International Doctoral Students in S&E Academic Departments: Their Impact on Cohort’s Career Prospects

Abstract

With more international students flowing into science and engineering departments in American research universities, a marked shift on the demographic composition of doctoral student bodies has been witnessed. Using a dataset combining a survey of S&E department chairs with the latest program evaluation information, this study reveals the status of international doctoral students in S&E academic departments and investigates how their presence shapes the cohort’s career prospects. The results provide evidence of cohort’s career prospects stratified by international students, department prestige and academic fields. While cohort with more international students is less likely to take postdoc positions and more likely to head for less research oriented faculty appointments, such cohort, if trained in less prestigious departments, more often end up with postdoc appointments. Cohort minted out of prestigious departments demonstrates a stronger commitment to postdoc positions and lesser commitment to non-academic jobs, regardless of the presence of international students. Relative to cohorts in life science, their counterparts in engineering and physical science are presented with different job opportunities. The study concludes with a discussion of research findings and policy implications in the postdoc enterprise as well as in the science community.

Keywords: career prospects, international students, postdoc appointment

JEL Classification: higher education