From Doctoral Studies to Employment: Does Source of Financial Support Matter?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: How Organizational Finances Shape Higher Education Outcomes

Abstract

Researchers have long-studied doctoral-education and outcomes for stakeholders, but few have examined graduates over time, or how funding-sponsors shape students’ career-paths. With data on 27,000 respondents from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, we estimated effects of source-of-funding on graduates’ likelihoods of working in education, government/non-profits, or industry. We find: Students funded by universities were less likely to choose industry compared to education. Students funded by external/government-sponsors were equally likely to enter industry and education. Ph.D.-recipients from institutions high in tuition-and-fee revenues were more likely than graduates of other institutions to enter industry than education. Graduates of institutions with more contract-and-grant revenues were less likely than graduates of other institutions to choose government over education. Policy and research implications are discussed.

Authors

• Jarrett B. Warshaw, University of Georgia

• Karen Webber, University of Georgia