What We Know About UAlberta PhDs

What happens after any graduate crosses the stage? Convocation represents both an end and a beginning. For graduating PhDs, convocation can signal the start of a career in academia - though it might equally mark a transition to the private sector, or the start of an altogether new venture.

In recent years, more and more PhD graduates have been crossing the stage at the U of A. Their numbers increased by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2017. To capture a better picture of what happens after these graduates toss their tasseled caps, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research launched a career outcomes study of the 5,125 PhD alumni who graduated between 2005 and 2017. They secured career outcomes for 85 per cent of this population, a total of 4,365 UAlberta PhD grads.

FGSR recently published the findings of the PhD Career Preparation and Outcomes Study.PhD Career Preparation and Outcomes Study.

Here are a few of the key findings:

Four out of five U of A PhDs secured employment before graduating. Additionally, the majority of PhDs (59 per cent) were working in positions that formally required a PhD.

Business, physical education, and nursing PhD alumni are most likely to work in the post-secondary environment. By comparison, engineering graduates are most likely to be found in private industry.

U of A's PhD programs and researchers attract talent from around the globe, which has resulted in a net brain gain for Canada. 71 per cent of found PhD graduates are employed in Canada.

Alberta's economic and social sectors in particular are benefiting from this talented workforce, with 46 per cent remaining here in the province.

The largest percentages fall within research and development (R&D) and other research, energy, health-care services, and social and government services.

41 per cent of found PhDs report annual gross earnings of more than $100,000. This percentage increases to 64 among those PhD alumni who have accumulated at least 10 years of work experience since graduating.

In addition, 73 per cent indicated that they were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their overall career progression.

PhDs are using a wide range of hard and soft skills in all work environments, which suggests they are meeting the demands of an evolving workplace

For more information on the University of Alberta's PhD Career Preparation and Outcomes Study, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research website.Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research website.

The full report is available here.here.