CGS Research in Brief: Selected Insights from the 2019 CGS Survey of Organization & Administration of Graduate Education

November 2019

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is a member association of over 480 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities. Member universities vary in size, scope, and way that graduate programs are organizing and administering. Based on responses from the 200 universities that participated in the 2019 CGS Survey of Organization & Administration of Graduate Education, this brief provides selected insights into how graduate education is organized and administered in the U.S. and Canada. The finding affirms that the majority of responding institutions organizes the responsibilities of graduate education within an organizational unit led by a dean. This organizational structure provides graduate education administrators with leadership roles that are similar in stature and expectations to those of  academic colleges and collegiate deans. We also found that in addition to supporting graduate student success, the organizations responsible for graduate education, particularly at research-intensive institutions, also oversee postdoctoral trainees.

CGS Research in Brief: Select Insights from NAGAP/CGS Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

October 2019

According to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), applications for admission to master’s programs increased by 1.4% and for doctoral programs by 4.1% between Fall 2017 and Fall 2018, while first-time enrollment in these programs grew by 2.0% and 2.9%, respectively (Okahana & Zhou, 2019a). Despite recent declines in international graduate enrollment (Okahana & Zhou, 2019a & 2019b), overall graduate enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities continues to grow, albeit modestly. This is not surprising as workforce demands for graduate degree holders are still growing in the United States. Jobs that require master’s degrees and doctoral degrees at the entry are expected to rise by 13.7% and 9.0% between 2018 and 2028, respectively (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019).  

Career Pathways Brief: Job Changes of PhD Graduates After Earning Their Degree

July 2019

Relatively little is known about the job transitions PhD degree holders experience at various stages of their careers. Using data from the Council of Graduate Schools’ Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement project, this brief looks into current and immediate prior jobs of PhD degree holders who earned their doctorates three years (Cohort A), eight years (Cohort B), and fifteen years (Cohort C) ago. We examined the nature of job transitions that occurred within the last three years. 

Career Pathways Brief: How Well Did a STEM PhD Train Degree Recipients for Their Careers?

April 2019

The vast majority of STEM PhDs work in fields related to their doctoral education and are satisfied with their jobs. According to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Survey of Doctoral Recipients, 92% of employed doctoral scientists and engineers in 2017 held jobs that are closely or somewhat related to their PhDs (NSF, 2019). Using data from the Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS) PhD Career Pathways project, this brief provides new insight into how STEM PhDs apply their doctoral training in the workforce.