As an undergraduate applying to graduate school, you may have your heart set on a research and teaching career in academia. That's great. But understand more than half of PhDs today are taking nonacademic jobs - and by the time you get your degree in 5-7 years, that number is bound to increase. Why not apply to the programs that acknowledge the realities of graduate careers and support whatever decision you make?
I spent four days in Seattle delivering workshops and attending sessions at the joint annual meeting of the Mathematical Assn of America and the American Mathematical Society. According to the NSF's Survey of Doctoral Recipients (which unfortunately hasn't been updated for five years), more than half of all STEM PhDs are working outside of academia. The math faculty in the sessions I attended said their MS and PhD students were having no trouble in finding nonacademic jobs at starting salaries over $100,000 per year.
One question from the audience intrigued me: an undergraduate asked "How can I find a graduate program which will help me pursue a nonacademic career?" This was interesting because I had just talked with the head of the graduate math program at a leading mid-western university who told me "No one enters our program with the aim of pursing a nonacademic career." And yet, statistics predict that half of his students would end up leaving academia. Another panelist observed that "graduate programs were designed by and for academics" and that applicants should decide if they wanted to apply to "a graduate program of the past [emphasizing traditional preparation for academia] or a program of the future."
Let's look at the advice the panel and audience came up with to find a nonacademic career-friendly graduate program. These are things to consider whether you're looking at a graduate program in math, other STEM fields, Soc Science or the Humanities:
- Program descriptions: Well, duh. Look at the materials they used to advertise the program. Do they even mention nonacademic careers? Do you or any of your profs know any of the faculty professionally? Can you call or email and ask about the dept attitudes towards nonacademic careers? If you get an affirmative answer, ask what specifically they do to support your choice. Ask how many graduates go on to nonacademic jobs. (If they don't have those stats, that's not a good sign.)
- Business electives: Can you take business courses like finance, marketing, or entrepreneurship as part of your program? Obviously most of your course work will be in your chosen discipline, but if you want to take a business course will that be easy or a special case?
- Internships: Does the dept encourage internships? How are they arranged: are students on their own to find internships, or does the dept actively arrange opportunities? There was consensus at the meeting that there is no better preparation for nonacademic employment than an internship. (The progressive math depts are reporting increasing numbers of summer internships in industry, government (like the NSA) and at nonprofits).
- Prelim or qualifying exams: Some depts have done away with prelim exams altogether; they have a core of courses which graduate students have to pass in a range of subjects. How broad are those requirements? If the dept does have qualifying exams, are they across a broad range of topics (that's a good thing to prepare you for nonacademic opportunities), or in a narrow specialty?
- Faculty connections: Does the faculty have connections with industry or government through consulting contracts or faculty-run businesses? Those connections are golden when you are looking for mentors or starting your job search.
- Graduate career counseling: Is there a formal graduate/postdoc career counseling office? Do they seem to be knowledgeable and supportive of nonacademic careers?
Maybe it's true that no one enters a graduate program with the intention of pursing a nonacademic career. But the reality is that in many (if not most) disciplines the majority of graduates end up outside of academia. Do your homework and go with the programs that offer the most flexibility.
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