Chemical Education Today
Commentary Doctoral Education in Chemistry—What’s To Be Done? by David K. Lavallee Since the release of our ACS Task Force on Doctoral pate in seminar programs, inviting faculty from four-year Education study1 last year, we have been asked repeatedly and two-year colleges to explain the role of pedagogy and by students, “Is the job market as bad as I’ve heard? Should new teaching approaches, and encouraging students to I consider an alternative to docspend time in industrial settings or in interdisciplinary toral study in chemistry?” Facprojects. Some universities are monitoring programs more “Is the job market as ulty have asked, “What should closely to ensure that graduate students hone their comI advise my students?” and munications skills. bad as I’ve heard?” “Isn’t this just a short-term College faculty can make a difference by advising stuthing—can we really predict the dents of the realities of the job market and of important future from such data?” Young post-docs testify that there criteria for selecting a graduate school. Qualities of graduis a real problem, but many graduate faculty and indusate schools that prospective students should evaluate intrial recruiters are more optimistic. I have been invited to clude the job placement of graduates (if they can’t get this give my personal view of the situation and I hope you find information—they’ve identified a problem) and how the proit useful in advising your students. gram prepares for industrial careers or for four-year colAmong the major findings of the study is that the emlege teaching or for whatever the student feels to be her or ployment pattern among industrial, four-year academic, his primary career goal. Students should also be advised post-doctoral and temporary, government, and unemployed that program requirements are not to be avoided but, in categories is very similar for graduates for fact, help ensure that students all sizes of chemistry Ph.D. programs. Of receive a solid education. Some those who received their Ph.D.’s five to seven beneficial components are years before the survey was taken, three …the majority of Ph.D.’s who qualification examinations to times as many Ph.D.’s are employed in indus- embark on a post-doctoral stint evaluate readiness for graduate try as in academe and a significant number, work, courses in more than one about 15%, were still in temporary positions. contemplating an academic area of chemistry, written and Fewer than one-sixth of all Ph.D.’s are em- research career are bound to be oral propositions for candidacy, ployed in colleges and universities, yet 50% and an expectation of periodic disappointed. of Ph.D. recipients take postdoctoral posipresentation of research tions. progress. Graduate programs There are undoubtedly explanations for clearly recognize the need to resome of this disparity between job expectations and emcruit bright, perceptive students and may, indeed, respond ployment patterns, but the majority of Ph.D.’s who embark by examining their own programs when they find that proon a postdoctoral stint contemplating an academic research spective students ask these kinds of questions. career are bound to be disappointed. Even for the one-insix who finds employment in a four-year academic instituNote tion, the majority of job openings will not be at research 1. You may obtain a copy of the task force report “Employuniversities. Only 180 of the over 3,200 colleges and uniment Patterns of Recent Doctorates in Chemistry: Institutional versities in the country that hire chemistry Ph.D.’s offer Perspectives and Imperatives for Change” on the World Wide Web doctoral programs. (There are, of course, a number of at http://www.acs.org or by writing to the ACS Membership Sermaster’s degree–granting institutions that offer research vice Center, Doctoral Education Task Force Report, 1155 Sixteenth opportunities as well.) Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 or by calling 1-800-451-9190. What’s to be done? For changes in doctoral programs themselves to have an impact, the largest Ph.D.-producing David K. Lavallee is Provost and Vice President for universities must take the lead. Several of the largest proAcacemic Affairs, The City College of The City University of grams in the country have already begun to implement New York, Convent Ave. at 138th St., New York, NY 10031. changes, making students more aware of the opportunities A chemist, he is a member of the ACS Committee on Educaactually available to them and introducing practices to ention and chaired the ACS Presidential Task Force on the hance students’ viability in the workplace. Among these Study of Doctoral Education in Chemistry. measures are inviting more industrial chemists to partici-
Vol. 74 No. 2 February 1997 • Journal of Chemical Education
147
