AFIT-EN PhD Retention, Graduation, and Time to Degree PhD... · 11/8/2019 · degree part-time,...

AFIT-EN PhD Retention, Graduation, and Time to DegreeOffice of Institutional Research (ENWI)

November 2019

For additional information, please contact Dr. Andrea I. Bakker in the Office of Institutional Research at [email protected] or 937-255-3636 ext. 4264.

Approved for public release (88ABW-2019-5824)

Table of Contents

Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………3

PhD Retention and Graduation RatesOverall………………………...…………………………..….……….……………………………..…...…5

Quota Students - Overall………………………...…………………………..….……….………...…...…6Quota Students by Gender………………………...…………………………..….……….…………...…7Quota Students by Race/Ethnicity………………………...…………………………………………...…8

Non-Quota Students - Overall………………………...…………………………..….……….…………..9Non-Quota Students by Gender………………………...…………………………..….……….……….10Non-Quota Students by Full-Time/Part-Time Status………………………...………………………...11

On-Time PhD Completion RatesQuota Students - Overall………………………...…………………………..….……….………...….…12Quota Students by Gender………………………...…………………………..….……….…………….13Quota Students by Race/Ethnicity………………………...…………………………………………….14Quota Students by Cohort Department…………………...…………………………………………….15

Average Time to PhDOverall………………………...…………………………..….……….……………………………..…….16

Overall by Quota Status………………………...…………………………..….……….…..……...…….16

Quota Students by Gender and Race/Ethnicity……………...…………………………..….………….17

Non-Quota Students by Full-Time/Part-Time Status………………………...………………………...18

Footnotes……………………………………………………………………………………………...............19

Glossary………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20

[email protected] ENWI; 11/8/19

AFIT-EN PhD Retention, Graduation, and Time to Degree

Students' timely progress towards and completion of a degree at AFIT-EN can be measured in different ways.

Retention Rates: What percentage of entering students (quota and non-quota) were still enrolled after 12 months (18 months, 24 months, etc.)?

Graduation Rates: What percentage of entering students (quota and non-quota) graduated within 24 months (30 months, 36 months, etc.), regardless of their official assignment length?

On-Time Completion Rates: What percentage of entering quota students graduated within the amount of time officially assigned to them?

Time to Degree: Among graduating students (quota and non-quota), how long did it take them to complete their degree?

On average, 81% of PhD quota students completed their PhD within 54 months of program start (i.e., within 150% of standard quota assignment length). However, among non-quota students, only 53% graduate within 54 months, partially due to the number of students who are working towards the degree part-time, rather than full-time.

Retention and Graduation Rates

Overall, AFIT-EN graduation rates are high compared to national norms, though there is room for improvement. On average, 47% of entering AFIT-EN PhD students graduated within 36 months of entrance (based on a four-year average of AY1112 through AY1415 cohorts combined). Extending the timeline to 54 months (4.5 years, or 150% of standard assignment length) results in an average 69% graduation rate for all AFIT-EN PhD students.

Although national norms are difficult to obtain, the Council of Graduate Schools' PhD Completion Project found that only 5% of doctoral students nationally completed their PhD within 36 months. After

ten years, only 57% had completed their PhD.1

There is a sizeable discrepancy in the average graduation rates of quota students compared to non-quota students (based on a 4-year average for AY1112 through AY1415 cohorts).

● Among quota students, 62% graduated within 36 months and 81% graduated within 54 months.● Among non-quota students, only 27% graduated within 36 months, increasing to 53% graduating within 54 months.

One of the main sources of the difference between quota and non-quota students is non-quota students' status as part-time vs. full-time students.

● Among non-quota students who were full-time at the time of entrance, 59% graduated within 36 months, only slightly behind the 36-month graduation rate for quota students (62%).● Among non-quota students who were part-time at the time of entrance, only 7% graduated within 36 months.


However, retention data suggest that part-time non-quota students aren't simply taking longer to graduate; whether permanently or temporarily, they're leaving AFIT-EN.

● At 36 months, 7% of part-time non-quota students had graduated, but only 52% were still enrolled at AFIT-EN, leaving the remaining 41% of students unaccounted for.

The results also suggest some possible differences based on students' gender and race/ethnicity. ● For example, at 36 months, women (quota and non-quota) are less likely to have graduated than men, although quota women's graduation rates surpass quota men's graduation rates by 54 months (86% vs. 81%).

● However, extreme caution should be taken in interpreting results related to gender and race/ethnicity, due to the small cohort sizes for some groups. In some cases, a difference of only one student could result in a change of up to 16% on the graduation rate (e.g., from 67% to 83%).

On-Time Completion Rates (Quota Only)On average, 67% of PhD quota students graduated within the amount of time assigned to them upon entrance (based on a five year average of AY1112 to AY1516 cohorts).

Extending the timeline to six months beyond the assigned time results in an 80% average completion rate.

Fewer women graduated on time than did men - 55% vs. 68%. The gap between men and women decreased, though wasn't eliminated, by six months after the expected completion timeframe, with 73% of women and 80% of men graduating within six months of the expected timeframe.

● As with retention and graduation rates, caution should be taken in interpreting results related to gender and race/ethnicity, due to the small cohort sizes for some groups.

Average on-time completion by department ranges from 61% - 74% over the past five years. At six months beyond the assigned time, completion rates by department range from 73% to as high as 86%.

Time to Degree

Unlike retention, graduation, and on-time completion rates, which look at how many students are graduating, time-to-degree analyses include only students who graduate and examine how long it took students to graduate.

Over the past five years, AFIT-EN students took 42.6 months (on average) to complete a PhD.

On average, quota students completed their degrees faster than non-quota students. The average time to PhD for quota students was 38.3 months, compared to 52.8 months for non-quota students.

As with retention and graduation rates, the difference between quota and non-quota students is partially accounted for by some non-quota students' part-time status. The average time to PhD for full-time non-quota students is only 43.2 months, compared to 59.5 months for part-time non-quota students.


1112 1213 1314 1415 1516 1617 17184-Yr Avg

Cohort Size 46 61 43 49 46 34 38 199

% Retained to:12 months 82.6 93.4 86.0 85.7 89.1 88.2 81.6 87.418 months 87.0 85.2 79.1 85.7 93.5 91.2 78.9 84.424 months 84.8 90.2 83.7 87.8 82.6 88.2 --- 86.930 months 82.6 82.0 83.7 79.6 78.3 88.2 --- 81.936 months 30.4 32.8 41.9 22.4 15.2 --- --- 31.7

% Graduated within:24 months 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.2 0.0 --- 0.530 months 2.2 1.6 2.3 2.0 4.3 5.9 --- 2.036 months 54.3 42.6 39.5 51.0 60.9 --- --- 46.742 months 65.2 59.0 53.5 59.2 69.6 --- --- 59.348 months 67.4 72.1 60.5 61.2 --- --- --- 65.854 months 73.9 73.8 65.1 61.2 --- --- --- 68.8

Overall

Cohort Year

Retention and Graduation RatesAY1112 through AY1718 Entering PhD Cohorts

Entering PhD Cohort: All students who began a new PhD program at AFIT-EN during the specified academic year.

Retention: Students are counted as retained if they were enrolled at any level (certificate, master's, PhD, or non-degree) in AFIT-EN during the quarter specified.

Graduation: Students are counted as graduated if they completed a PhD at AFIT-EN within the time period specified, regardless of whether the graduating program matches their original program at the time of entrance.

Four-year averages are based on the AY1112 through AY1415 cohorts. These are the most recent cohorts for which graduation rates are available through 150% of the standard expected time (standard expected time = 36 months; 150% of expected time = 54 months).


1112 1213 1314 1415 1516 1617 17184-Yr Avg

Cohort Size 12 40 29 30 33 23 20 111



Quota Students - Overall2

Cohort Year


Women MenCohort Size 7 104

% Retained to:12 months 100.0 95.218 months 100.0 91.324 months 100.0 93.330 months 85.7 86.536 months 42.9 19.2

% Graduated within:24 months 0.0 1.030 months 0.0 1.936 months 42.9 63.542 months 71.4 77.948 months 71.4 79.854 months 85.7 80.8

Quota Students by GenderDue to small cohort sizes, breakdowns by gender are based on four-year averages (AY1112 through AY1415 cohorts).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

24 months 30 months 36 months 42 months 48 months 54 months

Quota PhD Graduation Rates by Gender(4‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1415 Cohorts)

Women Men


Students of ColorCohort Size

% Retained to:12 months18 months24 months30 months36 months

% Graduated within:24 months30 months36 months42 months48 months54 months

63.878.166.7

66.766.7

100.0

33.3

100.0100.0

83.333.3

0.00.0

95.291.493.3

1.9

Quota Students by Race/EthnicityDue to small cohort sizes, breakdowns by race/ethnicity exclude international students and are based on four-year averages (AY112 through AY1415 cohorts).

80.081.9

6

86.720.0

1.0

White/ Unknown105

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Quota PhD Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity(4‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1415 Cohorts)

Students of Color White/Unknown


1112 1213 1314 1415 1516 1617 17184-Yr Avg

Cohort Size 34 21 14 19 13 11 18 88



Cohort Year

Non-Quota Students - Overall

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


PhD Graduation Rates by Quota Status(4‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1415 Cohorts)

Quota Non‐Quota



% Retained to:12 months 87.5 76.318 months 62.5 76.324 months 87.5 77.530 months 75.0 76.336 months 87.5 41.3

% Graduated within:24 months 0.0 0.030 months 0.0 2.536 months 0.0 30.042 months 0.0 40.048 months 25.0 51.354 months 25.0 56.3

Non-Quota Students by GenderDue to extremely small cohort sizes ( ≤ 5 students for AY1112 - AY1415 combined), breakdowns for non-quota students by race/ethnicity are not provided. Also due to small cohort sizes, breakdowns by gender are based on four-year averages (AY1112 through AY1415 cohorts).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Non‐Quota PhD Graduation Rates by Gender(4‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1415 Cohorts)

Women Men


Cohort Size

% Retained to:12 months18 months24 months30 months36 months

% Graduated within:24 months30 months36 months42 months48 months54 months

67.673.576.5

16.733.338.9

0.0 0.00.07.4

5.958.8

66.751.9

85.394.194.191.235.3

63.068.5

34 54

72.2

Full-Time Part-Time

Due to small cohort sizes, breakdowns by full-time/part-time status are based on four-year averages (AY1112 through AY1415 cohorts).

Non-Quota Students by Full-Time/Part-Time Status3

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Non‐Quota PhD Graduation Rates by FT/PT Status(4‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1414 Cohorts)

Full‐Time Part‐Time


1112 1213 1314 1415 1516 5-Yr AvgCohort Size 12 40 29 30 33 144

% Graduated On Time 83.3 57.5 58.6 70.0 75.8 66.7% Graduated 3 Months Overdue 0.0 20.0 13.8 3.3 6.1 10.4% Graduated 6 Months Overdue 8.3 0.0 3.4 6.7 0.0 2.8

91.7 77.5 75.9 80.0 81.8 79.9

On-Time PhD Completion RatesAY1112 through AY1516 Entering Quota Cohorts

Cohort Year

Quota Students - Overall

On-Time PhD Completion Rate (Quota): The percentage of students in the Entering Quota (PhD) Cohort who completed a PhD within the amount of time assigned to them at the time of admission, regardless of whether the graduating program matches their original program at the time of entrance.

Entering Quota (PhD) Cohort: All quota students who began a new PhD program at AFIT-EN during the specified academic year.

Total % Graduated Within 6 Months of Assigned Time

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1112 1213 1314 1415 1516 5‐Yr Avg

83.3%

57.5% 58.6%70.0%

75.8%66.7%

8.3%

20.0% 17.2%

10.0%6.1%

13.2%

On Time PhD Completion Rates (Quota) (5‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1516 Cohorts)

Graduated On Time Graduated Within 6 Months



% Graduated On Time 54.5 67.7% Graduated 3 Months Overdue 0.0 11.3% Graduated 6 Months Overdue 18.2 1.5

72.7 80.5

Quota Students by GenderDue to small cohort sizes, breakdowns for on-time PhD completion rates (quota) by gender are based on five-year averages (AY1112 through AY1516 cohorts).

Total % Graduated Within 6 Months of Assigned Time

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

54.5%

67.7%

18.2%12.8%

On Time PhD Completion by Gender (5‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1516 Cohorts)

Graduated On Time ‐ Women Graduated On Time ‐ Men

Graduated Within 6 Months ‐ Women Graduated Within 6 Months ‐ Men


Cohort Size

% Graduated On Time% Graduated 3 Months Overdue% Graduated 6 Months Overdue

Quota Students by Race/EthnicityDue to small cohort sizes, breakdowns for on-time PhD completion rates (quota) by race/ethnicity are based on five-year averages (AY1112 through AY1516 cohorts).

Total % Graduated Within 6 Months of Assigned Time 80.7

Students of Color

66.7

1.5

9

44.40.0

22.2

White/ Unknown135

68.111.1

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

44.4%

68.1%

22.2%

12.6%

On Time PhD Completion by Race/Ethnicity (5‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1516 Cohorts)

Graduated On Time ‐ Students of Color Graduated On Time ‐ White/Unknown

Graduated Within 6 Months ‐ Students of Color Graduated Within 6 Months ‐ White/Unknown


ENC ENG ENP ENS ENV ENY All ENCohort Size 11 32 28 27 8 38 144

% Graduated On Time 72.7 62.5 71.4 74.1 62.5 60.5 66.7% 3 Months Overdue 0.0 15.6 10.7 0.0 0.0 18.4 10.4% 6 Months Overdue 0.0 3.1 3.6 0.0 12.5 2.6 2.8

Total % Graduated Within 6 Months of

Assigned Time 72.7 81.3 85.7 74.1 75.0 81.6 79.9

Graduated on Time (Department)Graduated Within 6 Months (Department)

Graduated on Time (All EN)Graduated Within 6 Months (All EN)

Quota Students by Cohort DepartmentDue to small cohort sizes, breakdowns for on-time PhD completion rates (quota) by department are based on five-year averages (AY1112 through AY1516 cohorts).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

ENC ENG ENP ENS ENV ENY All EN

72.7%62.5%

71.4% 74.1%

62.5% 60.5%66.7%

0.0%18.8%

14.3% 0.0%

12.5%21.1%

13.2%

On Time PhD Completion Rates by Cohort Department (5‐Year Average: AY1112 ‐ AY1516 Cohorts)


AY1415 AY1516 AY1617 AY1718 AY1819 5-Yr Avg

N 41 40 40 38 31 190Avg Time to Degree 41.5 43.7 41.9 46.1 39.1 42.6





Non-Quota Students

Quota Students

Average Time to PhDAY1415 through AY1819 Graduating Classes

Graduating Class: All students who completed a PhD during the year specified.

Time to PhD: The number of months it took for students in the Graduating Class to complete their degree. The count of Time to PhD begins the first quarter that a student enrolls in a new PhD program at AFIT-EN ("PhD Entrance Quarter ") and includes all time between the PhD Entrance Quarter and graduation, regardless of whether the student was enrolled for a specific quarter.

Overall

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

AY1415 AY1516 AY1617 AY1718 AY1819

Months to Degree

Average Time to PhD by Quota Status

Overall Quota Non‐Quota


Women MenStudents of Color

White/ Unknown

N 11 123 9 125Avg Time to Degree 40.9 38.1 41.0 38.1

Quota Students by Gender and Race/EthnicityDue to small graduating class sizes, quota breakdowns by gender and race/ethnicity are based on five-year averages (AY1415 - AY1819 graduating classes).

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Women Men Students of Color White/Unknown

40.938.1

41.0

38.1

Months to Degree

Quota Student Time to PhD5‐Year Average (AY1415 ‐ AY1819)


Full-Time Part-TimeN 23 33

Avg Time to Degree 43.2 59.5

Non-Quota Students by Full-Time/Part-Time Status

Due to extremely small graduating class sizes for some demographic groups (< 5 students for AY1415 - AY1819 combined), breakdowns for non-quota students by gender and race/ethnicity are not provided. Also due to small graduating class sizes, quota breakdowns by full-time/part-time status are based on five-year averages (AY1415 - AY1819 graduating classes).

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Full‐Time Part‐Time

43.2

59.5

Months to Degree

Non‐Quota Student Time to PhD by FT/PT Status5‐Year Average (AY1415 ‐ AY1819)


Footnotes

1Sowell, R., Zhang, T., Redd, K.. (2008). Ph.D. Completion and Attrition: Analysis of Baseline Program Data from the Ph.D. Completion Project. Retrieved from Council of Graduate Schools website: https://cgsnet.org/sites/default/files/phd_completion_attrition_baseline_program_data.pdf

2Although most Quota doctoral students are assigned to AFIT-EN for 36 months, assignments range from 36-42 months.

3Full-time/part-time status is based on a combination of students' quota status, student type, degree level, and hours enrolled during his or her PhD Entrance Quarter. For full details, see Full-Time / Part-Time by Assignment in the glossary.


Glossary Cohort Department: Students' department during their PhD Entrance Quarter .

Entering PhD Cohort: All quota students who began a new PhD program at AFIT-EN during the specified academic year.

Entering Quota (PhD) Cohort: All quota students who began a new PhD program at AFIT-EN during the specified academic year.

Full-Time / Part-Time by Assignment: Based on a combination of students' quota status, student type, degree level, and hours enrolled. For Time to Degree, Retention Rate, Graduation Rate, and On-Time Completion reporting, FT/PT by Assignment status is based on a student's status during his or her PhD Entrance Quarter .

Full-Time: All AF Quota students, international students, AF sponsored civilians, resident sister service military members (excluding sister service civilians); all master's, certificate, or non-degree students registered for 12 or more hours; all doctoral students registered for 9 or more hours.

Part-Time: Master's, certificate, or non-degree students registered for fewer than 12 hours or doctoral students registered for fewer than 9 hours, excluding those whose quota status or student type classifies them as full-time.

Graduating Class: All students who completed a degree during the year specified, regardless of whether they had previously earned a degree (from AFIT-EN or elsewhere).

Graduation: Students are counted as graduated if they completed a PhD at AFIT-EN within the time period specified, regardless of whether the graduating program matches their original program at the time of entrance.

Graduation Rate: The percentage of students in the Entering PhD Cohort who graduated with a PhD at AFIT-EN within the time period specified, regardless of whether the graduating program matches their original program at the time of entrance.

PhD Entrance Quarter: The first quarter during which a student enrolled at AFIT-EN as a PhD degree-seeking student, regardless of the specific program(s) in which the student was enrolled.

On-Time PhD Completion Rate (Quota): The percentage of students in the Entering Quota (PhD) Cohort who completed a PhD within the amount of time assigned to them at the time of entrance, regardless of whether the graduating program matches their original program at the time of entrance. Although most Quota PhD students are assigned to AFIT-EN for 36 months, assignments range from 36-42 months.

Quota Status: For Time to Degree , Retention Rate , Graduation Rate , and On-Time Completion reporting, Quota Status is based on students' status during their PhD Entrance Quarter .

Retention: Students are counted as retained if they were enrolled at any level (certificate, master's, PhD, or non-degree) in AFIT-EN during the quarter specified.


Retention Rate: The percentage of students in the cohort who were retained in AFIT-EN during the quarter specified.

Time to PhD: The number of months it took for students in the Graduating Class to complete their degree. The count of Time to PhD begins the first quarter that a student enrolls in a PhD program at AFIT-EN ("PhD Entrance Quarter ") and includes all time between the PhD Entrance Quarter and graduation, regardless of whether the student was enrolled for a specific quarter.


AFIT-EN PhD Retention, Graduation, and Time to Degree PhD... · 11/8/2019 · degree part-time,...

Documents

Transcript of AFIT-EN PhD Retention, Graduation, and Time to Degree PhD... · 11/8/2019 · degree part-time,...