Student Perspectives on Developing More Relevant Ph.D. Programs in STEM Disciplines through Professional Skills Training

1. Student Perspectives on Developing More Relevant Ph.D.
Programs in STEM Disciplines through Professional Skills
Training
MANDY WHEADON
D O C T O R A L S T U D E N T , D E P A R T M E N T O F T E C H N O L O G Y L E A D E R S H I P & I N N O V A T I O N
NATHALIE DUVAL-COUETIL
A S S O C I A T E P R O F E S S O R , D E P A R T M E N T O F T E C H N O L O G Y L E A D E R S H I P & I N N O V A T I O N
A S S O C I A T E D I R E C T O R , B U R T O N D . M O R G A N C E N T E R F O R E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P

2. Background – Literature
• Graduate study has traditionally encouraged Ph.D.
students to focus on a narrow area of expertise
(Cyranoski et al., 2011; Golde & Dore, 2001; Hacker & Dreifus, 2011; Salisbury, 2011)
• Often leaves graduates with isolated, discipline-specific
skills that are not generalizable (Murray, 2000; Roseth, 2000; Wulff et al., 2000)
• Employers seeking workers with well-rounded skills that
balance both breadth and depth (Beckman & Cherwitz, 2009; Magner, 2000;
Murray, 2000; Streeter et al., 2002; Watson, 2003)
• Ph.D. students urged to acquire “generic,” “transferable,”
or “professional development” skills in addition to an
area of academic expertise (Gilbert et al., 2004; National Academy of Science, 2004;
Nerad et al., 2007; Nerad, 2004; Nyquist, 2002)

3. This Presentation
• Brief summary of study conducted to better understand
the professional development needs, interests, and
constraints of STEM doctoral students during graduate
school:
• What are Ph.D. students’ career objectives?
• How do Ph.D. students perceive the relevance/focus of
their programs?
• Which professional skills are students most interested
in acquiring?
• How do Ph.D. students feel their programs could be
improved?

4. The Study
• 44 students enrolled in STEM-related Ph.D. programs at
Purdue University
• Exploratory study using mixed methods approach—
quantitative survey and focus group interviews
• Survey—Rating scales to gather information about:
• Career goals
• Expectations about being prepared for the job market
during graduate school
• Perceived proficiency in various professional skills
• Interest in gaining additional supplemental skills
• Opinions about which formats make transferable skills
training most accessible

5. The Study (cont.)
• Participants divided into one of four focus groups:
• sponsored financially by a foreign government
• sponsored financially by a company
• employed in a research position in the
university/industrial research park
• past participant of a professional development
course/workshop offered by the university
• Objective: better understand how the experiences,
behaviors, and skills acquired by similar types of students
in comparable situations ultimately produce different
levels of career readiness

6. Ph.D. Student Career Goals
• Ph.D. in STEM field traditionally associated with a job in
academia or career as a research scientist
• Participants in this study, however, reported an interest
in multiple careers –as well as the desire to become
consultants, entrepreneurs, and social activists

7. Desirability of Career Paths
Career
Percent indicating this
career path as being
MOST desirable
Percent indicating
this career path as
being
LEAST desirable
Tenure-Track
Faculty
27% 30%
Research Scientist –
Academia
27% 25%
Research Scientist –
Industry
34% 30%
Research Scientist –
Government
16% 36%
Other 18% 84%
5 point Likert scale (1=not interested at all, 5=extremely interested)

8. Perceptions of Career Preparedness
• Students appeared optimistic about their preparation for
future careers
• Rated it 7.7 on a scale of 1 to 10
• Optimism decreased as students got closer to graduation
• Responded 1 point lower for every 3 years spent in a
Ph.D. program
• Difference noted between responses given in surveys
and focus groups
• Most participants responded less optimistically during
group interviews than they had in the survey

9. Positive Experiences
• Factors contributing to positive feelings of career
preparedness:
• Involvement in interdisciplinary programs
• Advisor focus on student career preparation
• Perceived flexibility in academic/work environments

10. Negative Experiences
• Negative perceptions of career preparedness associated
with:
• Feeling overwhelmed by present demands
• Lack of time to gain needed professional skills
• Lack of program/advisor flexibility
• Unsure about what skills they are lacking

11. Professional Skills Participants
Most Want to Acquire
• Communication
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership
• Management (of both people and projects)

12. Opinions on How Professional
Skills Training Should Occur
• Willing to spend 1-2 hours/week on professional
development
• Relevance of professional development training more
important than format
• Mixed views - voluntary or mandatory
• Flexibility vs. a “one size fits all” approach—general
consensus on usefulness of a hybrid of flexible
formatting options
• Desire advice from their advisors on topics other than
research

13. Questions?
MWHEADON@PURDUE.EDU
NATDUVAL@PURDUE.EDU