TO PHD OR NOT TO PHD: IMPROVING GRADUATE EDUCATION TO CREATE A MORE EFFECTIVE WORKFORCE WHILE ADDRESSING THE BOTTLENECK IN ACADEMIC JOBS

In spite of the current excess of STEM PhD graduates and postdocs in relation to academic positions, universities continue to produce PhDs, and students continue to pursue doctorates with an optimism that doesn’t match reality. This pattern is maintained by the dependence of faculty on PhD researchers, and is reinforced by expectations of the research grant system. In the meantime, students lack exposure to and information on career options in the private and Government sectors and are unaware that those employers typically prefer masters’ graduates to PhDs.

STEM professionals in all sectors are speaking out more about the importance of non-technical skills in the workplace, including communicating professionally, working in teams, project management, and mentoring others. This paper presents survey results of former participants of several education and training programs at NCAR|UCAR who have entered and succeeded in the STEM workforce on their views about necessary career skills. This paper will examine potential solutions to the academic bottleneck, while considering ways of improving graduate education in the U.S.