Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers (1995) / Chapter Skim
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5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Pages 75-92
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From page 75... ...
There is also a broader concern: Although it is clear that human resources are the primary key to the nation's strength in science and technology, we have not, as a nation, paid adequate attention to the graduate schools as a system for meeting the full range of needs for advanced talent in science and engineering. That is perhaps seen most clearly in the fact that the United States has effectively lacked human-resources policy for advanced scientists and engineers.
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From page 76... ...
Third, there needs to be a deliberate national reconsideration of graduate education so that the open policy questions, the current information gaps, and the contemporary stresses are systematically addressed by a suitable blend of university, industry, professional society, and government. Those improvements can be made without disruption of the traditional commitment to excellence in basic research that has been, and must continue to be, a hallmark of the US system of graduate education.
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From page 77... ...
Excessive concentration in a particular subfield can Unit a person's later research contributions and affect later career choices. It is difficult to gauge whether a specialty chosen early in graduate school will be desirable in the job market or still be in the exciting forefront
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From page 78... ...
engineers who are versatile, graduate programs should provide options that allow students to gain a wider variety of academic and other career skills. Graduate programs should offer options that equip students for a wide array of eventual career opportunities.
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From page 79... ...
5.2.2. To foster versatility, government and other agents of financial assistance for graduate students should adjust their support mechanisms to include new "education/training grants" that resemble the training grants now available in some federal agencies.
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From page 80... ...
~ Evaluation criteria feature the proposer's plan to improve the versatility of students, both Trough program and curriculum innovations and by upgrading faculty advice to acquaint students with the full range of future employment options. Box 5-2: New NSF Graduate-Education Initiatives The experience with training grants at the National Institutes of Health over the last few decades shows that this type of mechanism can be successful in establishing productive interdisciplinary programs and in encouraging students to enter emerging fields of research.
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From page 81... ...
We encourage deliberate expansion of this effort for the special purpose of fostering broader graduate experiences, which could well include industry involvement and emerging research that is particularly valued in expanding job markets. Some of the new education/training grants should be .
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From page 82... ...
Some universities and departments might want to focus on particular career paths (e.g., secondary-school teaching or subject fields of interest to local business and industry)
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From page 83... ...
In the abstract, it is not obvious why such a period, which would allow 2 years of coursework and 3 years for a dissertation, should not suffice for most fill-time PhD candidates. However, we are not prepared to espouse strict limits, in part because today's more-diverse student population requires flexibility to accommodate family and other personal factors.
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From page 84... ...
Faculty attitudes have sometimes l~j~-~-~i~i~-~-~ favored academic research careers, and some students have come to fee} that other career paths were less worthy. During their graduate years, students by themselves have access to little more than anecdotal information about career options.
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From page 85... ...
The rapid development of information networks—collectively called the Internet makes it possible to organize employment and career information so that two important principles are maintained: the information made available in the information system retains decentralized "grass roots" and therefore more currency than information previously assembled into central compendia; and timely information is available where it is most needed in the hands of the
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From page 86... ...
5.3.2. Academic departments should provide employment information and career advice to prospective and current students in a timely manner and should help students see career choices as a series of branching decisions.
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From page 87... ...
It would be helpful if more departments, in describing their programs to potential students, routinely provided more data relevant to career choice, such as location of job placements, salaries, and unemployment rates for the department and the discipline as a whole. Departments should report on the careers of all their graduates and provide the relevant information to prospective and current students.
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From page 88... ...
NSF should address the following: Box 5-9: Disciplinary Societies and Career Information
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From page 89... ...
5.4.~. A searching national discussion that includes representatives of government, universities, employers, and professional organizations should examine the goals, policies, conditions, and unresolved issues pertaining to graduate-level human resources.
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From page 90... ...
The national discussion could examine whether underemployment is widespread, how nontraditional employers view new PhDs, the growth of postdoctoral positions, and how people choose careers. It could also monitor progress on innovations, such as the measures recommended in this report, and it might thus serve as a clearinghouse for information on university programs intended to foster versatility, including those stemming from demonstrations
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From page 91... ...
Finally, the national discussion could examine current issues on which opinions diverge across the sectors, including the difficult issues tone to first job and sources of new students—discussed in Chapter 4. 5.5 CONCLUSION In conclusion, the committee believes that science and engineering graduate programs will be improved if · Science and engineering programs are made more flexible and provide more options for students so that they are more versatile.
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