Times are tough for graduate students seeking jobs in academia, but Dartmouth Ph.D. candidates seem to be beating the odds.
"It's a tight time in the job market generally," Director of Public Affairs of the American Council on Education David Merkowitz said. Since the abolition of mandatory retirement requirements, more professors are retaining their jobs late in life -- meaning fewer job openings for young academics.
But there is some good news. Statistics compiled by the Council of Graduate Schools indicate today's graduate students may have an easier time finding employment than students who graduated several years ago.
Although 20.8 percent of 1995 chemistry Ph.D.s told the Counsel of Graduate Schools they were still searching for employment the summer and fall after graduation, only 8.9 percent of 1996 graduates were still engaged in job searches in the summer after they graduated, according to the April 1997 issue of Communicator magazine.
But the article warned that this statistic does not necessarily indicate that the job market has improved, because a large number of Ph.D.s find employment in non-academic disciplines.
Merkowitz said Dartmouth graduates are probably more successful in their quests for employment than students at less prestigious institutions.
Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies Dorothea French said the overall unemployment of students completing advanced degrees at Dartmouth in 1995 is 1.5 percent.
Dartmouth graduates are "probably taking more jobs in business and more are doing [post-doctorates] than before," she said. "Because there are fewer jobs in academia, it's always going to be a limited job market."
Dean of Graduate Students Edward Berger said there are "very few cases where [a Dartmouth graduate student] is driving a cab. We don't have terrific stats, but most of our kids do pretty well."
He said competition for jobs varies depending on students' field of interest. Although biomedical research is "in a renaissance," research funds in the physical sciences and government have dried up, Berger said.
Berger urged Dartmouth undergraduates not to be discouraged about job prospects for students in academia. "We don't know what will happen in eight years," he said. "There's real market growth at four-year colleges."
And while some graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences may face difficulties finding employment upon graduation, graduates of the Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business have little to worry about.
Companies that have hired students in past years include Ford motors and Maclean Power Systems, said Professor of Engineering and Director of M.S. and Ph.D. programs for Thayer Bill Lotko.
Stuart Trembly, a 1983 Thayer graduate and the director of the school's B.E. and M.E. programs, said the placement rates for B.E. graduates are above 90 percent and those for M.E. graduates are approximately 100 percent.
Lotko said most students interested in pursuing jobs in academia work as post-doctorates for one to six years before finding positions as faculty at universities. But he said a few past graduates have accepted faculty positions at Thayer and Rochester Polytechnic Institute immediately after graduation.
"There aren't that many academic positions," he said. "There are more better-paying jobs in industry." However, some Thayer graduates do find employment in academia.
Assistant Professor at the Medical and Thayer Schools and a 1991 graduate of Thayer Alex Hartov said he hasn't been unemployed since graduation.
"I stayed on as a research associate [after graduating]," Hartov said. "I did research for the federal government and medical school and spent one year in business as a researcher. There's always been something lined up."
However, Hartov said most of his classmates have had more difficulty finding employment, and his experience is not par for the course for today's Thayer grads.
"The funding for research is becoming much more competitive," he said. "There are no jobs for physicists. Engineering is still a pretty good field. It's not dead yet, but its getting pretty difficult."
Hartov said he would not want to discourage students from pursuing jobs in academia, but "it's not an easy path to a good life."
Professor of Engineering and 1976 Thayer graduate John Collier said he went directly into the research track at Thayer after graduation. He encouraged interested Dartmouth undergraduates to pursue an engineering degree.
Thayer and Tuck students have the assistance of aggressive career services programs.
Director of Career Services at Tuck Steve LaBrano said 96 to 97 percent of this year's graduates have already accepted work and every interested student was able to obtain an internship.
Labrano said he works closely with Tuck students looking for work.
"Everyday I look at the list of students who don't have work," he said. "At Tuck, you are an individual looking for work. [Career Services] is far superior to any other MBA program."
Thayer Director of Career Services Walter Diaz said career services provides students with on-campus recruitment, resume referrals, lists of job positions and information sessions with companies.
But Arts and Sciences graduates must strike out alone.
"Arts and Science grads don't have any resources," Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Jennifer Peterson said.
Peterson said she is a finalist for a position as a Presidential Management Intern and hopes to find a job in the civil service.
"I haven't received a lot of other offers," she said. "I did it on my own."
Berger said he is working with Director of Career Services Skip Sturman in an effort to improve the Graduate Studies program.
Despite the fact that the odds seem stacked against them, professors and administrators encouraged students to follow their dreams in academia or business.
Lotko said he encouraged all students to pursue advanced degrees because they will receive a higher starting salary and will be able to find more satisfying jobs.
Trembly said if students wish to brave the job market and "reap the advantages and disadvantages" of jobs in academia "they'll know it. These people will feel called."
