%hemistry EDITOR: GEORGE H. MORRISON EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 1155 Sixteenth St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 202-872-4570 Ttsietype: 710-8220 151 Executive Editor: Josephine M. Petruzzi
Producers of Analytical PhDs
Managing Editor: Barbara Cassatt Associate Editor: Stuart P i . Borman Assistant Editor: Marcia S.Cohen Editorial Assistants: Douglas L. Baxter, Raiii A. George Production Manager: Leroy L. Corcoran Art Director: John V. Sinnett Staff Artist: Linda M. Mattingly Copy Editor: Gail M. Mortenson Circulation Manager: Cynthia G. Smith Journals Dept., Columbus, Ohio Associate Head: Marianne Brogan Associate Editor: Rodney I_. Temos Advisory Board: Donald il.Bly, Joel A. Carter, Richard S. Danchik, Riishard Durst, Helen M. Free, Shizuo Fujiwara, Georges Guiochon, Csaba Horvath, Wilbur I. Kaye, Bruce R. Kowalski, Robert A. Libby, Richard S. Nicholson, Thomas C. O’Haver, Janet Osteryoung, Robert E. Sievers, Rudolph H. Stehl Instrumentation Advisory Panel: Nelson L. Alpert, Edward Chait, Stuart P. Cram, M. Bonner Denton, Raymond E. Dessy, Martin S . Frant, Michael L. Gross, Fred E. Lytle, Yair Talmi Contributing Editors, A l C interface: Raymond E. Dessy; The Analytical Approach: Jeanette G. Grasselli The Analytical Approach Advlsory Panel: Edward C. Dunlop, Robert A. Hofstader, Wilbur D.Shults Regulatory Affairs, Analytical Division Committee: Fred Freeberg (Chairman) Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 1155 16th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Books and Journals DivisilDn Director: D. H. Michael Bowen Journals: Charles R. Bertsch Production: Elmer Pusey, Jr. Marketing & Sales: Claud K:. Robinson
A recent survey by the ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) of the nation’s largest producers of chemistry PhD graduates (Chemical & Engineering News, April 19,1982) for the period 1980-81 identifies the top 10 as the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, the University of California-Berkeley, Purdue, Cal Tech, MIT, Ohio State, the University of California-San Diego, Indiana University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Unfortunately, there were no data on the breakdown by subdiscipline. T o determine the status of analytical PhD production we examined the 1981 ACS “Directory of Graduate Research,” which lists the names and thesis titles of all chemistry PhDs granted during the period Jan. 1,1979, through Dec. 31,1980. This permitted analysis of the distribution by all disciplines. The results differ somewhat from those of the CPT survey but provide insight on the status of analytical chemistry education in the U.S. The top 21 institutions in decreasing order of the number of analytical PhDs granted and their percentage to all PhDs granted in the respective chemistry departments are: Purdue-30 (37%),Illinois-18 (25%),North Carolina-16 (30%),Iowa State-16 (40%),Massachusetts-13 (35%), Texas-12 (26%), Indiana-12 (as%),Georgia-10 (36%), Michigan State-10 (20%), Cornell-9 (21%), Florida-9 (17%), Wisconsin-9 (15%),Ohio State-9 (14%),Arizona-8 (32%), Penn State-8 (19%), Pittsburgh-6 (23%),Michigan-6 (17%),Washington-6 (16%),Texas A & M-6 (14%),Northwestern-4 (lo%),and MIT-4 (7.4%). The figures indicate that graduate analytical research is being pursued with vigor at a substantial number of top institutions, primarily the large state universities; only a few private universities are represented. Also apparent is the respectable proportion of analytical PhD theses to the total chemistry theses at these institutions-an average of 23%. Notably absent in the production of analytical PhDs are such distinguished chemistry departments as Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, Cal Tech, and Columbia, to name a few. Unfortunately, there has been a trend in the past decade in a number of these departments to deemphasize analytical chemistry and concentrate on a more limited number of subdisciplines. Other universities have willingly filled the need for graduate education in analytical chemistry; however, those that have deemphasized this important area are doing a disservice to their graduate students by providing only limited options for an education in chemistry.
Research and Development: Seldon W. Terrant Manuscript requirements are published in the January 1982 issue, page 155. Manuscripts for publication ( 4 copies) should be submitted to ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY at the ACS Washington address. The American Chemical Society and its editors assume no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contributors. Views expressed in the editorials are ilhose of the editors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the American Chemical Society. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 54, NO. 12, OCTOBER 1982
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