Grad-Alum Careers, 10 Years Out

Graduate School research has found that a decade after receiving their Ph.D. degrees, 47 percent of alumni hold tenured or tenure-track faculty positions.

The research (at http://bit.ly/phd-statistics) compiled data on career outcomes for those who received their doctoral degrees in 2006–07 and 2007–08 through an initial survey, supplemented by information from individual departments and online sources.

By academic division, the humanities (63 percent) and the social sciences (61 percent) had the highest percentage of tenured/tenure-track positions, compared to 44 percent for the natural sciences and 30 percent for engineering.

Engineering Ph.D.s led the way in reporting nonacademic careers (53 percent), followed by 33 percent for the natural sciences, 28 percent for the social sciences, and 15 percent for the humanities.

Of those responding to a survey of alumni three to 12 years out, 92 percent said they would recommend the Graduate School to a prospective student, and 90 percent expressed satisfaction with their current job.