job titles after phd

American Academic Job Titles Explained

What's the difference between an assistant professor and an associate professor? What about an adjunct professor and a visiting assistant professor? Here's a breakdown of the most common academic job titles used in the USA and Canada.

PhD Student

A PhD is required to work as a professor or researcher in many fields in the US and Canada. Broady speaking, the path to a PhD consists of two to three years of coursework followed by qualification exams and then the writing and defending of a dissertation. Many North American PhD programs require that students to gain teaching experience as well, often as teaching assistants. PhD students do have to pay tuition at American and Canadian universities although many top programs include tuition waiver in their funding packages. PhDs can be funded by the university, external fellowships, personal loans, or a combination of the three. The amount of time it takes to earn a PhD depends on the field, but the average is six years. A Master’s degree is not always a necessary prerequisite for a PhD in North America. Many universities offer direct entry PhD programs which means that students are also awarded a Master’s degree after they have completed certain courses or exams.

Postdoctoral Researcher/Fellow/Scholar

After earning a PhD, the next step in the academic career path is often a postdoc. Postdocs used to just be part of the STEM career path, but these types of positions have started to become more common in the humanities as well. A postdoc is a continuation of a researcher’s training that allows them to further their professional development and start to transition from student to independent researcher. Postdocs also often take additional leadership or teaching responsibilities in their lab or department. These positions are usually two to three years and it is not unusual for a researcher to do more than one postdoc. In Canada postdocs must be within five years of earning their PhD, while there is no limit on how long you can be a postdoc in the United States.

Tenure Track

An academic on the “tenure track” is on the path to a permanent professor position at their university. They will be expected to go up for "review" five to seven years after they start their position at the university. The tenure committee will evaluates the quality of the candidate’s teaching, research, publication record, and service to the university. If the candidate is successful, they are awarded tenure which provides them lifetime employment at their university.

Assistant Professor

This is the entry-level tenure track position. The position comprises of teaching, research and service to the institution (such as being a member of various university committees) and different universities will emphasize different components more. Assistant professors typically teach anywhere from two to four courses per semester in addition to supervising graduate students. They are also expected to be active researchers and publish books, monographs, papers, and journal articles to meet their tenure requirements.

Associate Professor

An assistant professor who has been granted tenure is usually promoted to an associate professor, however, the rank doesn’t always mean the professor is tenured. An associate professor often has a national reputation as a scholar and is involved in service activities beyond their university.

This is the final destination of the tenure track. Five to seven years after receiving tenure, associate professors go through another review. If they are successful, they are promoted to full professor. Professors usually have a record of accomplishment that has established them as an international or national leader in their field.

Adjunct Professor

The number of adjunct professors has grown dramatically in the last 40 years. An adjunct professor is a part-time or non-permanent faculty member who is hired on a semester to semester basis to teach a particular course/courses. Adjuncts are often paid per course and as a result many adjuncts teach at multiple universities each semester.

An adjunct professor can also be someone whose primary appointment is in another department or at another university.

Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP)

This is a temporary appointment that can range from one semester to up to three years. These appointments are usually made to replace faculty on leave or to bring in someone who specializes in an area that the department currently lacks. VAPs often have a higher teaching load than tenured professors which can leave them with little time for their own research. These positions help entry-level academics gain more teaching experience and demonstrate their potential, but they are unlikely to turn into tenure track positions.

Lecturer/Instructor

In Canada and the United States, a lecturer/instructor is a non-tenure-track teaching position. They often have a teach more courses than tenure-track faculty and have with no research obligations. Lecturer/Instructor positions are more common in the humanities and many teach foreign languages. While lecturers hold advanced degrees, they do not always have PhDs.

It is important to note that the title of lecturer means something very different in the UK. A UK lecturer is closer to a North American assistant professor in that the position has teaching, research and service requirements. You can read more about academic titles in the UK  here . 

Research Assistant

This is a staff position rather than a faculty position. In contrast to a lecturer, a research assistant is primarily focused on research and has little to no teaching responsibilities. These positions are usually funded by grants or fellowships rather than by the university. While they may hold advanced degrees, research assistants are not required to have PhDs.

Research Associate/Scientist/Fellow

A research associate is distinguished by the fact that, unlike a research assistant, they have a PhD and have completed a postdoc. This is a more senior position in the lab with a more significant leadership and grant-writing role. A research associate is primarily a research position, though it may have some teaching responsibilities.

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Career Paths for PhD Graduates

New section.

Biomedical scientists can use their knowledge of biomedical research in a wide variety of ways.

What can I be with a PhD?

Biomedical scientists may use their knowledge of biomedical research to:

• Direct a research lab and decide which scientific questions to investigate
• Be part of a team of scientists working together to solve problems of health and disease
• Manage and coordinate large scientific projects (across institutions and/or across the world)
• Teach others about biomedical science including how to do research and how to think about and understand scientific information
• Inform policy makers about scientific matters that impact health and science
• Communicate (by writing and speaking) and disseminate the latest information about scientific and medical discoveries
• Translate discoveries and inventions from the most fundamental level to every day usage

Where do biomedical scientists work?

Academic institutions (research and administration)

• Large research universities
• Small liberal arts colleges
• Medical centers and medical schools
• Dental, veterinary and optometry schools
• Research institutes
• Community colleges
• High schools

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies

Government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, including:

• NIH - National Institutes of Health
• FDA - Food and Drug Administration
• CDCP - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• NSF - National Science Foundation
• EPA - Environmental Protection Agency
• NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• USDA - Department of Agriculture
• VA - Veterans' Administration
• DOD - Department of Defense
• US Congress
• Executive Branch of the Federal Government
• State and county health departments

Mass communication organizations and businesses

• Newspapers and magazines
• Internet-based communications
• Broadcast media (television, radio, movies)
• Scientific journals and textbooks

Law firms (patent and intellectual property law)

Consulting firms

• Judicial system - scientific evidence in trials
• Financial - advising regarding investments in biotechnology, drug and medical device development
• Educational

Philanthropic and non-profit organizations

• NAS/IOM - National Academies of Science/Institute of Medicine
• Scientific societies and associations
• Private foundations

General information about careers in biomedical science

ScienceCareers.org  - Find a job in science - searchable by location including international, field, keyword, etc.

PhD Jobs  - Includes jobs from across the United States including Biological Science, Business, Education, Engineering, Health & Medicine, Information Science, Law, Science

ScienceCareers.org "Mastering Your Ph.D.: Preparing for Your Post-Ph.D. Career" - Survival and success in the doctoral years and beyond

National Postdoctoral Association  - Providing a national voice and seeking positive change for postdoctoral scholars

Choosing a Postdoctoral Position  - Advice on finding the best postdoc for you

PhDs.org: Science, Math, and Engineering Career Resources  - Information for scientists and would-be scientists at all levels, from high school students through Nobel laureates.

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Graduate schools in the biomedical sciences will generally provide a comprehensive funding package to their students.

PhD Programs by School

List of Postdoctoral Programs by School

Postbaccalaureate programs begin after an undergraduate degree and are designed to support the transition to professional school.

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• CAREER FEATURE
• 15 August 2023

How to make the leap into industry after a PhD

• Spoorthy Raman 0

Spoorthy Raman is a freelance science and environment journalist in St. John’s, Canada.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Melanie Zeppel stepped off the academic path to become a data scientist in industry. Credit: Stephen Jackson

Plant physiologist Melanie Zeppel had heard that hard work, a good publication list and securing highly competitive postdoctoral research fellowships would guarantee a successful career in academia. Despite having it all, a faculty position eluded her for 12 years after her PhD.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02558-w

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Industry Jobs After PhD

Finding industry jobs after PhD is a worthwhile ambition for those who have earned doctorate degrees. As more students are learning how to transition from academia to industry , it can be helpful to see how many options are still available to you outside of the university walls. It may seem daunting to move away from academia after being accustomed to it for so long. However, this can be exactly the change you need to kickstart an exciting career.

This article delves into why PhD graduates would want to pursue a career in industry-related areas instead of academic settings. We also list some viable job options for those coming out of STEM programs or other disciplines, and touch upon how PhD consultants can provide helpful advice that will be appropriate to your situation, especially if you are not yet accepted into a doctoral program.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 11 min read

Why transition from academia to industry.

Figuring out how to find a job after grad school is rarely easy, but expanding your horizons and considering new options may be a life-changing decision. At first, you may feel fear about leaving academia, but. More and more doctoral graduates are making the change to industry positions rather than remaining in academic settings, especially if they come from STEM fields.

Want to know the difference between a Masters vs PhD? Watch this video:

It may not be what you initially pictured when writing your grad school career goals statement , but industry jobs can provide you with a worthwhile career. Similar job hunting skills will benefit you no matter where you choose to look for employment. There is not one singular way to do this and it also depends on your chosen discipline. The important thing to remember is that there is a whole world out there for you to explore when it comes to your professional future. Here’re some of the reasons you should consider industry jobs after PhD:

More Opportunities

You will often be told to be very sure of your decision when wondering "should you pursue a master’s or PhD?" . This line of thinking usually comes from the fact that graduate degrees are a boatload of work and effort without a guaranteed payoff at the end of it.

One of the biggest reasons why many PhD holders are now working in industry is because the job market is very competitive. The academic job market is generally competitive, but is now even more so due to less full-time, tenure-track positions available for the amount of PhDs to fill them. These applicants may not have found a viable postdoc position or had enough teaching experience to secure a job in academia. Whatever the case, working in an industry sector is much broader and PhDs can use their training in a variety of ways that differ from academia.

Now that you’re more aware about why those who have earned a doctorate can move away from academic careers, what are some of the industry jobs that be of interest to you? There is truly no list that will be 100% complete, as the amount of opportunities are endless. Nevertheless, here are some great examples of industry jobs one can have after completing a PhD:

1. Scientist/Researcher

For STEM graduates, this will be a very obvious option right off the bat. Just because you are no longer in the academic job market, does not mean you cannot participate in research at any level. If you acquired a background in research while completing your PhD, there are positions that will accommodate this. A wide variety of industries are all about what is new and value innovation, and their research and development departments will reflect these principles.

Another positive about industry research positions as a scientist is that you do not necessarily need to worry about how to get a tenure-track position. In academia, you have the added pressure of trying to achieve tenure and meeting research expectations while teaching and participating in university events. This is not the case for industry. Industry research science positions can be as fulfilling and have as much of a positive impact as academic positions. The same can be said for engineering-related positions of a similar nature. In other words, there are research careers available to you outside of academia. 

• Clinical Laboratory Scientist
• Chief Materials Scientist
• Genomic Research Scientist
• Immunogenicity Scientist

2. Data Analyst

As a PhD, you are perhaps able to analyze data better than most other candidates. Many organizations want to use the information they collect to make better decisions about the future, whether it is related to customers, statistics, or otherwise. As a data analyst, you will use your data to solve problems and be an essential part of your company. This job requires analytical, numerical, and technical skills to successfully perform. Ideally, this position will combine your affinity for data collection with conventional business knowledge. 

• Strategic Initiatives Analyst
• Supply Chain Master Data & Solutions Analyst
• Planning Analyst

3. Regulatory Affairs Specialist

Advanced scientific knowledge is beneficial for many fields, especially for matters related to health care. Working in regulatory affairs means that you are responsible for obtaining and maintaining government approval for drugs, nutritional products, medical devices, and more. This is a position that combines research with a legal touch, as you will be filling out paperwork and ensuring that whatever product you are working with follows regulatory guidelines. If you are detail-oriented and good at dealing with deadlines, this option might be of interest to you.

• Regulatory Affairs Manager
• Senior Quality and Regulatory Affairs Specialist
• Director of Regulatory Affairs

4. Pharmaceutical Roles

In a similar vein, STEM PhDs in particular can find work in the pharmaceuticals industry. While you not be as familiar with the medical field specifically or have not been to any of the pharmacy schools in the US or Canada, this does not mean that your skills cannot benefit a pharmacology company. For instance, a medical science liaison meets with doctors and other practitioners to create strategies that enhance health outcomes. They also may be responsible for producing medical equipment, assessing clinical samples, and enable drug distribution, among other tasks. While some MSLs can have a medical degree or be a Doctor of Pharmacy, any PhD related to research science can be relevant to a position of this sort.

• Medical Science Liaison
• Pharmaceutical Data Scientist
• Clinical Information Science Associate Director

5. Consultant

Consultants are professionals that can provide advice to companies or clients in need of hitting specific targets or achieving certain goals. Consulting roles can be related to almost any professional field. Some of the most common consulting firms are related management consulting, financial consulting, human resources consulting, and academic consulting. Since you have a PhD and are likely well-versed in how higher education admissions work, becoming a grad school admissions consultant could be beneficial to your career. Consulting firms usually employ a team of experts that are usually hired on a contract basis to a particular client. In the case of academic consulting, your clients will likely be prospective students looking to get into competitive graduate school programs. Since you have already gone through the process yourself, your input on a graduate school statement of purpose and interview prep could be much appreciated.

• Academic Consultant
• Associate Workflow Consultant
• Change Management Consultant
• Organizational Measurement & Evaluation Consultant

6. Professional Writer

Regardless of discipline, your academic training has probably left you with superior writing skills, which can be essential to industry as well. Writing skills are always necessary for companies around the world. Content writer jobs are available in various capacities and are adjacent to many other fields, such as communications and marketing. As digital content becomes more prevalent, well-written newsletters, social media posts, blogs, product descriptions, press releases, and more could be used to build a brand’s presence online. Writing jobs could also be more specified, such as becoming a medical writer or business writers. Therefore, there is a wide range of opportunity for PhDs who can write effectively.

• Medical Writer
• Grant Writer
• Technical Writer

7. Marketing

Moving on from content writer jobs, these skills are also incredibly useful in marketing environments. PhDs could potentially have the ability to share creative ideas to promote company products or services. For example, one way to do this is to establish some of the best affiliate marketing strategies and how they will benefit your organization. Marketing roles, like other types of positions, could also be somewhat related to academia, as colleges and universities need their own marketing too. As someone who has been a student through multiple stages, you can garner enough expertise to assist with implementing marketing strategies to increase student enrollment . Pretty much every business needs marketing measures, and you can definitely participate in those using the training from your doctorate degree.

• Marketing Communications Coordinator
• Marketing Science Supervisor
• Digital Marketing Manager

8. UX Designer

A user experience designer is a relatively new type of job that is broad and, once again, can apply to multiple professional fields. The exact specificities of this role can depend on the company, but its main objective is to make a product useful and easily accessible to multiple parties. The most common type of UX design is for company websites or apps. This job can be performed through testing of various kinds, creating prototypes, making ideal customer personas through conducting user research, and more. Keeping the end user in mind is key to success in this field. In this role, you are essentially collecting data and using it to improve the product at hand.

• Senior Product Designer
• Website UX Designer
• UX Researcher

9. Entrepreneur

If you are a business-savvy PhD, starting your own enterprise may be the path for you. Make sure your business is related to a field you are passionate about and that is feasible to begin on your own or with a small number of colleagues. Over your studies, you can develop the necessary skills to succeed in business, such as data collection, identifying trends, and solving problems to move forward successfully. Once you identify what the relevant market needs and how your business will operate, you can learn more about the best business growth and development strategies to assist with creating an organization that will last. While networking is also crucial to finding academic jobs, these skills can also evidently be applied to entrepreneurship. Connecting with others is sure to be an advantage whether you work in academia or industry.

• Startup Entrepreneur
• Small Business Entrepreneur
• Large Company Entrepreneur

9. Product Manager

Another role that is related to business is a product manager. As it is a newer field similar to UX Design, it is probably another avenue where your PhD can be useful that you may not immediately think of. In this job, you would be identifying how a product or service will be successful and how this fits into the larger business objectives of the company. It requires a lot of teamwork and not having control of every decision. The power of being able to influence without necessarily having the most authority is crucial to success in this position, as well as asking the right questions and empowering the team around you. This kind of role will be especially useful for STEM PhDs, who can work in electronics, aeronautics, IT and biotechnology, among other fields.

• Assistant Product Manager
• Senior Product Manager, International Payments
• Product Manager, Digital Enrollment

10. Sales Positions

Salespeople often have qualities that you will embody as a PhD, such as analytical and problem solving skills. Any job in sales requires some form of persuasion, which may have been necessary for you when you were writing essays or learning how to prepare for a thesis defense . You may also have the necessary experience for it, depending on what you studied and what you will be selling. For STEM graduates, working in technical sales will make the most sense. In this kind of role, you will be selling software, hardware, or IT services. These roles are not limited to STEM, however, as there are sales roles that exist in many fields. You can also work in a fundraising department oversee major gifts to your company, for example. A doctorate degree can be seen as more credible and add to your overall sell capabilities while confirming your knowledge about the product at hand. Positions within sales can also have a lot of variety, such as remote sales jobs or ones that necessitate travel.

• Sales Representative
• Senior Technical Sales
• Cyber Security Sales Specialist

11. Publishing

While many of the jobs listed above can appeal to STEM or business disciplines, a PhD in the arts or the humanities can lend themselves to jobs in a broad number of fields, including the publishing industry. Whether these publications are academic or not is up to the job itself, but your primary responsibilities would be to approve project acquisitions, manage budgets, oversee departments, and more. If you’re passionate about books or other forms of publication, and want to transition to an industry setting, the publishing industry may appeal to you.

• Literary Agent
• Publishing Manager
• Publishing Production Coordinator

 Conclusion

While it can seem pretty daunting to make the jump from academia to industry, there are tons of PhD graduates doing the same. Working outside of the university might not be the first thing you think of when you initially answered “Why do you want to do a PhD?” in your grad school interview, but plans can change over time. The skills and experience you have garnered over the years can translate rather well to a variety of industries, so be careful not to limit yourself or sell yourself short. Completing a doctorate degree is a massive achievement and you should be very proud of yourself. However, this does not mean you will have a job fall in your hands. You must still search and put the necessary effort into planning out your future. If you are not yet enrolled in a PhD or other graduate program, using a grad school advisor to create a plan can make a world of difference. At the end of the day, the first step is knowing what your options are so you can prepare as best as possible. What you decide to do with that information is up to you.

Finding a job in an industry setting is not any more or less difficult than finding a job in academia. What’s important is adjusting your skillset, mentality, and perhaps your approach to finding a job. Industry jobs have a slightly different process for assessing who the best candidates are, so you must appeal to that.

The main differences are the exact types of roles and responsibilities you will have, salary expectations, the larger goals of your position, work structure, and management style.

Try and find what types of jobs your discipline and background will excel in. If certain skills that you do not have are requested again and again, work towards gaining those skills to become more appealing to those hiring.

Industry jobs do tend to focus less on your academic qualifications, such as the amount of times you have been published. However, this does not mean that you can’t have a research resume available for any positions that may relevant or to prove your skills in that area.

Using your network effectively is important when searching for any job opportunities. If you know anyone who has made the change from academia to industry after earning a PhD or has hiring experience in this domain, their advice will probably serve you well. 

There are postdoc positions that relate to industry-related jobs, rather than academic ones. These can give you beneficial experience that will aid you in finding a more permanent role down the road. Review the postdoc interview questions to get a sense of how to secure that spot.

Yes, slightly. The questions you receive may be a little different or focus on skills and attributes related to that particular position instead of mainly your academic accomplishments.

There are recruiters who will be able to assist candidates just like you. If you are currently enrolled in a PhD program, you could also ask academic advisors or trusted faculty members for their input. If you have not yet applied to a PhD program, trained experts can strategize with you to maximize your chances of acquiring a great education and career. These trained experts can help with application documents such as a PhD motivation letter . They could also be useful for interview preparation and providing tips that will be valuable at any stage of your education or professional career.

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PhD Job Search Timeline and Tips

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The PhD job search can be a confusing process for a variety of reasons. The doctoral graduation timeline is often unclear and may not be fully within your control. For industry positions, your mentors in academia may be unfamiliar with non-academic norms and expectations, but there are tools and resources that can help you prepare for this process and develop a plan of action.

Job Search Timeline

General peak PhD recruitment timelines for different fields and positions assuming June graduation . Keep in mind, these are approximations; timelines vary considerably by field.

When should I start my job search? What if I missed peak recruitment times?

The job search varies widely in process, norms, and expectations. It is never too early to research your interest areas by searching online, attending events, and initiating informal career conversations. Even if you missed the peak recruiting season for your field, you can continue to inquire about opportunities through networking and online job search websites.

What if I am graduating in December?

Keep in mind that the start date of a position can often be negotiated. Also, the needs of employers vary so positions can open or start on a more flexible timeline.

Have more questions?

Make an appointment with CAPD.

Job Search Tips

• Helpful self-assessment tools: Various assessment tools are available that were made with PhDs in mind. These include: MyIDP (Individual Development Plan), ChemIDP , and ImaginePhD .
• Network early and often. It’s never too early to network, gather information, and try on different roles or career paths. Anytime during your graduate career, it’s helpful to attend career fairs and information sessions of companies that interest you. You can also learn more about specific industries through informational interviews or by applying for summer internships and IAP micro-internships.
• Helpful networking tools: MIT Alumni Advisors Hub (conduct informational interviews or career conversations with MIT alumni working in various industries)
• Make an appointment with a career advisor.
• CAPD Career Handbook  for resume/cover letter examples and much more
• Handshake for CAPD appointments and job searches
• Post-Graduate and Summer Outcomes data
• LinkedIn, Indeed, and Professional Associations for networking and job listings

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Six Steps to Finding a Job after the PhD

Even though you think that the rest of your life will consist of the lab and your computer, there will be a day when you “come out.”  The day when you finally get your PhD, and then take your next step in life .

You might cringe when I mention “the next step in your life.” You might start giving me an entire list of excuses why you really don’t have the time and energy to start thinking of life after the PhD while you are still engrossed in your PhD. But unless you have a tree that grows money in your garden, you will need to find something that pays the bills once you finish your research and your scholarship runs out. A job.

Today’s article will not tell you to start sending your resume to 300 companies while you try to finish up your dissertation. The final months of the PhD can be incredibly messy with looking for a job, moving to a different place, often a different country, and then trying to finish the dissertation and defense. I’m in the very middle of all that myself  and can tell you that the final months of a PhD don’t allow much time for a big job hunt.

Before you actually reach those final months, there are many actions you can undertake to grow your network, so that your job search becomes easier once you are reaching the final months of grad life. I’ve outlined a simple plan with six steps that you can take from the very start of your PhD to transition into a job right after graduation.

1. Reflect on what you want

A PhD doesn’t automatically mean that you will stay in academia for the rest of your life. In fact, many graduate students wouldn’t  be happy staying in academia for the rest of their lives, and are anxious to roll up their sleeves and get a more hands-on job in industry.

Reflection is key. Spend some time  analyzing your strengths  and imagining what your ideal job would be like. Then, use your research as a leverage to work towards your ideal position. Your PhD research can be an incredible tool to grow your skills. You can learn new coding languages, delve into more theoretical work, or prepare to transition to industry.

Regardless of where you imagine yourself in three to five years from now, just realize that your PhD research gives you many more skills than “just” becoming an independent researcher. All these skills, along with your communication skills and the strong work ethic of graduate school, are additional elements you can later show to a prospective employer as benefits that come with hiring a (maybe overqualified) PhD.

2. Present at conferences

Get your face out there, show your work, and meet people. Conferences are a very important way to grow your network,  and the majority of jobs are still found through using your network, rather than simply reacting to a job opening at company X or university Y.

Similarly, use conferences to get an overview of what is possible after your PhD. Try to find conferences that combine research from academia with cases from industry and that come with a large exhibition hall. At the exhibition hall, you can learn about companies that might be interested in hiring new employees, even though their primary goal might be to sell their product or services.

3. Attend industry events

Again, get active, talk to people, and get your face out there. The benefit of attending industry events and becoming involved is broader than making sure people start to know you. It also helps you to explore what is out there in industry. You can get to know the different companies and get a feeling for their company culture. Would you “fit in” at that company? Do their projects look attractive to you to work on? Use your involvement in these events to get a taste of the world out there – sniff around and see what could be suitable for you.

4. Personal branding: offline and online

Personal branding is a fashionable term, and you might think that it is only for designers and the flashy men and women from the advertisement industry. In academia, we can rethink branding as having a clear statement on who we are and what we are good at. It’s about having a consistent image of ourselves—online and offline—and carrying that out into the world. It’s not about pretending you’re someone else, it’s not about compromising on authenticity , and it’s not about vanity or praising yourself either. It’s simply about your very professional essence and being okay with sharing that image with the world.

Once you have completed Step 1, and reflected on what your strengths are, and how you envision yourself in the future, you can use this information to show the world how you can help in situation Y because you are very good at doing Z. You can get active (Steps 2 and 3) in international organizations by volunteering to do something you are good at. You can build a digital footprint by using a blog or social networks to share what you’ve learned in your research, connect to like-minded people, and make your professional image and statements Google-able.

5. Cherish your network

Don’t build a network just for the sake of having contacts with certain people for whenever you need a job. Cherishing your network is about getting back in touch with people every now and then, about keeping good ties to your former classmates and rekindling the connection with professors from previous institutions because you are grateful for the people who helped you learn and grow over the years. And from these contacts, people who you truly enjoy being around, fruitful collaborations can grow. You can imagine that it can be very rewarding to be able to work later on with people with whom you have a very good relationship.

6. Let people know you will be available

Once you are nearing your final semesters, or your thesis starts to grow steadily towards it first draft version, don’t get too secretive about it. It can be hard to really tell people that you think you will be finished six months from now, if all goes well, as that might add pressure, but trust yourself. Something can always go wrong, but there’s no need to live life assuming all possible doom scenarios. Share the message that you are wrapping up your work. Write to people in your network to let them know when you will be defending, invite them for the day itself or send them a copy of your dissertation. Share  how your progress is going on your online networks. Share on LinkedIn that you have a few more weeks to finish your first dissertation draft. Share your updates on Twitter – get the word out that you are coming out soon! You might get some reactions completely out of the blue from people asking you if you’re interested in  learning about possibilities at their firm .

Have you started thinking about life after the PhD? Have you incorporated some of these ideas into your daily research life? Please share your thoughts with us!

[Image by Flickr user michael.heiss under Creative Commons license]

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Top jobs for PhD graduates

Graduating with a PhD is a significant achievement for any student. However, often there are questions about what happens next career and work-wise. We’re here to help with our guide to the top jobs for PhD graduates.

Gaining a PhD degree is the pinnacle of any academic journey. It is the highest level of study you can achieve and means you have uniquely contributed to the body of knowledge for your chosen field. However, what is less spoken about is what happens when you finish a PhD. What options do graduates with a doctoral degree have for work and careers? We’re here to answer a few of these questions and demonstrate that a PhD can be the start of an exciting and fulfilling next chapter.

A career in academia 

A career as a researcher, lecturer or academic is a route often associated with PhD graduates. This is especially true for students who have developed an affinity for the subject they have studied and have a natural ability to teach. Usually, this path will start with a post-doctoral fellowship, research fellow, or junior lecturer position.

What isn’t as well known is that a PhD can qualify you to occupy administrative, governance and management positions at an institution of higher education. This doesn’t necessarily depend on your area of specialisation. However, it is important to verify whether your experience and experience matches a position.

Some of the roles you could fulfil in academia when graduating with a PhD:

• Academic support
• Communications and marketing
• School, department, or faculty management
• Administrative management

A professional career

If you completed a PhD in a professional subject , this could enhance your employability and career progression. In some cases, holding a PhD or equivalent is a prerequisite for being allowed to work professionally. Some examples include psychology and medical specialisations .

Let’s take a closer look at PhD subject areas that can lead to employment in the private, commercial, and professional sectors:

• Engineering
• Mathematics
• Architecture

Obtaining an advanced degree in some of the above subject areas is considered an indication of professional development . Further, in some subjects, such as mathematics or science, you may have flexibility with the sectors in which you would work, from insurance and banking to market research and artificial intelligence.

Your career options can depend on what you have studied, with STEM PhD qualifications often providing greater flexibility and options upon graduation. Some roles you could find yourself working in include:

• Data analyst
• Project manager
• Company director
• Applied researcher
• Technical salesperson
• Clinical researcher
• Communications specialist
• Product manager

A specialist career

Sometimes your PhD could be so specialised and focused that your career path will continue this work. That is to say that there is a correlation between your PhD subject and the position you take up. Some examples of these types of roles are:

• Biomedical engineer
• Computer scientist
• Biophysicist
• Pharmacological researcher
• Psychologist
• Veterinary scientist
• Robotics engineer
• Radiologist
• Neurologist

You may work in varying capacities with some variation to your role, but it will be in a particular area of specialisation. This is especially true of medicine, pharmacy, and certain types of engineering . It’s a good idea to do your research before embarking on a PhD to see what is needed for a role before embarking on a seven-year academic journey.

A career in the public sector 

Another area where you can put your PhD to use career-wise is within the public sector. If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘public sector’, it is used to refer to anything related to the state and government. It covers all governmental and state services, from education to the military. Governments and their agencies are always looking for suitably qualified individuals to work for them. 

You may choose to use your skills to provide expertise, advice, and insight to assist the functioning of a country. Once again, your chosen subject area may influence where you can work. However, many roles allow for the transferability of skills. Some sectors you could work in include:

• Healthcare 
• International development 
• International relations 
• Transport 
• Energy 
• Finance 

Roles in the public sector can give you the chance to shape policy, drive change and positively impact communities and society. They can be rewarding as a result. 

A career in the charity sector 

Sometimes referred to as the ‘third sector’, the charity and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) environment is another in which PhD graduates can find exciting and rewarding careers. Many of these organisations do not operate to make a profit and are mission-based. It’s a chance to make a difference, sometimes in environments and locations worldwide.

Naturally, it’s good to match your skills, interests and expertise with an organisation that aligns with these. For example, environmental causes may be close to your heart, or perhaps you’d prefer to work in the humanitarian sphere. The roles available in this sector are many and variable, but some you could potentially fulfil include:

• Medical professional
• Communications and marketing professional

If you are aiming to work in the ‘third sector’, it’s good to understand what organisations and agencies there are. Further, getting to know what organisations operate locally and internationally is important so you can find your best match.

The career options for a PhD graduate are more numerous than you may have expected. You aren’t limited to working at a university or institution. A PhD gives you the choice to find a niche and role that suits your interests. While a PhD is a significant investment in terms of time and money, the rewards can be far greater.

Top 10 benefits of becoming a doctor

Being a doctor is one of the most sought after and well-respected professions and, while it’s highly competitive, it is arguably worth the commitment. If you have an aptitude for science and a desire to care for others, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’re going to explore why so many students around the world decide to pursue medicine, focusing solely on the benefits of becoming a doctor.   How to become a doctor   In

The top careers for humanities graduates

If you’re thinking about studying for a humanities degree, you may also be considering the career prospects for your chosen qualification. You may have heard conflicting advice on what a humanities degree can offer from an employment perspective. We’re here to clear up the misconceptions and guide you through some of the career options that humanities graduates enjoy. We’ll also look at different types of humanities degrees, the skills you gain and areas of

The post-study landscape for international students

When evaluating your study abroad options you’ve likely spent some time analysing what post-study opportunities and work options exist in various destinations. We know that this can be a deciding factor in choosing where you end up studying. Whether it’s the professional and career prospects for your chosen area of study or the chance to gain valuable experience and spend more time in a country, it’s important to know what’s on offer. We’ve investigated some of

Five traits every veterinarian needs

When deciding on your potential course of study, it’s always a good idea to consider your desired career path at the same time. Studying for a degree in veterinary medicine is a significant commitment with the end aim of a rewarding career as a veterinarian. While having an affinity for the subject matter is important, you’ll also need to check whether you have some of the key traits that would make you suitable for the job. We’ve turned our lens on veterinary

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In This Section

• AHA Career Contacts
• Five Skills
• Careers for Students of History
• Careers in Public History
• Data on the History Profession
• Resources for Job Candidates and Search Committees
• Why Become a Historian?
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• An Option Worth Pursuing: Teaching Opportunities for History Graduate Students in Secondary Schools
• The Many Careers of History PhDs
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The Many Careers of History PhDs: A Study of Job Outcomes, Spring 2013

A report to the american historical association.

By L. Maren Wood and Robert B. Townsend

Download a PDF version

Table of Contents

Introduction • Research Methodology • Careers in the Professoriate • Careers beyond the Professoriate • Evidence of Change in the Job Market • Field Specializations Mark Significant Differences • Key Differences between Programs • Gender • Mobility and the Academic Job Market •  Conclusion

Introduction

Earning a doctoral degree in history presents a range of choices, starting with questions about where and what to study, and how to pay for the effort. Too often those choices have to be made with a significant amount of guesswork as to their potential outcomes. As part of the American Historical Association’s assessment of careers for history PhDs, the authors of this study undertook a detailed analysis of the current employment held by 2,500 history PhDs, all of whom earned their degrees between 1998 and 2009. 1 In brief, we found that:

• The overall employment rate for history PhDs was exceptionally high: only two people in the sample appeared unemployed, and none of them occupied the positions that often serve as punch lines for jokes about humanities PhDs—as baristas or short order cooks.

• Specialists in US history were nearly 25 percent less likely to be employed on the tenure track than were specialists in other fields, but significantly more likely to be employed in history work outside the professoriate.
• Receiving a PhD from a top-ranked institution improved the odds of making it onto the tenure track at a research university.
• Gender played little role in employment patterns across particular professions and industries.
• Nearly two-thirds of the PhDs in academic positions remained in or near the region in which they earned their degrees, but faculty who remained in the same region as their doctoral studies were significantly more likely to be employed off the tenure track.

Our findings can only show a snapshot of employment at one moment in time, clarifying the recent shape of the job market for history PhDs, and providing guidance to doctoral programs, graduate students, and newly minted PhDs pondering their futures.

Research Methodology

To identify the career paths of recent history PhDs, the AHA hired Maren Wood (Lilli Research Group) to track down the current employment of a random sample of 2,500 PhDs culled from a total of 10,976 history dissertations reported to the AHA’s Directory of History Departments and Historical Organizations from May 1998 through August 2009. The AHA’s Directory Editor, Liz Townsend, compared the data to employment information in the AHA Directory—which lists academic faculty—and the Association’s membership lists, and Wood used publicly available information on the Internet. Data was collected during February and March of 2013, and reviewed in June and July. Together, AHA staff and Maren Wood identified current employment or status information, as of spring 2013, on all but 70 members of the sample group.

We located people through digital research using publicly available data, most often gleaning a person’s employment information from university, company, or organization websites and directories. For stay-at-home parents and those who had retired, information was found through volunteer organizations, Facebook, newspaper stories, and personal blogs. We supplemented this data with academic and government conference programs and publications. We made limited use of LinkedIn and departmental newsletters; these are good places to start, but self-titled employment may differ from organization or university categories. For example, an adjunct faculty member identified as a “professor” on LinkedIn may not be employed as full-time, permanent faculty at their institution.

For each person in our sample, we collected an employer name and job title as described by the university, organization, or business, and used this information to categorize people into career sectors used by the AHA in previous studies. For the purposes of identifying the status of history doctorates in relation to society as a whole, it made sense to use place of employment as a primary variable: we wanted to know where history PhDs are working. But we also wanted to know what they are doing, and to get at this dimension, we looked at the titles and functions of people within their organizations.

Three categories may require further explanation:

• Higher education administration includes only those who are primarily administrators; tenured faculty who have taken on additional administrative positions are categorized as tenured faculty; university librarians are categorized under “Library/Museum/Archive.”
• Library/Museum/Archive includes people who work in federal, state, and local government; private museums and archives; and colleges and universities. We tabulated this category separately—regardless of the institution’s placement in other academic or governmental sectors—because it is commonly assumed to be an area where history PhDs can find employment.
• Government includes any person employed in a federal, state, or local government agency. These include program directors, managers, researchers, diplomats, military personnel, and politicians. Excluded from “government” are those working at federal and state libraries, museums, and archives, because we wanted to test the assumption that history PhDs can find employment in these institutions. Thus, we categorized someone working at the National Archives under Library/Museum/Archive.

From the data gathered, we then imputed field specializations for the authors of each dissertation using their titles, advisor’s field of specialization, and area of expertise reported in their current employment. Additional demographic information on each PhD’s doctoral program and academic employer was then added from the National Research Council’s A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States (2011), and the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System’s institutional characteristics data file.

A small number of the PhD recipients surveyed (just 1.1 percent of the total sample) had already retired, indicating that they earned the degree as a late-in-life avocational project, in most cases at non-elite public universities. Finally, a small proportion of PhDs (1.2 percent) suffered some form of deep personal misfortune (either death or incarceration).

Next Section

1 . Research for this study was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

BRET Career Development ASPIRE Program

Possible careers for phds in biomedical sciences.

Posted by Kim Petrie on Friday, December 11, 2020 in Path to Career Resources .

Sometimes it’s just nice to have a list of possibilities. Here’s a terrific list of career paths for PhDs in the biomedical sciences, compiled by Lauren Easterling at Indiana University School of Medicine. It’s nicely arranged by broad theme. See something you’re not familiar with? Check out our Beyond the Lab video and podcast series to see if we have recorded an episode with an alumnus who has pursued that career.

Possible-Careers-for-PhDs-in-Biomedical-Science

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Convenience store chain with hundreds of outlets in 6 states hit with discrimination lawsuit

President Joe Biden’s limosine is seen outside Sheetz, where the President stopped enroute to Pittsburgh International Airport, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Joe Biden is greeted after walking into a Sheetz after stopping enroute to Pittsburgh International Airport, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon))

President Joe Biden walks into a Sheetz after stopping enroute to Pittsburgh International Airport, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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The Sheetz convenience store chain has been hit with a lawsuit by federal officials who allege the company discriminated against minority job applicants.

Sheetz Inc., which operates more than 700 stores in six states, discriminated against Black, Native American and multiracial job seekers by automatically weeding out applicants whom the company deemed to have failed a criminal background check, according to U.S. officials.

President Joe Biden stopped by a Sheetz for snacks this week while campaigning in Pennsylvania.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit in Baltimore against Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz and two subsidary companies, alleging the chain’s longstanding hiring practices have a disproportionate impact on minority applicants and thus run afoul of federal civil rights law.

Sheetz said Thursday that it “does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

“Diversity and inclusion are essential parts of who we are. We take these allegations seriously. We have attempted to work with the EEOC for nearly eight years to find common ground and resolve this dispute,” company spokesperson Nick Ruffner said in a statement.

The privately held, family-run company has more than 23,000 employees and operates convenience stores and gas stations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Wednesday, the day Biden stopped at a Sheetz market on a western Pennsylvania campaign swing , buying snacks, posing for photos and chatting up patrons and employees.

Federal officials said they do not allege Sheetz was motivated by racial animus, but take issue with the way the chain uses criminal background checks to screen job seekers. The company was sued under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion and national origin.

“Federal law mandates that employment practices causing a disparate impact because of race or other protected classifications must be shown by the employer to be necessary to ensure the safe and efficient performance of the particular jobs at issue,” EEOC attorney Debra M. Lawrence said in a statement.

“Even when such necessity is proven, the practice remains unlawful if there is an alternative practice available that is comparably effective in achieving the employer’s goals but causes less discriminatory effect,” Lawrence said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many job applicants have been affected, but the agency said Sheetz’s unlawful hiring practices date to at least 2015.

The EEOC, an independent agency that enforces federal laws against workplace discrimination, is seeking to force Sheetz to offer jobs to applicants who were unlawfully denied employment and to provide back pay, retroactive seniority and other benefits.

The EEOC began its probe of the convenience store chain after two job applicants filed complaints alleging employment discrimination.

The agency found that Black job applicants were deemed to have failed the company’s criminal history screening and were denied employment at a rate of 14.5%, while multiracial job seekers were turned away 13.5% of the time and Native Americans were denied at a rate of 13%.

By contrast, fewer than 8% of white applicants were refused employment because of a failed criminal background check, the EEOC’s lawsuit said.

The EEOC notified Sheetz in 2022 that it was likely violating civil rights law, but the agency said its efforts to mediate a settlement failed, prompting this week’s lawsuit.

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The Crackdown on Student Protesters

Columbia university is at the center of a growing showdown over the war in gaza and the limits of free speech..

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Columbia University has become the epicenter of a growing showdown between student protesters, college administrators and Congress over the war in Gaza and the limits of free speech.

Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York politics and government for The Times, walks us through the intense week at the university. And Isabella Ramírez, the editor in chief of Columbia’s undergraduate newspaper, explains what it has all looked like to a student on campus.

On today’s episode

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Inside the week that shook Columbia University .

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