| Abstract: |
The availability of well-educated researchers is necessary for the fruitful
analysis of social and economic data. The increased data offer made possible
by the creation of the Research Data Centers (RDCs) has resulted in an
increased demand for PhD students at the master’s or Diplom levels. Especially
in economics, where we find intense competition among the various individual
subjects within the course of study, survey statistics has not been very
successful in laying claim to a substantial proportion of the coursework and
training. The situation is more favorable in sociology faculties. This article
argues that the creation of new CAMPUS Files would help foster statistical
education by providing public use files covering a wider range of subjects. It
also presents some suggestions for new CAMPUS Files along these lines.
Additionally, it argues for the establishment of master’s programs in survey
statistics to increase the availability of well-trained statisticians. An
outline of such a master’s program is presented and current PhD programs are
evaluated with respect to training in survey statistics. Training courses are
also offered outside the university that promote the use of new data sets as
well as expanding the knowledge of new statistical methods or methods that lie
outside standard education. These training courses are organized by the RDCs,
(i.e. the data producers), the Data Service Centers, or by GESIS (Leibniz
Institute for the Social Sciences). The current tendency to strengthen ties
and collaborate with universities should be supported by making it possible to
earn academic credit for such courses. |