Career Outcomes of Doctoral Training: The North American “Wake-Up” Call Debra W. Stewart President Emerita and Senior Scholar, Council of Graduate Schools International Conference on the Development of Doctoral Education and Training Oxford, England March 30-31, 2015

Accountability

5 Recent U.S. Studies Address Graduate Education

5 Studies Address Graduate Education— Converge on 2 Recommendations Track student career outcomes Align education with skill-sets required for career

Students Lack Information on Career Outcomes

Pattern of PhD Placement

Obscure Career Pathways Create Mismatch

Low Completion Rates The current state of attrition and completion in US doctoral programs wastes human and financial resources Source: CGS. (2008) PhD Completion and Attrition: Analysis of Baseline Program Data from the PhD Completion Project.

What skills do employers think students need? Entrepreneurship

Are We Aligning Education with Skills Sets Required? Students Perceived Importance and Level of Preparedness Across Skills Very Skill important prepared Creativity55%39% Oral communication83%54% Teamwork72%47% Resilience67%47% Planning and organization78%52% Ethics and integrity75%54% Technological comfort and savvy50%39% Publications20%30% Research skills38%56% Writing skills70%66% Analysis/synthesis of data65%62% Teaching and training45%38% Chelsea Ezzo, “Graduate Student Perceptions of Graduate School Preparation for the Workforce.” Paper presented at Northeastern Educational Research Association, Rocky Hill, CT, October 2013.

What Kind of Professional Development is Needed by Graduates of Program X?

Two Pieces of Challenge Landscape Need to be Addressed Together Documenting Career Outcomes of Graduates Developing Professional Skills Training

Doctoral students’ career expectations: Principles and Responsibilities. The Royal Society, 2014 (royalsociety.org ) Raise awareness of issues in managing PhD career expectations Offer possible solutions Encourage HEIs to implement solutions

Daily Life of a Graduate Program Leader

“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” Abraham Lincoln