I
Robert H. Linnell University of Southern Colifornio LOS
Angeles, 90007
and Douglas
5. Chapin
Trends fn Doctoral Education Fall 7968 a n d future needs
~htionalScience Foundation Washington, D. C.
T h e availability of fall 1968 graduate education statistics and national concern about the draft of graduate students prompts U s to update our recent study of doctoral chemical education.' We present here statistics for the same 172 doctoralgranting chemistry departments included in the p r e vious study. I n the fall of 1968 there were a t least six new doctoral-granting chemistry departments, not included in our statistics, but the enrollments in these new programs are a t present very small. The new statistics for 1968 are shown in Table 1. Graduate enrollment changes continue the trends of previous years, as seen in Figure 1. The same is true for the numbers of departments showing either a net increase or decrease in full-time first year enrollments, illustrated in Figure 2. Noteworthy is the large decrease in first-year U S . students in the fall of 1968 compared to the fall of 1967. The chemistry graduate student support situation in the fall of 1968 was not greatly changed from that of the fall of 1967, as can be seen from the figures in Table 2. Table 1.
Graduate Enrollments, Postdodorals, and Faculty in Fall 1968 Compared to Fall 1967
F d
1968
F d
196P
Increase or (Decrease) Numbers Percent
Graduate Students6 Full-time U.S. Citizens First Year Beyond First Year Total Foreign First Year Beyond Firat Year Tdtal Total U S . and Foreign First Year Beyond First Year Total Parttimeb SpeciaP
1,453 534
1,477 549
(24) (15)
(1.6) (2.7)
1,960
187
9.5
3,665 3,202
122 206
3.3 6.4
Facultv Total Graduate
3,787 3,408
T h e 1967 figures do not agree exactly with those in our original publication because of subsequent corrections to the 1967 data. Enrollment for advanced degrees. Enrolled in one or more graduate ccume hut not enrolled for an advanced degree.
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Journal of Chemical Education
Percent of All Full-Time Students with Indicated Major Source of Support
Fall 1968 Type of Support 27.7 Fellowship & Traineeship 39.8 Teaching Assistantships 26.2 Resesrch Assistantships AU Other 6.2 Source of Support 42.7 U.S. Government 45.5 institutional^ 2.6 Industry 3.2 Private Foundations Foreign 0.4 Loans, Other Institutions, and Othe9 5.6 Includes state and local governments. * "Self-Support."
Fall 1967 28.5 38.0 27.8 5.7 45.1 43.4 3.1 2.8 0.7 4.9
The small changes of the fall 1968 from the fall of 1967 are real and indicate a small decline in Federal Government Support (decreased Fellowships/Traineeships and Research Assistantships), increased institutional support via teaching assistantships, decreased industrial support (industry support of full-time students decreased from 423 to 356), an increase in private foundation support (from 382 full-time students in 1967 to 441 students, reflecting primarily the increased Petroleum Research Fund support), and decreased foreign support (150 in 1966, 95 in 1967, 51 in 1968). Total fulltime students supported by the U.S. Government declined from 6150 (fall 1967) to 5934 (fall 1968). However, the increase in postdoctorals, 187, undoube edly financed largely by the US. Government, is the equivalent of about 374 full-time graduate students (support of one postdoctorate is equivalent to roughly two graduate students). Thus Federal support of graduate students in chemistry would actually increase in the fall of 1968 to 6308 (5934 374) compared to the 6150 students supported in the fall of 1967, provided all the increased postdoctoral support had been channeled to graduate students. The increased postdoctoral and foreign student populations are both indicative of shortages of US. graduate students, a result of the military draft and declining student interest in science coupled with the continued availability of s u p port funds. Chemistry baccalaureates awarded remained essentially constant through the years 1963-64 (9717), 1964-65 (10,038), 1965-66 (9735) and 1966-67 (9870)
+
Postdoctorals 2,147
Toble 2.
1 LINNELL, ROBERTH., AND CHAPIN,DOU~LAS S., "Trends in Doctoral Chemical Education," J. C a m . EDUC.,46, 71 (1969).
u 5
0
" 10
-100
Fall
'63
'M
'65
Y m
Figure 1. Graduate student enrollment in the 1 7 2 doctorate-.ranting chemistry departments, Fall 1967.
but increased to 10,838 in 196748 (an increase of 9.8% from the previous year). However a comparison of total baccalaureate and first professional degrees awarded in the United States in 1963-64 (502,104) with those awarded in 1966-67 (594,862) shows an 18.5% increase; likewise science/engineering baccalaureates and first professional degrees over the same time period increased 22.5% (an increase from 153,361 to 187,849). The total baccalaureate and first professional degrees award.ed in 1967-68 (671,591) were 12.9% greater than in 196647 and the science and engineering component (212,174) were also 12.9% above those of 1966-67.2 Clearly chemistry baccalaureate production is lagging behind. Despite the chemistry baccalaureate increase in 1967-68, the firsbyear U.S. citizen graduate enrollment in doctoral chemistry enrollment dropped in the fall of 1968 by 10.8% compared to the fall of 1967. Undoubtedly the draft has had a significant impact but since graduate enrollment changes are continuing a pre-draft trend a decline of student interest in chemistry, in addition to the draft, is another important factor. Attributing graduate enrollment trends entirely to the draft could easily lead to complacency and neglect of longer term issues important to the future of the broad fields which involve chemistry. A recent editorial in ScientificResearch, "A Demand for Reform," emphasized two key points concerning graduate education of scientistsa 1) I t ia not at all clear that the traditional methods for training graduate scientists and engineers, which emphasize resesrch projects, are the best, 2 ) A large proportion of thcxe receiving this research-oriented graduate training go immediately-or after only a few yearn-into jobs that do not require such costly, time consuming training.
Employment opportunities for chemically trained people have been good and undoubtedly there will continue to be many opportunities in the years ahead.
Figure 2. Changes in full-time, flnt-year U.S. groduate enmllmenh in 172 PhD-granting departments of chemirtn, Fall 1967. Numbin parenthem are numbers of deportment%with the indicated increases or decreoser in enrollments.
However, the supply-demand situation has eased considerably in recent months and new PhD chemists are generally finding considerably less employment choice than has been typical over the past 'few years. For example the total number of applicants registered in the ACS Employment Clearinghouse rose 41% from 875 in 1967 to 1233 in 1968 while the number of positions available forms posted fell 37% from 1103 in 1967 to 695 in 1968. This trend has continued into 1969. Likewise the number of "Academic Openings" listed decreased 20% (Summer, 85 in 1967 to 54 in 1968; and Fall, 160 in 1967 to 120 in 1968). Local ACS sections report similar results as for example the Los Angeles Section reports about 8 applicants for each vacancy in the Summer of 1969. The traditional chemistry doctoral education program is oriented toward those individuals who will become university professors and who will in turn train more doctorate chemists. The very rapid expansion of college and university education during the last decade has provided a strong market for these new university faculty. However, projections of college and university statistics for the next decade indicate a slower growth, and the numbers of new faculty needed, especially a t the graduate level, will be considerably less than the supply. Undoubtedly there will be many disappointed young PhD chemists who planned on academic careers in universities with graduate programs, who will be forced to settle for teaching careers in four-year colleges, community colleges or in some eases secondary schools. From a standpoint of national interest, the channeling of these young PhD's into the non-university component of our educational system should provide a significant improvement in science education which will be very good for the nation. However, there is a serious question as to whether the W.S. Deoartment of HEW. Office of Education -... KNOX, WILLIAM T., "A ema and for Reform," guest editorial in Scientific Research (April 14, 1969). a
Volume 47, Number 2, Februory 1970
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89
traditional narrow research PhD is the best type of training for those who will become science teachers. The June 1969 Newsletter of the Advisory Council of College Chemistry states rather bluntly But ever increasing concern is voiced for the lack of vitality of academic chemistry, for its separation from the real world, for the near-fixed domain in which it deals for the closed loop in wh~chfaculty members teach students so that they too can become faculty members.
More than one-half of all doctorate chemists are employed in non-academic activities. Few fields encompass as broad a range of opportunities as chemistry. Research has played a vital role in the development of the chemical and associated industries, and the continued vitality of industry will depend heavily on research, insuring a continued demand for new PhD research chemists. Continuation of present trends, which seems highly likely, indicates that most PhD chemists will eventually find themselves in non-university and non-research positions. The 1968 National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel (National Science Foundation) comments that, "growing numbers of chemists are finding active work outlets on the fringes of technical practice in such activities as chemical education, marketing, patents, etc.'14 This trend is dramatically shown by the increase in those chemists who indicate a non-classical speciality ("Other") in the Register survey, from 2.6% of all chemists in 1962 to 16.2% in 1968. Applied research and development, sales work and market analysis, air and water pollution/ experts, a wide variety of administrative positions, and a host of other positions requiring some chemical training are increasing and may be filled by PhD chemists. Is the conventional research-in-depth type of doctorate training the most appropriate we can provide for those who will pursue these kinds of careers? This question merits our serious consideration. It is not possible to make a quantitative assessment of the present and future needs for doctoral chemists with various types of education. Our guess is that not more than one-half of the current production of PhD chemists are needed with narrow research specialized training of the type now almost universally in vogue. This would provide a group of 900-1000 new doctorates each year whose special talents, interests and abilities would provide an outstanding group of new researchers for universities with doctorate programs and for research positions in industry, foundations, and government. Another group of PhD chemists, perhaps onequarter of the total, are needed for undergraduate teaching positions which will not be heavily research oriented. This group of 400-500 new PhD chemists each year should have some in depth research experience but less emphasis should be placed on narrow specialization and both the research and course work should be broader than the typical PhD program now permits. A third type of PhD chemist, needed for the remaining quarter of all the new PhD's awarded, should be developed around a core of chemistry courses and re-. search, with less specialization in any one area of chemistry and flexibility to include business, economics, public administration, political science, etc. It is envisioned that these individuals would have the necessary basic education in science together with the C h m . and Eng. News, 102 (July 14, 1969).
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Journal o f Chemicol Education
breadth of education in other fields so they could assume leadership roles in dealing with societal problems rooted in technology. Areas of employment would include air, water, and solid waste pollution; planning for technical innovation and development; technical management positions including sales and market analysis; local, state, and Federal government scientific and technological program management; and a variety of other activities some of which may not even exist a t the present time. We live in an increasingly chemically oriented world in which the broad fields encompassing chemistry are becoming more relevant. However traditional doctoral chemistry programs, which are increasingin number, are not keeping pace with the changing external world and are therefore becoming increasingly less relevant. The competition between doctoral chemistry departments in the recmitment of new graduaie students has become as keen as that existing between competing industrial firms. We seriously question whether this competition is consistent with university objectives or if it is desirable either for the profession of chemistry or the best interest of the students. There is an urgent need for doctoral chemistry departments to reexamine the philosophy behind their graduate programs. Care should be taken to distinguish between the best interest of the chemistry profession and the more narrow interests of the professional development of the professors. The two are not necessarily in conflict but may not always he in accord with each other. If doctoral chemistry departments will improve the quality of their traditional research PhD degree and develop new and more flexible systems to meet national needs for better trained science teachers and broadly trained chemists for leadership roles in the newer areas involving science and society interfaces, new vitality will be developed in doctoral chemistry work. Although this will not solve all our problems, it will undoubtedly provide incentive for greater student interest and motivation and the much needed increased lblic support of the field of chemistry.
New Statistics for 1969 Fall 1969 Doctoral Education statistics for Chemistry have been completed as follows (Population of 172 Doctord-Granting Chemistry Departments of Fall 1967)
% Change from Fall 1968: Increase or (Decrease) P U Z b
1ear
Bevond First Year ~dtal Full-Time Foreign First Year Bevond First Year Aal ~ t a Full-Time l
(2.3) (8.4) (6.9) 13.4 15.5 14.9 (3.5) 3.6 3.4 4.5
Previous trends have continued, but for the first time total full-time graduate enrollments in the 172 doctoral granting departments (of the Fall 1967) has declined from the previous year although foreign students continue to gain as a. percentage of the total. The gain in postdoctorals 196869 is less than for recent years, but is perhaps sur~risinein view of the Federal suDD0rt situation.
