Human resources data measure the number and type of staff supporting postsecondary education. Because staffing patterns vary greatly across postsecondary institutions, IPEDS uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System to collect occupational activity.

Data collected include:

• Employees by primary occupational activity, faculty status, and full- and part-time status;
• Full-time instructional staff by academic rank, gender, and contract length/teaching period;
• Full-time instructional faculty by rank, gender, and length of contract/teaching period and their salary outlays.

• Human Resources/SOC Information Center
• Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
• Race/Ethnicity Information Center
• The History and Origins of Survey Items (2022–23 Update)
• Timing of IPEDS Data Collection
• Student Cohorts and Subgroups in IPEDS

• All Frequently Asked Questions

• Provides an overview of the survey component
• Provides an overview of the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification system
• Discusses the SOC Occupational Categories and how they relate to the HR survey component
• Discusses helpful resources for categorizing employees according to the HR/SOC guidelines
• Discusses the period of reporting and who to include and not include when reporting HR data
• Discusses the reporting of salary data
• Discusses the reporting of new hires