Japan Doctoral Human Resource Profiling

It is a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT)’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) to continuously track doctoral graduates’ experiences of their doctoral programs, employment status and attitudes, studies, and living conditions, among others.

In Japan, around 15,000 people complete a doctoral program in graduate school each year. However, compared to other developed countries, there are limited employment opportunities, and it is difficult for graduates to develop careers that make the most of their expertise. Aiming to improve this situation, the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTSP) has been conducting the Japan Doctoral Human Resource Profiling project to gather evidence upon which to build objectively- grounded policy. By building an information base that continuously tracks doctoral graduates’ experiences during their doctoral courses, their employment status, career consciousness, studies, living conditions, and so on, we can formulate various policies—with the aims, for instance, of improving the doctoral career environment, improving the research system for the promotion of science and technology, and enhancing doctoral programs in graduate schools—or conduct research that contributes to such policies.

Doctoral students have diverse backgrounds, and their timing in obtaining their doctoral degrees differs; therefore, the timing of their employment also varies. Because the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s School Basic Survey is a compilation of information provided by universities, the survey cannot fully track individuals’ career paths. Furthermore, while most doctoral graduates are employed in research positions, it is common for their employment status to change gradually, from limited-term employment to tenure-track, even though they have the same positions. By surveying individuals on a follow-up basis, we can accurately track such changes in their employment status and career paths. Additionally, by tracking the same individuals, it is possible to perform reliable analyses of the relationship between doctoral experience and employment status, between research funding allocation and dissertation performance, and between career path and life events, after considering inherent individual differences.

All graduates who completed a doctoral program at a Japanese national, public, or private university that offers doctoral courses in each survey year are eligible. Doctoral students who completed coursework without obtaining a degree are also eligible. In addition to Japanese students, international students and working adult students who completed doctoral courses are also included.

This survey is administered for all graduates who have completed a doctoral program in Japan. Therefore, we do not select any particular individuals.

The career paths of doctoral graduates remain unclear, and the data from this survey are indispensable to understanding the current situation and issues, as well as to discussing and planning data-based policies. Although participation is voluntary, we would greatly appreciate your cooperation, as this survey can lead to better policies for improving the career development of doctoral graduates. Please note that while basic personal attributes are required items, you may choose to skip other items if you are not comfortable responding.

In addition to the survey administered after the completion of a doctoral program, we plan to conduct 3.5-year and 6.5-year post-completion surveys to track changes in career paths in the early stages following completion of the doctoral program. Therefore, the survey will be conducted almost once every three years. The results of each survey will be provided upon request. We ask kindly that you participate.

You are eligible for the survey regardless of your nationality or current place of residence, as long as you have completed a doctoral program at a Japanese university in one of the survey years.

You are eligible for the survey if you have completed a doctoral program in the survey year, regardless of your doctoral degree status. Graduates who completed coursework (without degree) are also eligible for the survey.

This survey is planned, designed, and conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), while some of the work is outsourced to a research company. The “Third Guidelines on Measures for the Promotion of Graduate School Education” (approved by the minister of MEXT on March 31, 2018) stipulates that “NISTEP shall conduct the Japan Doctoral Human Resource Profiling project.”

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) ask universities to cooperate on the Japan Doctoral Human Resource Profiling project, and the universities send emails requesting a response from target individuals. Please log in to the website indicated in the email and respond to the survey. Since universities may not have contact information for target individuals, academic societies and other organizations are also asked to inform eligible individuals of this survey. If you receive two or more survey requests, please respond only once.

Except for the “required items,” you can leave any field blank and skip to the next question. However, we would appreciate that you consider the purpose of the survey and respond to as many questions as possible to make the survey meaningful. Your responses will be processed statistically, so you will not be identified.

You can respond by filling out and returning the paper version of the survey, which we will send to you by mail.

We will consider multiple alternatives to accommodate you.

Your responses will be statistically processed, and any information that could identify you will not be disclosed. The content of each response will be kept strictly confidential and will not be disclosed to outside parties.

Your responses and personal information will not be provided to the university at which you completed your doctoral program. Your responses will be single-handedly collected and processed as statistical data by the secretariat without going through the university. However, upon request, we may provide individual universities with aggregate information that does not identify individuals.

The handling of personal information is as follows:

1. (1) Purpose of use
   The personal information provided by respondents to the Japan Doctoral Human Resource Profiling project (hereafter referred to as “personal information”) will be used for the following purposes:
   1. Tracking of doctoral graduates’ careers
   2. Surveys, analysis, and academic research on the status of doctoral graduates’ research activities, occupations, etc.
   3. Compilation of statistics on the status of doctoral graduates’ research activities, occupations, etc.
   4. Policymaking for doctoral graduates to make the most of their expertise
   5. Correspondence and communication regarding various surveys, requests, and information provision associated with i. to iv.
   * The collected data will be processed statistically, and no personally identifiable information will be disclosed.
2. (2) Security measures
   MEXT shall handle personal information in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information Held by Administrative Organizations and other related laws and regulations, and will take necessary measures to prevent leakage, loss, or damage of personal information and to otherwise manage personal information appropriately.

The survey results will be compiled into a report and published on the NISTEP website, but those who participated in the survey will be provided with the report directly.

We will contact you about once a year, before the next survey, to confirm your email and/or mailing addresses. Additionally, you can contact NISTEP directly to inform us of changes in your contact information.
To do so, please send an email to (jd-pro@nistep.go.jp).