Understanding PhD Career Pathways in STEM: Proposal for a Workshop to Develop an Instrument

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The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) will plan and host an intensive workshop to design an instrument for universities to be able to collect and disaggregate information on the career pathways of STEM PhD students and alumni. The project includes two preparatory meetings with key stakeholders (one focused on disciplinary societies and the other focused on graduate deans and provosts), and a workshop where participants will develop a survey instrument and a framework document to guide universities in the administration of the survey. The workshop will help advance the knowledge by (1) providing the basis for universities to better assess the impact of their curricula and professional development offerings and (2) capturing the scope of the intellectual, economic, and social contributions of STEM doctorate holders. The workshop also will synthesize the results of a gap analysis that was conducted during an earlier feasibility study. Instrument and survey results will be disseminated to the 500 CGS member institutions and the broader higher education community. The data collection instrument will include variables using the CGS gap analysis of existing career pathways data collection efforts and items needed to inform improvements in doctoral programs such as (1) program of study, institution, graduation date; (2) professional development opportunities and their value; (3) motivations and determinants for exploring various career paths; and (4) employment status, employment sector, and relationship between employment and doctoral training. The variables might correspond with those in existing datasets such as the Survey of Earned Doctorates and Survey of Doctoral Recipients for purposes of national comparisons. A framework document will inform the scope of the effort and outline guidelines to support the consistent implementation of the PhD career pathways data collection.