Graduates of Doctoral Programs in Higher Education: Demographics and Career Patterns. ASHE 1988 Annual Meeting Paper.

Overview & Synopsis

A study conducted to examine the careers of higher education doctoral recipients ascertains their demographics and career patterns and discerns the existence of possible differences in career paths depending upon types of higher education programs (such as national, regional, research oriented, and locally oriented collections of courses). This follows a concern that if the market for graduates of higher education doctoral programs becomes saturated, prospective students may see little value in the degree for career advancement, and enrollments in higher education programs may dwindle. The population for the study was all graduates of doctoral programs in higher education in 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987. Program directors for each of the chosen 130 programs were surveyed to gather demographic and descriptive information about their higher education programs. Results are discussed in terms of demographics, employment history, the perceived value of a higher education doctorate, and programmatic differences in career paths. Findings indicate the importance of carefully recruiting potential students who are not already in higher education positions since possession of the higher education degree alone does not seem to facilitate getting a position in academe. The importance of being honest about the degree's potential value for upward career moves in certain institutional types must be stressed, and individual higher education programs need to conduct ongoing self-evaluations. A substantial number of higher education doctoral recipients believe they made a poor choice in choosing higher education as a field of study. Contains 25 references and 14 tables. (SM)