For at least four decades, the Graduate School, with assistance from the registrar’s office, has compiled data on completion, time-to-degree and placement for all its Ph.D. programs and has used that information in discussing ways to improve the graduate programs on campus. In recent years we have also posted that data on our website. For example, the Department Profiles tabulate annually where Ph.D.s go immediately after graduation, breaking the academic positions into research universities, colleges, and other institutions, and the remainder into postdoctoral and nonacademic positions. An appendix of the Annual Report of the Graduate School, also available online, discriminates further among positions both within and outside of the academy as well as those abroad. Obviously we should and will do better in making this information accessible and keeping it up to date. The annual report shows that until this past year, less than 5 percent of the Ph.D. graduates failed to respond or were not placed. However, about half take postdoctoral, rather than permanent, positions, so we intend to gather information from faculty advisers and through a periodic survey of graduate alumni five to 10 years out to better understand their careers.
At the December meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools, I participated in a panel considering the value and shortcomings of the data gathered by the NRC for its assessment. The best idea that emerged was for research universities to agree on a standard set of data that would include completion, time-to-degree and placement to be posted prominently on their own websites. Clearly the ‘Prince’ editorial highlighted an important and timely issue.
Beyond this data lie a number of other important issues that have been considered in detail in the 2010 report by the Commission on the Future of Graduate Education, a joint effort of the Council of Graduate Schools and the Educational Testing Service. Titled “The Path Forward,” it was predicated on the “key assumption ... that the competitiveness of the United States and our nation’s capacity for innovation hinge fundamentally on a strong system of graduate education.” The report identified current trends and vulnerabilities and offered recommendations and actions for universities, employers and policymakers. With respect to completion and time-to-degree, the data show that Princeton, probably accompanied by other private institutions, stands at the forefront of research universities with completion rates of 70–80 percent and overall median time-to-degree of 5.6 years.
Placement data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008 indicated that “most doctoral degree holders work in occupations ... in professional, scientific, and technical services or in government,” rather than academia. Our own Ph.D. alumni populate the faculties of many universities and colleges, but many others pursue rewarding careers beyond academia. The primary issue highlighted by the report is that “at the doctoral level [a] clear picture of career options that fit the large personal and economic investments needed to complete doctorates is lacking.” So the challenge for universities is to execute Ph.D. programs efficiently, while effectively delivering programs that teach skills in research, organization, planning and leadership. We must provide sufficient financial support to complete the degree in a reasonable amount of time, while still imparting a broad perspective of the career opportunities that lie ahead. A challenging task indeed!
William Russel is dean of the graduate school. He can be reached at wbrussel@princeton.edu.
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