Contact:
Belle Woods
bwoods@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791

Washington, D.C. (August 23, 2011) – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) released the results of its first Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Student Outcomes Survey, documenting initial hiring outcomes for 2010-11 graduates and perceived satisfaction with the PSM degree.  The PSM is an innovative, new graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics, while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers.  PSM programs prepare graduates for careers in business, government, and non-profit organizations, combining rigorous study in science and/or mathematics with coursework in management, policy, law and related fields. Most PSM programs require a final project or team experience, as well as a “real-world” internship in a business or public sector enterprise.

“The results of this survey confirm the value of Professional Science Master’s degrees to both degree holders and employers given that 82% of PSM graduates had jobs soon after receiving their degrees,” said Debra W. Stewart, CGS President.  She added, “This is a heartening statistic given the current economic environment and highlights the fact that employers want and seek highly skilled people with advanced degrees.”

This new report includes data on the reasons students enrolled in PSM programs, their experiences and satisfaction with them, their current employment status, salaries, and the perceived value of a PSM degree.  Key findings include:

• Of those who were working, 88% were working in a job that is closely or somewhat related to their field of study.
• Over 55% of those employed earned $50,000 or more in annual salary.
• 82% of PSM graduates were satisfied with the distinctive nature/reputation of the program and with the quality of their non-scientific and/or mathematical professional training (a key element of PSM degrees).
• More than half were working in business/industry, about 23% were working in government, 16% in academia and nearly 8% in non-profit organizations.
• Among those in new jobs, 38% secured that employment because of their PSM internship.
• Two attributes of PSM programs that stood out as being of particularly high value to recent graduates were the quality of scientific and/or mathematical training and the quality of non-scientific professional training.
• Most PSM alumni are satisfied with and see the value of their PSM experience.

Next year, CGS will conduct a survey to capture the initial employment outcomes of 2011-12 PSM graduates.  In addition, the 2012 survey will follow up with 2010-11 alumni to track career progress.

This fall, CGS will publish the Professional Science Masters: A Council of Graduate Schools Guide to Establishing Programs. The new publication is intended to serve as a guide for establishing PSM programs and provides background and context, discusses feasibility analysis, program development and operation, formal PSM affiliation, and program sustainability.

The full report is available here.  More information about the PSM can be found at http://sciencemasters.com.