The career pathways of engineering PhDs

Examining the career paths of engineering PhDs in the United States has important implications for strengthening the engineering workforce. This study models the early career outcomes of engineering doctorates by sex, race/ethnicity, citizenship, and other observable characteristics, as well as identifies factors that influence these pathways using regression analyses on nationally representative data from the National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients. Research findings show that early employment outcomes vary by PhD demographic factors, including sex and race/ethnicity. The logistic regression results show that primary source of funding, such as fellowships/grants and research assistantships, are associated with employment in tenure track faculty positions. Additionally, the employment outcomes of previous PhD cohorts from the same program and the relative ranking of the engineering program also contribute to early career outcomes.