The Graduate Studies office in the OHSU School of Medicine has completed a survey of employment and career outcomes of its Ph.D. graduates over the last eight years, from 2007-2015.

"These results are exciting because they suggest our Ph.D. graduates are successful at finding fulfilling careers in a variety of different areas, including academic faculty positions," said Allison Fryer, Ph.D., associate dean for graduate studies in the OHSU School of Medicine. "Our data align with national data which show that a majority of Ph.D. students are moving into a breadth of science-based careers ─ not just academia."

Among the highlights:  

• 74 percent of graduates go on to postdoctoral positions;the rest took positions in teaching, industry, government or other areas.
  
• Of those who went on to postdoctoral fellowships, they took positions at outstanding research universities and laboratories such as: University of California - San Francisco, Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute, the Mayo Clinic, Washington University, MIT, Harvard and more. (See above figure.)
• Most graduates have moved out of postdoctoral positions within five years.
• For those who've left postdoctoral positions, they've found careers as faculty, staff scientists, research faculty or positions in industry, government or other areas.

View full OHSU Ph.D. Career Outcomes Report. 

These data were obtained from 309 Ph.D. students who completed an exit survey upon graduation. 

In addition, data were collected from 111 people who could be traced and who had graduated between 2007 and 2010 regarding career information five years post-graduation.

Related reading (OHSU login required)

• Allison Fryer convenes group to consider future of Ph.D. programs 
  
• Dean's Forum recap: Funding Graduate studies 
  
• Who are we? Ph.D. programs at a glance