Discover
/
Article

More doctoral degrees in 2011, but fewer jobs

DEC 11, 2012
Physics Today
Chronicle of Higher Education : The yearly survey by NSF found that 49 010 research doctorates were granted in 2011, up 2% from 2010. About 75% of those doctorates were in science and engineering disciplines, up 4% from 2010. Although the number of humanities degrees went down by 3%, much of that decline was caused by the reclassification of doctorates-of-education as professional doctorates. Without the reclassification, the total number of research doctorates would have exceeded 50 000. Women made up 42% of the recipients of science and engineering doctorates, up from 30% in 1991. Black students increased from 4% to 6%, and Hispanic students from 3% to 6%, over that same time period. However, the proportion of new graduates who reported definite job or postdoctoral commitments was at the lowest level in 10 years.
Related content
/
Article
/
Article
The availability of free translation software clinched the decision for the new policy. To some researchers, it’s anathema.
/
Article
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will survey the sky for vestiges of the universe’s expansion.
/
Article
An ultracold atomic gas can sync into a single quantum state. Researchers uncovered a speed limit for the process that has implications for quantum computing and the evolution of the early universe.

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.