GOVERNMENT & POLICY
Ph.D. RECIPIENTS BOOST ECONOMY Investment in doctoral students has LOCAL IMPACT, study shows
DOCTORAL DEGREE RECIPIENTS sup-
The economists were also able to examine data on specific disciplines, including chemistry. “Chemistry does pretty well in a lot of different dimensions—there are people going to high-wage firms; they are likely going to R&D-performing firms,” says Weinberg, who studies the science workforce. But chemistry Ph.D. recipients made less money than those from many other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Mean earnings for all chemists in the study were $43,000 per year. In contrast, all graduates working in industry earned a mean of $58,000. “Why is it that chemistry looks so strong in so many areas but lags behind in salary?” Weinberg asks.
tion’s UMETRICS project. ported by research grants made an imporThe economists matched the Ph.D. tant impact on the economy, earning higher recipients with anonymized U.S. Census wages and working at research and developdata, which allowed them to track their ment companies at higher rates than other earnings from 2010 to 2012, explains Ohio workers, according to an analysis of graduState economist Bruce Weinberg, the paates from eight Midwestern universities per’s corresponding author. THE SCIENCE PAPER’S authors don’t (Science 2015, DOI: 10.1126/science.aac5949). The researchers found that almost 40% have the data to answer that question—they The study by several labor economists of graduates go to industry, where they are don’t know a person’s job title, just that perattempts to identify the value of doctoral likely to be hired by R&D-performing comson’s employer. But one possible explanatraining across many fields—including panies. Another 57% go into academia, and tion is that more chemists serve as postdocs, chemistry—by examining earnings in the 4% end up in government. who tend to get low salaries, says Steven years immediately after graduCorcelli, chair of the American ates receive their Ph.D. degrees. Chemical Society’s Graduate WHAT RECENT Ph.D. GRADS EARN From 2010 to Perhaps the most important Education Advisory Board and 2012, chemistry graduates lagged behind those in other STEM finding involves geography. An a University of Notre Dame fields in salaries and in percentage that take jobs in industry. unexpectedly high 22% of docprofessor. That’s less true of entoral degree recipients in the gineers or computer scientists. study remained in the MidwestBatteas was surprised to Engineering ern state where they got their see that the average salary for Math & computer science doctorates. doctoral degree chemists was Physics Demonstrating that highly so low. Graduates who leave Other educated and highly paid workhis physical chemistry lab for Social science ers stay in a state reinforces industry tend to make higher Other science why legislators should support wages. “Even though their Chemistry local universities, says James average salary was lower, an Health Batteas, a chemistry professor equal proportion of chemists Education ■ All at Texas A&M University. “The were entering high-wage busiBiology ■ In industry data show the clear value of the nesses,” Batteas says. Arts & humanities investments in higher educaMany companies tend to 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 tion made through state univerhire engineers, mathematiMean earnings for graduates, $ thousands sities and by other institutions cians, and computer scientists of higher learning as a whole.” because they are seen as exEngineering The Science paper is part of perts in quantitative analysis. Math & computer science a larger effort by labor econoIt’s not clear to Corcelli why Health mists to measure the value chemists aren’t always includChemistry of research investments. The ed in that group. “That creates Other authors examined records an opportunity” for the comOther science for 3,197 people supported on munity to promote chemists’ Physics research grants who received quantitative skills, he says. Biology their Ph.D.s between 2009 and The paper shows doctoral ■ R&D-performing Social science 2011. Eight universities—Indegrees are a good investment, firms Arts & humanities diana, Bloomington; Iowa; Corcelli says. That’s an impor■ Other Education Michigan, Ann Arbor; Minnetant message for those who 0 20 30 40 50 60 10 sota, Twin Cities; Ohio State; support research. “This arguGraduates working in industry, % Purdue; Penn State; and Wisment ties research to economconsin, Madison—participated ic development,” he says, “and NOTE: R&D-performing firms are those listed in the National Science Foundation’s Busithrough the nonprofit Committhat’s a language that Congress ness R&D & Innovation Survey. SOURCE: Science 2015, DOI: 10.1126/science.aac5949 tee on Institutional Cooperaspeaks.”—ANDREA WIDENER CEN.ACS.ORG
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JANUARY 4, 2016
