UW-Madison near the top of the doctoral class

When it comes to conferring doctoral degrees, UW–Madison ranks near the very top of the class.

The only U.S. school that grants more doctorates than UW–Madison is the University of California at Berkeley, according to a new survey by the National Opinion Research Center.

In the survey, compiled on behalf of a consortium of six federal agencies, UW–Madison was ranked second among 413 U.S. universities, granting 649 doctoral degrees in all fields in 2002. The survey was conducted at the behest of the National Science Foundation, NASA, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health.

The survey provides a comprehensive picture of American universities’ production of doctorates, and an accompanying profile of recently graduated UW–Madison doctoral students gives a statistical look at doctoral recipients, portraying demographics, debt status and post-graduation employment and plans.

“We’re delighted, but not surprised that UW–Madison ranks well in terms of educational productivity,” says Martin Cadwallader, dean of UW–Madison’s Graduate School. “That we rank highly in diverse areas of study is a reflection of UW–Madison’s general commitment to excellence and providing the best graduate education possible. It is also a reflection on our faculty, and on the state’s commitment to higher education.”

The survey, which contains the most recent data of its kind, covers the period between July 2001 and June 2002. During that time, American universities awarded a total of 39,955 doctorates, a 2 percent decrease from 2001 figures and a 6 percent decline from the all-time high of 42,654 in 1998.

The survey breaks degree data down according to seven broad fields of study. UW–Madison ranked among the top 20 schools in five fields: the life sciences, where it ranks second; the physical sciences, sixth; the humanities, sixth; the social sciences, 11th; and education, 16th.

Overall, Wisconsin ranks 15th among the 50 states and Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia in terms of the total number of doctoral recipients for 2002 with 848 individuals earning Ph.Ds.

The survey’s profile of UW–Madison showed that 42 percent of degree recipients were female, and that the majority, 85 percent, were white. Hispanics made up 5 percent of the doctoral graduate pool, while blacks made up 2 percent and Asians made up 5 percent of the graduating class. Thirty-four percent of all graduates were foreign students.

“The trend toward greater gender balance is a good sign and reflects a national trend as well as UW–Madison’s commitment to gender equity in graduate education,” says Cadwallader. “But the number of minority graduate students, while growing, is still too low, and we will need to continue to work hard to improve those numbers over time.”

For U.S. citizens, 37 percent of UW–Madison doctoral recipients graduated with debt loads of greater than $15,000. Forty-three percent had no debt, and 20 percent had debts of less than $15,000.

In terms of post-graduation employment, UW–Madison doctoral students did well, with 60 percent having signed contracts at the time of the survey, 15 percent continuing in pre-doctoral employment and 7 percent negotiating for a specific position. Fifty-six percent of graduates planned careers in academe, 7 percent in government and 28 percent planned to pursue careers in industry.

The primary post-graduation work activity, according to the survey, showed that 41 percent of graduates planned to teach, 38 percent planned careers in research and development, 28 percent planned to become administrators, and 10 percent intended to provide professional services.

“The survey tells us that, upon graduation, UW–Madison doctoral recipients do well, much better than the average of all U.S. universities,” according to Cadwallader. “The numbers are indicative of the value employers place on Wisconsin graduates. We feel very good about that.”