Who Gets a Doctoral Education? The Effects of Family Background on Opportunities for Doctoral Education

Abstract “Who gets a doctoral education?” means “Who gets ahead?” Doctoral degree holders are the country’s elite talents, and increasing numbers of Master’s students are choosing to continue pursuing doctoral education after graduation. This paper conducted empirical analysis of data from the 2017 National Academic Master’s Graduate Survey. The study shows that, among the graduates from Master’s programs surveyed in 2017, 19.31% chose to continue pursuing a doctoral degree, while 4.5% chose to study abroad, and students at Double First Class institutions of higher education represented the majority in both categories. In the stage of doctoral education, family background still has a significant positive effect with respect to gaining educational opportunities, while the category of educational institution and the distribution of majors are important mediator variables. Compared to those who study for a doctoral degree domestically, Master’s students of better family background are more likely to receive a doctoral education overseas.