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Career Pathways
Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement
To support the careers of current and aspiring PhD holders, our nation’s universities need a better understanding of their career pathways and professional preparation. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF #1661272) and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CGS is working to help universities collect data on the career pathways of STEM and humanities PhDs. Seventy doctoral institutions are assisting CGS with the project by gathering information about the professional aspirations, career pathways, and career preparation of their PhD students and alumni.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF# 2100343), Understanding Roles of Masters Education in Entry Into, and Upskilling and Reskilling for, the STEM Workforce will contribute to the development of a data infrastructure for future research on master’s education while providing more nuanced insights into labor market outcomes of master’s degrees by various fields of study, gender, race/ethnicity, and career stages. In particular, the research will shed light on how master’s education may facilitate transitions to STEM careers for non-STEM undergraduate majors. The project will build fundamental knowledge about how master’s education across all fields prepares the STEM workforce for today, and also examine the extent to which skills, expertise, and competencies instilled through master’s align with rapidly evolving jobs and industries of the future.
The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program is a national movement to transform the way aspiring faculty members are prepared for their careers. CGS first supported the development of graduate students aspiring to faculty careers through its involvement in promoting the diffusion of Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) programs (1993-2003). PFF and other similar programs now provide doctoral students, as well as some master’s and postdoctoral students, with opportunities to observe and experience faculty responsibilities at a variety of academic institutions with varying missions, diverse student bodies, and different expectations for faculty.
The CGS Professional Master's Initiatives are designed to help member institutions respond to documented local and regional workforce needs and student interest in master's programs that prepare graduates for careers in business, government, and non-profit (BGN) employment sectors.
CGS is the leading source of information, data analysis, and trends in graduate education. Our benchmarking data help member institutions to assess performance in key areas, make informed decisions, and develop plans that are suited to their goals.
CGS Best Practice initiatives address common challenges in graduate education by supporting institutional innovations and sharing effective practices with the graduate community. Our programs have provided millions of dollars of support for improvement and innovation projects at member institutions.
As the national voice for graduate education, CGS serves as a resource on issues regarding graduate education, research, and scholarship. CGS collaborates with other national stakeholders to advance the graduate education community in the policy and advocacy arenas.
CGS is an authority on global trends in graduate education and a leader in the international graduate community. Our resources and meetings on global issues help members internationalize their campuses, develop sustainable collaborations, and prepare their students for a global future.
