The Occupational Attainment of Asian Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities

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Abstract

This study examines the impact of parental socioeconomic status on the occupational attainment of international doctoral students enrolled in an American institution of higher education. Since World War II, federal government policies and the improved perception of international students have contributed to an increase in the population of international students in the U.S. In particular, the growing population of international doctoral students in the U.S. is a profound transformation in U.S. graduate education and in the U.S. labor market for highly educated workers. However, relatively little research has addressed the issue of international doctoral students’ family backgrounds, their job-seeking activities,the outcome of their searches, or whether their employment outcome is associated with their parents’ socioeconomic backgrounds or academic achievement. The focus of this study thus is on the extent to which international doctoral students with more advantaged family backgrounds have better occupational attainment than their counterparts with less advantaged family backgrounds. The empirical analysis is based on interviews with selected Asian doctoral students at a Midwestern university. Finally, this study will develop aspects of the literature on mobility to help understand the extent to which the United States offers upward social mobility through graduate or professional degrees to international students who have chosen to study in U.S. graduate education programs.

Author

• Sanga Kim, University of Iowa