EIU Media Relations

EIU Among Top 5% of U.S. Master's Institutions in Preparing Doctoral Students

Eastern Illinois University continues to prepare more undergraduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees than any other master's college/university in Illinois, according to a recent National Science Foundation survey.

In addition to ranking first in the state, EIU ranks in the top 5 percent nationwide, as it has for several years.

"A great indicator of an undergraduate institution's quality is the success of its graduates in doctoral programs, and it comes as no surprise to us that our alumni continue to excel in academic endeavors at every level," said EIU President William Perry. "We are pleased that the figures confirm the success of EIU's excellent integrated-learning experience."

The results of the recent Survey of Earned Doctorates -- a federal agency census conducted annually by the National Organization for Research -- indicate that many Eastern graduates continue their education by seeking doctorates and achieving other educational goals.

The survey reports that 227 EIU graduates obtained doctoral degrees in the years 2000 through 2009. This means that as a baccalaureate-origin institution, Eastern ranked No. 1 among 22 master's colleges and universities within Illinois, and No. 35 among 560 master's colleges and universities in the United States, for that 10-year time period.

Only schools with 10 or more recipients were included in the study.

The SED gathers information annually from 45,000 new U.S. research doctorate graduates about their educational histories, funding sources and post-doctoral plans. Only recipients of research doctorates were included in the survey. Therefore, recipients of professional degrees, such as medical doctors, veterinarians, dentists, attorneys, etc., are not included.

The SED survey is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.