Annotated Bibliography for AAR Data Search Project

The AAR initiated a Data Search Project in the summer of 1993 in order to gather information on post-secondary institutions and faculty in the U.S. and Canada involved in the study of religion. At that time no one was certain how much information in this area had already been collected, who had collected it, or how accessible any of it was. The primary emphases of the project concerned (1) searching every relevant database or bibliographic source in order to produce an annotated bibliography of data sources, (2) merging existing institutional information into a comprehensive list of colleges and universities offering programs in religious studies, and (3) publishing information of special interest to the AAR.

The annotated bibliography that follows lists the most helpful (or most potentially helpful) publications or databases available from both government and private sources. The federal government, by far, offers the most comprehensive and wide-ranging statistical information. Thus, most of the annotated entries fall within that area.

The bibliography is arranged as follows:

1. Data on United States Schools
   1. Government Sources
      1. Publications
         1. National Research Council
         2. National Opinion Research Center
         3. National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education)
         4. Other Government Publications
      2. Federal Government Databases
   2. Private Sources
      1. Council of Societies for the Study of Religion
      2. Association of Theological Schools
      3. Other Private Sources
2. Data on Canadian Schools
   1. Council of Societies for the Study of Religion
   2. Association of Theological Schools
   3. Other Information
3. Other Information Available, but at a Cost

1. Data on United States Schools

1. Government Sources

1. Publications

1. National Research Council (NRC)

Humanities Doctorates in the United States. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

A biennial publication based on statistics from the Survey of Humanities Doctorates. It focuses on "demographic and employment characteristics of humanities doctorates who earned their degrees from U.S. institutions" from January 1946 until the present. This has excellent information on the humanities as a whole, but it buries religion and theology statistics in a category called "Other Humanities." Thus, its only immediate usefulness for the AAR lies in comparisons of religion and theology statistics (obtained elsewhere) with general trends in the humanities.

2. National Opinion Research Center

Summary Report: Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities.

An annual publication of great value for the AAR's purposes, based on the Survey of Earned Doctorates completed each year by (theoretically) everyone receiving Ph.D.'s in the U.S. during that year. Formerly conducted by the National Research Council, this survey has been conducted by the NORC since 1997. The survey includes only research doctorates in these figures (with a very small number of Th.D's and D.Min's that would be the equivalent of a research doctorate). Participants self-select a field of study from the survey’s list. Among the listed fields of study are "religion" and "theology/religious education," with no criteria provided by the survey itself. The major field of study under which “religion” is listed is “other humanities.” “Theology/religious education” is listed under “other professional fields.”

The Summary Report's tables as they exist provide gender, citizenship, and race/ethnicity information by subfield (including "religion" and "theology"). Also provided by subfield is the total number of doctorates awarded each year. Other tables report information of potential use to the AAR, but the information is not reported by subfield, only by broader categories. The NORC staff has said that this information could be broken out for religion and theology, but at a cost (see section III, below). The information includes marital status, median age, percentage with BA in same field as doctorate, percentage with masters, median time lapse from BA to doctorate, and planned employment after doctorate.

The NORC keeps records from 1920 until the present, with information from 1920—1957 obtained from commencement bulletins, registrars' records, etc., and information from 1958 until the present obtained from the Survey of Earned Doctorates. Since the information-gathering methods and the categories reported have changed over the years, information on religion and theology is not always available for each year or comparable from year-to-year. However, a great deal of useful information could be purchased.

The most helpful person to talk to at the NORC is Lance Selfa (312-759-4031), a Senior Research Associate. He can determine the cost of various custom searches.

3. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (US Department of Education)

All of the following publications can be found online at http://nces.ed.gov. Some of them can also be found in print form in various federal government depositories. (Most state university or major private university libraries are depositories.) Those that are available in print can also be obtained for free by calling 1-800-424-1616. However, not all of the publications of the NCES are available in print. The NCES compiles hundreds of reports each year. Following are those that would be of most interest to AAR. Many NCES reports show data by field of specialization, but usually only as narrow “Philosophy and Religion” and “Theology and Theological Studies.” Both categories contain some information that applies to AAR and some that does not. Almost any report that shows data by fields can be broken down into more specific fields of information (see “Custom searches at the NRC,” section III, below).

2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty Report on Faculty and Instructional Staff in Fall 2003.

The NCES collects data on postsecondary faculty about once every five years. This report shows the most general data from that particular survey system. Provides descriptive information about faculty and instructional staff who were employed in U.S. 2- and 4-year-degree-granting institutions in the fall of 2003. Describes the gender, race/ethnicity, tenure status, and income of all faculty and instructional staff, by employment status, institution type, and program area. The most relevant program area in the report is “Humanities,” but they could probably pull out data specific to “Philosophy and Religion.”

Characteristics and Attitudes of Instructional Faculty and Staff in the Humanities, 1997.

This report is based on data collected in the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, making it somewhat dated. Reports the demographic characteristics, employment characteristics, workload, productivity, compensation, and attitudes of full-time faculty and instructional staff who taught in 4-year institutions in the fall of 1992. Data on the humanities is compared with several other program areas. The field most closely related to AAR is “Philosophy and Religion,” which is included in every table.

Classification of Instructional Programs, 2000 Edition.

The taxonomy of all NCES surveys is from the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). The CIP describes, classifies, and assigns identification codes for over one thousand different subject areas. Available fields relevant to the AAR include Islamic Studies; Hindu Studies; Jewish/Judaic Studies; Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics; Religion/Religious Studies; Biblical and Other Theological Languages and Literatures; Bible/Biblical Studies; Mission/Missionary Studies and Missiology; Religious Education; Theological and Ministerial Studies; Theology/Theological Studies; Divinity/Ministry; Rabbinical Studies; Talmudic Studies; Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies; Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries; etc.

“College Opportunities Online.”

The NCES has an online searchable database, “College Opportunities Online” (“COOL”). Search criteria include region, state, city, type of institution, name of institution, enrollment, and instructional program. The three choices under “Instructional Program” that are best for the AAR are: “Philosophy and Religious Studies,” “Theological Studies/Religious Vocations,” and “Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities.” Searches produce general information about each institution, including enrollment, tuition, and Carnegie classification. Most useful is the data on “awards/degrees conferred.” This is searchable by instructional program, and the degrees awarded by those programs are then broken down into type of degree and specific area of the field in which the degree was conferred. This information could very interesting for the AAR. The Web address for “COOL” is http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/.

Degrees and Other Awards Conferred by Title IV Participating, Degree-Granting Institutions, 1997-1998.

Presents data on degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions in the U.S. Shows level of degrees awarded (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, first professional) by field of study. Also shows what percent of total degrees awarded were awarded by each field of study. Includes breakdown of conferred degrees by race/ethnicity, gender. Also breaks down degrees awarded by public institutions, private not-for-profit institutions, and private for-profit institutions. Fields of study include “Philosophy and Religion” and “Theological Studies and Religious Vocations.” A few tables break the fields down further to show total degrees awarded and at each level to “Philosophy,” “Religion/Religious Studies,” and “Philosophy and Religion.”

Digest of Education Statistics.

The most important general source of information published annually by the NCES. It offers over 250 tables concerning post-secondary education. The statistics include a large amount of data about the general field of humanities, which includes both religion and theology. Information about students in the humanities includes age, race/ethnicity, gender, financial support, and much more. Information about humanities faculty includes gender, race/ethnicity, salary, course load, and much more.

A number of tables include information about religion and theology. Unfortunately, the information is divided into two categories that also contain data that is not relevant to AAR. The two categories are, “Philosophy and Religion” and “Theological Studies/Religious Vocations.” Some tables further break these categories down into more specific categories that are relevant to AAR. Most of the tables containing the two broader categories could be refined to the more specific, thus more useful categories. There is no charge for having the information broken down, as long as the request is on a limited basis.

The most immediately helpful tables report the number of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees granted in a given year. These tables are broken down into the more specific categories and are further subdivided by gender. Racial and ethnic data, unfortunately, is reported only under the broader categories.

Directory of Postsecondary Institutions.

Beginning in 2000, publication of this directory ceased. The NCES now has an online database that contains all of the directory information. See “College Opportunities Online” below for information. Old issues of the directory would only be useful if one wanted to compare current data to data of years past. The directory can be used to get the figures for the total number of colleges and universities in a given year. It also gives the figures for total public institutions and for total private institutions, with breakdowns by affiliations. Lists alphabetically by state all known postsecondary institutions, giving school name, address, phone number, control or affiliation, highest level of award, general type of programs (very general, e.g., academic, professional, etc.), and accreditation.

Institutional Policies and Practices: Results from the 1999 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, Institution Survey.

Shows results from survey of institutional officers on faculty size, composition by rank, tenure systems and policies, collective bargaining, employee benefits, performance evaluations. Could be useful for comparisons, but it reports by institution, not by departments or fields of study. Private, for-profit institutions and non-title IV institutions were excluded from the survey.

Programs and Plans of the National Center for Education Statistics.

A useful, annual overview of the work of the NCES. It describes the methods and purposes of the main surveys and studies, outlines plans for future studies, and, most helpfully, provides the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the people responsible for various projects or who can set up custom searches of specific databases.

Student Financing of Graduate and First-Professional Education, 1999-2000: Profiles of Students in Selected Degree Programs and Their Use of Assistantships.

Describes how students in selected graduate and first-professional programs pay for their education and compares the use of assistantships across programs and fields of study. The report also includes a compendium of tables providing detailed data on student characteristics, types of financial aid, sources of financial aid, and employment while enrolled. Most tables only break the fields of study down as far as “humanities and social/behavioral sciences.” Towards the end, “humanities” is separated out into its own category, but it is never broken down further than that. “Theology” is listed on many tables as its own field, but it includes only professional degrees, not research degrees. It is possible to have “Religious Studies” data extracted from some of the tables.

4. Other Government Publications

Statistical Abstract of the U.S.

Contains a number of tables concerning education that are categorized by age, gender, race, institutional type, etc. A few tables are divided by field of study. Helpful for comparisons with national trends. Also this is the basic statistical source book for all sorts of areas besides education. Can be used to compare national percentages with percentages within the field or a department. (Issued by the Bureau of the Census.)

2. Federal Government Databases

The following is based on Programs and Plans of the National Center for Education Statistics, 2005 Edition, U. S. Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

1. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

IPEDS serves as the core data collection program for the NCES, surveying all of the approximately 9,800 postsecondary institutions in the U.S. Initiated in 1986, it superseded the Higher Education General Information System (HEGIS), which only surveyed accredited institutions.

Information collected by IPEDS consists of nine components. Data fields of particular interest are underlined and marked with an asterisk within each component.

1. Institutional Characteristics: Address*, telephone number*, web site URL*, control or affiliation*, levels of awards offered*, types of programs, accreditation*, admissions criteria, selected student services, calendar system, tuition, required fees, and room and board charges. In addition, the survey collects price information: tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses that a full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate student would expect to pay when entering the institution. This sticker price information is made available to prospective students, parents, counselors, and others on a user-friendly Web site, College Opportunities On-Line (IPEDS COOL) at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool.
    
2. Enrollment: Full- and part-time fall enrollment, by level (undergraduate, first professional, and graduate) and by race/ethnicity and gender of student*. Beginning in 1990, race/ethnicity data were collected annually. (Prior to 1990, race/ethnicity data were collected in even-numbered years.) Age distributions are collected in odd-numbered years*; data on state of residence of first-time freshmen (first-time, first-year students) are collected in even-numbered years. Four-year institutions are also required to complete enrollment data by level, race/ethnicity, and gender for nine selected fields of study in even-numbered years. In addition, the enrollment survey now collects the 12-month instructional activity and unduplicated headcount data, which are needed to compute a standardized, full-time-equivalent (FTE) enrollment statistic for the entire academic year. FTE is useful for gauging the size of the educational enterprise at the institution. Institutions are also asked to provide the total number of first-time undergraduate students regardless of status (degree- or non-degree-seeking; first-year or transfer-in; full- or part-time). Beginning in 2003, the Enrollment survey will collect fall-to-fall retention data on first-year undergraduate students.
    
3. Completions: Degree completions by level* (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, and first professional) and other formal awards by length of program, race/ethnicity and gender of recipient*, and 6-digit Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. Completion data by race/ethnicity at the 2-digit CIP level became an annual collection in 1990; beginning in 1995, race/ethnicity data were collected at the 6-digit CIP level. Beginning with the 2001 collection, institutions were able to report the number of students with double majors by level of degree and 6-digit CIP code of the second major.
    
4. Graduation Rates: Data on the number of students entering the institution as full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students in a particular year (cohort), by race/ethnicity and gender; number completing their program within 150 percent of normal time to completion; number transferred to other institutions; and number receiving athletically related student aid in the cohort and number completing within 150 percent of normal time to completion. Worksheets automatically calculate rates, including average rates over 4 years. This survey was developed to help institutions comply with requirements of the Student Right-to-Know Act.
    
5. Student Financial Aid: Number of full-time, first-time degree- and certificate-seeking undergraduate students, total number of these students receiving financial aid, and average amount of aid received by type of aid.
    
6. Employees by Assigned Position: Data on the number of full- and part-time employees by occupational category, faculty status, and tenure status (if applicable). Data on employees in medical schools are collected separately. This survey was first implemented in 2001.
    
7. Fall Staff: Number of full-time faculty by race/ethnicity and gender*, contract length, and salary class intervals; number of other persons employed full time by race/ethnicity and gender, primary occupational activity*, and salary class intervals; number of part-time employees by primary occupational activity, race/ethnicity, and gender; and tenure of full-time faculty by academic rank and new hires by primary occupational activity, both by race/ethnicity and gender. Beginning with the 1993 survey year, Fall Staff replaced the EEO-6 survey conducted by the EEOC.
    
8. Salaries: Number of full-time instructional faculty by rank, gender, and length of contract; total salary outlay; and fringe benefits and number of full-time instructional faculty* covered by these benefits. The survey became annual in 1990, but data were not collected in 2000. Prior to 2001, data were collected by tenure status.
    
9. Finance: Revenues by source (e.g., tuition and fees, government grants and contracts, private gifts); current fund expenditures by function (e.g., instruction, research, plant maintenance and operation); physical plant assets and indebtedness; and endowment investments. Survey forms differ substantially for public and private institutions because of differences in accounting standards.

Detailed information on the IPEDS may be found on the web at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ or by contacting:

Susan G. Broyles, Program Director
Postsecondary Institutional Studies Program
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone number: (202) 502.7318
E-mail address: susan.broyles@ed.gov

2. The National Postsecondary Aid Study (NPSAS)

NPSAS provides information on how federal aid is distributed to students, who receives it, and its effects on recipients. The first NPSAS was conducted during the 1986-87 school year. In 1999-2000, institutional records data were collected on about 62,000 students (50,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate/first-professional students) at 1,000 institutions. About 44,500 students were interviewed by telephone.

In 2004, NCES combined the NPSAS and the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) into the National Study of Faculty and Students (NSoFaS). About 80,000 students and 24,000 faculty and instructional staff participated. Results should be available in summer/fall 2005.

NPSAS has three on-going components:

1. Student Records (from institutional records): Year in school*, major field of study*, type and control of institution*, attendance status, tuition and fees, admission test scores, financial aid received*, price of attendance, student budget information and expected family contribution for aided students, grade point average, age, and date first enrolled.
    
2. Student Telephone Interview: Financial aid at other schools attended during year, other sources of financial support*, reasons for selecting the school they are attending, current marital status, age*, race/ethnicity*, sex*, highest degree expected*, employment and income*, voting in recent elections, and community service.
    
3. Parent Interview (limited sample of some students/parents for NPSAS: 87 through NPSAS: 93 only). Parents’ marital status, age, highest level of education achieved, income, amount of financial support provided to children, types of financing used to pay children’s educational expenses, occupation, and industry.

Detailed information on the NPSAS may be found on the web at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas or by contacting:

Aurora M. D’Amico, Postsecondary Studies Division
Postsecondary Cooperative System, Analysis, and Dissemination Program
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone number: (202) 502.7334
E-mail address: aurora.d.amico@ed.gov

3. The National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF)

NSOPF, which began in 1988, was cosponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NSOPF:88) with a sample of about 500 colleges and universities, over 3,000 department chairpersons, and over 11,000 instructional faculty.

The second and third cycles of NSOPF were conducted by NCES with support from NEH and the National Science Foundation in 1992.93 (NSOPF:93) and 1998.99 (NSOPF:99), respectively. NSOPF:93 and NSOPF:99 were limited to surveys of institutions and faculty, but with substantially expanded samples of about 975 colleges and universities, and 30,000 faculty and instructional staff. NSOPF:88 was limited to faculty and staff who had some instructional responsibilities (e.g., teaching one or more courses for credit, supervising thesis or dissertation committees, individualized instruction), while NSOPF:93 and NSOPF:99 included these individuals, as well as faculty who had no instructional responsibilities (e.g., those engaged exclusively in research, administration, or public service). Faculty status was determined by each institution.

NSOPF consists of the following three components:

1. Institutional Survey (1988, 1993, and 1999): Counts of faculty, hires and departures, employment and tenure status, and policies regarding tenure, retirement, and benefits for faculty*.
    
2. Department Chairperson Survey (1988 only): Faculty composition in department, tenure status of faculty in department, faculty hires and departures in department, hiring practices, activities to assess faculty performance, and professional and developmental activities*.
    
3. Faculty Survey (1988, 1993, and 1999): Sociodemographic characteristics; academic and professional background; field of instruction; employment history; current employment status, including rank and tenure; workload; courses taught; publications; job satisfaction and attitudes; career and retirement plans; and benefits and compensation*.

Detailed information on NSOPF may be found on the web at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/nsopf or by contacting:

Aurora M. D’Amico, Postsecondary Studies Division
Postsecondary Cooperative System, Analysis, and Dissemination Program
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone number: (202) 502.7334
E-mail address: aurora.d.amico@ed.gov

4. The Survey of Earned Doctorates

The Survey of Earned Doctorates Awarded in the United States is handled primarily by the National Research Council. Its results are reported in the Summary Report: Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities. It is annotated above, (section I.A.1.a).

5. The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study

The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study’s (BPS) survey, included two longitudinal studies called the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) and the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B). For BPS, there were two cohorts of beginning students. These cohorts served to examine issues such as persistence and effects of financial aid on subsequent enrollment. One cohort included students who began their postsecondary education during 1989-90, were interviewed in 1992 (BPS:90/92), and were interviewed again in 1994 (BPS:90/94). Another cohort included students who began in 1995-96, and were interviewed in 1998 (BPS:96/98) and 2001 (BPS:96/01). For B&B, there were two cohorts of students who completed their undergraduate degrees. These cohorts served to examine issues such as the transition from college to work and access to graduate school. One cohort included students who graduated with a baccalaureate degree during 1992-93, were surveyed in 1994 (B&B:93/94), were surveyed again in 1997 (B&B:93/97), and were surveyed again in 2003 as part of the BB:93/03 study. Another cohort included students who graduated with a baccalaureate degree in 1999-2000, and were surveyed again in 2001 (B&B:2000/01).

BPS consists of three components:

1. Student Records (from institutional records): Year in school, major field of study*, type and control of institution*, attendance status, tuition and fees, admission test scores, financial aid received, price of attendance, student budget information and expected family contribution for aided students, grade point average, age*, and date first enrolled.
    
2. Student Telephone Interview: Financial aid at other schools attended during year, other sources of financial support, reasons for selecting the school they are attending*, current marital status, age, race/ethnicity, sex, highest degree expected, employment and income*, voting in recent elections, and community service.
    
3. Parent Interview (limited sample of some students/parents for NPSAS:87 through NPSAS:93 only). Parents’ marital status, age, highest level of education achieved, income, amount of financial support provided to children, types of financing used to pay children’s educational expenses, occupation, and industry.

Detailed information on the NPSAS may be found on the web at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas or by contacting:

Aurora M. D’Amico, Postsecondary Studies Division
Postsecondary Cooperative System, Analysis, and Dissemination Program
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone number: (202) 502.7334
E-mail address: aurora.d.amico@ed.gov

2. Private Sources

1. Council of Societies for the Study of Religion (CSSR)

The CSSR's used to publish an annual Directory of Departments and Programs of Religious Studies in North America which has more complete information about programs than one could obtain from government sources. However, the most recent publication was in 2002 and they are undecided about whether or not to continue to project.

At this time, the CSSR is moving from Valparaiso University to Rice University and is not able to give an address or phone number.

2. Association of Theological Schools

Publishes an annual Fact Book on Theological Education which contains data submitted by theological schools on everything from student enrollment, degrees conferred, faculty compensation, tuition and fees, and much more. For further information on ATS, see http://www.ats.edu/ or contact:

Linda Giehll, Business Office
ATS
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1103
Telephone: (412) 788-6505
E-mail address: giehll@ats.edu

3. Other Private Sources

The College Blue Book 26^th Edition, 5 vols. Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

A standard reference for finding schools that allows one to search for colleges and universities offering programs in specific fields. Less complete for religion and theology than what one can find in either the government databases or in CSSR's database. Also in electronic format.

Fact Book on Higher Education, 2003. American Council on Education.

Repeats information from government sources. 

National Faculty Directory, 2003, 35^th Edition. Thomson Gale, 27500 Drake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535. (Phone 1-800-877-GALE).

Provides alphabetic listing of faculty members in the U.S. along with institutions, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Information also provided for Canadian institutions that use instructional materials primarily in English. Directory includes only teaching faculty, not research or retired or other types of faculty who might be contributing to the field of religious studies.

Peterson's College Database. Peterson's Guides, Inc., P.O. Box 2123, Princeton, NJ 08543-2123.

This is a searchable online database available at http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/. It is also available on CD ROM. It contains information about undergraduate programs at almost 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. It offers information similar to other privately produced references. Listed for each institution are majors and degrees, tuition and fees, faculty, admissions requirements, academic facilities, etc. The database is searchable by “major,” but the most specific offered is “Humanities,” which makes this database not useful for people looking for institutions that offer degrees in religion. They gather their information from their own private surveys.

Peterson's Graduate Program Database. Peterson's Guides, P.O. Box 2123, Princeton, NJ 08540.

This is a searchable online database for graduate programs available at http://www.petersons.com/gradchannel/. “Religion” and “Theology” are offered as search options, so this database can provide a fairly complete list of institutions offering graduate programs in religion and theology. Listed for each institution are majors and degrees, tuition and fees, faculty, admissions requirements, academic facilities, etc. The database does not list the subspecialties offered at each institution.

Peterson's Graduate Programs in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences 39^th Edition: Peterson's Annual Graduate Guide Set. Peterson's Guides, P.O. Box 2123, Princeton, NJ 08540.

Annually published directory of institutions offering graduate degrees in humanities, arts, and social sciences. Has separate lists for “Religion” and “Theology.” Contains entrance and degree requirements, expenses and financial aid, programs of study, and faculty research specialties.

2. Data on Canadian Schools

This section only has preliminary information that might point toward the best places to start collecting data.

1. Council of Societies for the Study of Religion

See section I.B.1 above.

2. Association of Theological Schools

The ATS’s annual Fact Book on Theological Education contains data on institutions from both the U.S. and Canada. See B2 above.

3. Other Information

The Churches' Council on Theological Education in Canada maintains an online database of Canadian schools offering theology degrees. The lists offers the name of the school, the degrees offered, the religious denomination, and whether or not the school has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. It has no listings for universities involved in "academic" study of religion.

The Directory of Canadian Universities is published by the Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada. It is updated annually and contains some information about schools that offer religious studies, but it is not necessarily comprehensive in that regard. It costs $39.95 plus tax and shipping.

The Canadian government maintains a Web site called Statistics Canada, which offers limited information on enrollment, the number of bachelor’s and graduate degrees awarded per year, the cost of one year’s tuition and fees, and student indebtedness.

3. Other Information Available, But at a Cost

Whether or not certain agencies can provide custom searches of their data, and the cost of such, can usually be determined only by direct conversation with the agency or company that possesses the data. For government agencies, if information is already available for the fields of religion or theology, then it is simply a matter of entering it either manually or electronically into one's own database. Government data is in the public domain. If, however, custom searches need to be run in order to get information, then the agencies generally charge a fee.

Custom searches at the NORC. Cost to search existing tables for data on religion or theology runs in the hundreds of dollars for each pass. (Each year counts as one pass.) Creating a query that differs from an existing format costs thousands of dollars per query. In the Summary Report reference (p. 2 above), the information mentioned in the second paragraph could be broken out for religion and theology at a cost of approximately $250—$350 per year.

A custom search requires written authorization specifying the desired search and the maximum amount of money to be spent. They will give an estimate, and if the search comes in under the estimate, one pays only for the actual time involved. Payment is made after the search.

Lori Thurgood (202-334-3164), the Senior Research Associate, should be contacted for information about custom searches. She can provide information about what is available and how much it costs.

Custom searches at the NCES. Most NCES reports that show data by field can be broken down into more specific fields (i.e. religious studies). Such custom searches require very specific discussions with the staff at the NCES. In some cases, "depending on the table," certain custom searches are available to be run for free. But the NCES staff are hesitant to discuss fees without knowing exactly what information is being requested.

Some current IPEDS databases are available at no cost. One simply sends the requisite number of diskettes and a postage-paid mailer, then the databases will be copied and sent out.

The best place to start to find out about custom searches is to contact the person in charge of the specific report, the names of whom can be found on the title page of each report. Programs and Plans of the National Center for Education Statistics also shows staff members involved in each report.