NT's doctoral programs are conducting internal surveys to assess their quality.

The Doctoral Program Assessment Project began in September under the supervision of Sandra Terrell, dean of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies.

The study results will be the basis for tracking future progress within the schools. The purpose of the study is "to see that doctoral programs build upon quality, make more effective use of financial and intellectual resources and to grow competitive advantages," Terrell said.

In addition, any information gained from the study will be used in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's initatives for accountability measures.

The actual assessment focuses on program mission and design, quality of faculty and their research and scholarship, student demand and the quality of applicants and student outcomes, Terrell said.

Deans, associate deans and/or graduate advisers, depending on the department, will fill out the self-study report, which asks for information concerning diversity, future academic plans, financial matters, where graduates are seeking employment, as well as other questions. These reports will be submitted tomorrow.

From Nov. 16 to Nov. 22, off-site external consultants will review the assessments and send them back to NT in December.

Then, from January to April, the graduate program assessment committee will work to prepare a final report, which will be distributed to graduate deans at the end of April.

This committee will have 12 members. Eleven of these will be NT faculty members or faculty emeriti, who will be nominated by department deans and one member will be from another institution.

The final report will be presented to Provost Howard Johnson in May 2006.

Graduate students in the 50 doctoral and the 114 master's degree programs make up more than 22 percent of NT's total enrollment and earn 26 percent of degrees awarded, Terrell said.

According to the coordinating board, a Ph. D. represents the highest level of academic study in the nation. In addition, the board said the degree "indicates (or should indicate) that a graduate has mastered the advanced concepts of a field, is able to conduct scholarly research in the discipline and can make independent intellectual contributions to the field."

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