alone by day off campus
Walking alone at night off campus
Alone in your current home or residence
Parking your car on or near campus
Using public transportation to or from campus

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VI. General Assessment

1. Overall, how would you rate the quality of:

	Excellent	Very good	Good	Fair	Poor
your academic experience at this university?
your student life experience at this university?
your graduate/professional program at this university?
your overall experience at this university?

2. Rate the extent to which the following factors are an obstacle to your academic progress.

	Not an obstacle	A minor obstacle	A major obstacle	Not applicable
Work/financial commitments
Family obligations
Availability of faculty
Program structure or requirements
Course scheduling
Immigration laws or regulations
Other

3. How likely are you to stay in your program until you receive your ultimate degree objective?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Highly unlikely
Uncertain

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VII. Personal Demographics

1. Gender
Male    Female

2. Age
21 or younger
21 - 25
26 - 30
31 - 35
36 - 40
41 - 45
Over 45

3. What is your marital status?
Not married
Married
Divorced
Separated
Widowed
With domestic partner

4. Does your partner/spouse live full time in the same residence as you (if relevant)?
Yes     No

5. How many, if any, children do you have?
None/Not applicable
1 child
2 children
3 children
4 or more

If None/Not applicable, please skip to question 7.

6. Age of children

	1 yr. or less	2 to 4 yrs.	5 to 12 yrs.	13 to 17 yrs.	18 to 21 yrs.	More than 21 yrs.
Age of youngest child
Age of oldest child

7. What is your present citizenship status?
U.S. citizen
U.S. permanent resident (green card holder) and citizen of another country
Citizen of another country with a student visa or other nonimmigrant visa
       Please specify country:

8. To which racial or ethnic group do you belong?
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Other, please specify

9. What was the average grade that you received at your undergraduate institution?
A
A-
B+
B
B-/C+
C or below

10. What is the average grade that you have received up to now in your current program? Please convert to a four point scale (4=A, etc.)

11. Please indicate how much time per week you've spent in the following activities on average during the current academic term.

Activity	Number of Hours
	0	1-2	3-5	6-10	11-15	16-20	20+
Attend scheduled classes/labs
Work on scheduled courses outside of class or lab
Other academic work (include non-class research)
Talking with faculty outside of class
Exercise/fitness
Socializing with friends
Clubs/organized groups
Watching TV
Using computer for academic work
Using computer apart from academic work
Work for pay/stipend for your university
Work for pay/stipend outside your university
Volunteer work/activity

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PROGRAMMING NOTE: If M1Q1.01=1 AND/OR M1Q1.10=1, show phdmams.html
PROGRAMMING NOTE: If M1Q9=2, show final.html

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PhD, MA, MS Candidates

1. What is your current status in your graduate program?
I am still taking courses
I have completed coursework
I have passed qualifying exams/paper
I have had my thesis/dissertation proposal accepted
I have defended my thesis/dissertation

Satisfaction with Program, Quality of Interactions, and Coursework

2. How satisfied are you with each of the following?

a. Training in research methods
Very satisfied
Generally satisfied
Generally dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable

b. Professional relationship with my thesis/dissertation supervisor
Very satisfied
Generally satisfied
Generally dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable

Program Support

3. Please indicate whether you participated (if applicable) in any of the following activities during your graduate experience and mark your level of satisfaction if you engaged in the listed activity.

	Participated in activity?				If "Yes," how satisfied were you?
	Yes	No	Not applicable		Very Satisfied	Generally Satisfied	Generally Dissatisfied	Very Dissatisfied
took a course, workshop, or orientation on teaching?
received advice on preparing for candidacy examinations?
received advice on the process required to select a thesis advisor?
received feedback on your research?
received advice on the standards for academic writing in your field?
received advice on writing grant proposals?
received advice on publishing your work?
received advice on career options within academia?
received advice on career options outside academia?
received advice about research positions?

Teaching, Research, and Publications

Teaching Experience

4. Have you held a teaching appointment while in graduate school?
Yes     No > If NO, please skip to question 11.

5. For how many quarters/semesters have you assisted in a faculty member's course?
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
More than five

6. For how many quarters/semesters have you been the primary course instructor yourself?
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
More than five

7. Does your department or program provide training in teaching skills?
Yes     No     Not sure

8. How useful have you found your training in teaching skills? (e.g., syllabus development, lecturing, leading discussions, creating and/or grading assignments, writing examinations)
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Received no training

9. Have you taught any courses developed by yourself?
Yes     No

10. How has your overall experience affected your interest in teaching?
Increased my interest
Made no difference
Decreased my interest

Research Experience

11. Have you:

	Participated in activity?				If "Yes," how satisfied were you?
	Yes	No	Not applicable		Very Satisfied	Generally Satisfied	Generally Dissatisfied	Very Dissatisfied
Conducted independent research since starting your graduate program
Received training before beginning your own research
Received faculty guidance in formulating a research topic
Conducted your research in collaboration with one or more faculty members
Assisted faculty in writing a grant proposal

12. Presentations and Publications

	Occurs in your department/program			If "yes," number of times you were involved
	Yes	No		0	1	2	3	4+
Seminars/colloquia at which students present their research
Departmental funding for students to attend national or regional meetings
Attend national scholarly meetings
Deliver any papers or present a poster at national scholarly meetings
Co-authored in refereed journals with your program faculty
Published as sole or first author in a refereed journal

13. Advisor and Thesis/Dissertation

Dissertation/thesis advisors engage in a variety of mentoring activities. For each of the following statements, indicate the extent that it DESCRIBES THE BEHAVIOR of your dissertation/thesis advisor or chair.

My dissertation/thesis advisor:	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	NA/No opinion
a. was knowledgable about formal degree requirements
b. served as my advocate when necessary
c. helped me secure financial support for my graduate work
d. considered me a source of labor to advance his/her research
e. gave me constructive feedback on my work
f. returned my work promptly
g. promoted my professional development
h. provided information about multiple career paths
i. would support me in any career path I might choose
j. assisted me in my search for employment
k. overall, performed the role well

14. How much do you agree with the following statements?

a. Coursework, seminars, labs, reading courses, etc. adequately prepared me for candidacy examinations.
Strongly agree
Agree
Ambivalent
Disagree
Strongly disagree

b. The process of selecting my dissertation/thesis committee was satisfactory.
Strongly agree
Agree
Ambivalent
Disagree
Strongly disagree

15. How helpful was/were your dissertation/thesis advisor(s) for each of the following activities?

	Very helpful	Somewhat helpful	Not very helpful	Not at all helpful
Preparing for written qualifying exams
Preparing for the oral qualifying exam
Finding a dissertation/thesis topic
Writing a dissertation/thesis prospectus or proposal
Doing research for the dissertation/thesis
Writing the dissertation/thesis

16. On average, how often per month do you meet or communicate with your thesis/dissertation advisor about:

a. Your ongoing research and results
Four or more times (at least once a week)
One to three times (at least once a month)
Less than once a month
Not applicable/No opinion

b. Your writing of the thesis/dissertation draft
Four or more times (at least once a week)
One to three times (at least once a month)
Less than once a month
Not applicable/No opinion

17. Did the university and/or your program provide coaching and workshops for students writing theses/dissertations?
Yes     No     Don't know

18. Did you attend workshops for students writing theses/dissertations?
Yes     No     Don't know

If NO, please skip to question 21.

19. What did you find useful about the thesis/dissertation workshops?

20. What other kinds of workshops should be made available to students writing theses/dissertations?

21. Please rate the extent to which your thesis/dissertation topic/research is an obstacle to your academic progress.
Not an obstacle
A minor obstacle
A major obstacle
Not applicable

22. If you were to start your graduate career again, would you select the same thesis/dissertation supervisor?
Definitely
Probably
Maybe
Probably not
Definitely not

23. What were your highest GRE scores?

24. What was your highest TOEFL score (if applicable)?

Thank you very much for your participation!

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PROGRAMMING NOTE: If M1Q9=2, show final.html

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Post Graduation Plans and Retrospective Assessment

1. Which of the following best describes the current state of your employment plans immediately after you complete your degree?
Employed or have a definite job offer related to my most recent degree
Employed, but not in my field
Negotiating with one or more specific organizations (in or out of field)
Under consideration for a position but have not received final word (in or out of field)
Seeking employment in my field, no offer at this time
In military service
Scholarship commitment
Paid to volunteer work for the Peace Corps, Vista, etc.
Not seeking employment immediately

2. Which of the following best describes your expectation for employment immediately after you complete your degree at this university?
Postdoctoral researcher or fellow
Researcher, academic setting
Researcher, nonacademic setting (e.g., national lab/industry/medical center)
Tenure track faculty position
Non-tenure track faculty position
Secondary school teaching position
Manager or administrator
Finance, Accounting
Marketing, Sales
Engineer, Manufacturing
Management information systems, Programmer
Medical professional
Writer, Journalist, Artist, Musician
Lawyer
Analyst
Clergy
Other (please specify)

3. Do you expect the position indicated above to be directly related to your graduate/professional training?
Yes    No

4. How would you categorize the employer you expect/hope to work for immediately after you complete you graduate degree?
U.S. federal government, or your home country if not the U.S.
State or local government
Industry or business
Nonprofit organization or foundation
College or university
Community or junior college
Elementary, secondary, or special focus school
Self-employed, private practice, or consultant
Hospital or clinic
Other type of employer (please specify)

5. Where would the employer you expect to work for most be likely located?

6. If you have already been hired, what is the name of your employing organization?

7. If you have already been hired, what will be your starting salary?

8. How satisfied are you with your current employment options/opportunities?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied

9. Please indicate the importance to you, and the extent to which you feel your abilities in the following areas were enhanced, during your program.

	Importance to you				Degree to which abilities in area enhanced
	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important		Greatly	Somewhat	Very little	Not at all
Research
Writing
Critical thinking
Ethical issues
Leadership
Teamwork
Communications skills
Time management skills

10. If you could change one thing about your experience as a graduate/professional student at this university to make it more successful or fulfilling, what would it be?

11. What advice would you offer to first-time graduate/professional students coming into your program at this university?

12. Which aspect of your graduate/professional program pleased you the most?

13. Were there aspects of your graduate/professional program that you found problematic?

14. What changes would you recommend in your graduate/professional program in the future?

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