Study design

The ProFile longitudinal survey is carried out by means of an online questionnaire. The participants comprise doctoral candidates at universities and other institutions such as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) or other foundations.

The initial survey particularly focusses on the structure and structural changes of doctoral education. Besides questions on educational biography, the conditions of doctoral education, the supervision of doctoral candidates, the quality of the curriculum as well as the resource endowment are surveyed, for instance.

After conferral of the doctorate, light is shed on the transition into the labour market and postdoctoral careers. For this purpose, retrospective information on the doctoral phase and the subsequent career is collected. The focus is on the relation between the structure and conditions of doctoral education and the vocational development. The last survey takes place four years after conferral of the doctorate.

Overview of the study design