PhD graduates from physical sciences and engineering (PS&E) make up 32% of all UK PhD graduates
If we look in more detail at the 1215 physical sciences and engineering PhD graduates working in the UK
Together, the engineering disciplines account for 27% of the physical sciences and engineering section. However, the section is dominated by chemistry, which accounts for 24% of all UK domiciled PS&E PhD graduates. Physics accounts for 14% and physical geography 7%. Other subjects include:
| Physical sciences 2003 | UK PhD graduates |
| Female | 430 |
| Male | 1120 |
| Total in sample | 1550 |
| Total PhD graduates in subject area | 2330 |
| % response | 66.4% |
Table One. Survey response for UK domiciled physical sciences and engineering PhD graduates, 2004 DLHE survey
Figure One. Survey responses of UK domiciled PhD graduates from 2003 in physical sciences and engineering
Key Statistics
Figure Two. Comparison of survey responses for UK domiciled graduates from 2003 in physical sciences and engineering
The career occupations represented among physical sciences and engineering graduates working in the UK reflect their disciplines (See Figure Three)
Figure Three. Types of work being undertaken in the UK on January 1st 2004 by UK domiciled PhD graduates in physical sciences and engineering from UK universities in 2003 (3)
The DLHE results also include details of the industrial classification of employers of PhD graduates. For Physical Sciences and Engineering PhD graduates working in the UK, education, predominately HE, is the single biggest sector, employing almost 40%
This section looks in more detail at the 1215 PS&E PhD graduates working in the UK.
Research roles are the key occupations entered by PS&E PhD graduates. The standard classifications place them in two categories – ‘scientific research, analysis & development occupations’ and ‘other professional, associate professional and technical occupations’.
42% of PS&E PhD graduates (505 respondents) working in the UK reported that they were working in research roles on January 1st 2004. Of these 56% (285 respondents) are based in the education sector. This shows that of the complete cohort of physical sciences and engineering PhD graduates; 23% move into academic research positions.
The manufacturing industries are also a key employer, taking 28% of all PS&E PhD graduates into a range of roles. The chemical and pharmaceutical industries together employed around 75 graduates, largely chemists, which accounts for over 30% of all jobs in the manufacturing industries. Chemistry PhD graduates account for 8% of the total PhD graduates and approximately one quarter of PS&E PhD graduates in 2003.
Bruce was always aiming for a career in industrial research. “I did a PhD to get a better job, or more precisely the right job, one which was in line with what I wanted from a career,” he explains. Summer placements and work experience had shown him that “I was either going to have to be prepared to work for many years in relatively mundane jobs, or take the fast track route by doing a PhD.” When it came to the interview for his current job as a plant chemist his lack of familiarity with plant scale chemistry didn’t hold him back. “In competition with Honours degree graduates…I was able to show that I could handle difficult science and create results,” he says.
Physicist Chris, a senior scientist at Kodak, warns there’s more to it than the knowledge and practical skills gained from a PhD, however. “I’d been for interviews previously with the right experience and knowledge and hadn’t been successful,” he highlights. “I think I got the job here because I was the right fit for the research group and company. I gelled well with the interviewers and they could see that I was going to fit in well.”
The education sector, or more accurately, higher education, is the single biggest employer, recruiting 40% of PS&E PhD graduates. Of these 60% are scientists and a further 6% engineers employed as postdoctoral researchers and they account for about a quarter of all PS&E PhD graduates employed in the UK.
10% of physical sciences and engineering PhD graduates move abroad for study or work. One of these is geographer Varyl, who is engaged on a postdoctoral contract as a research assistant at Spain’s national research institute. This role has given him the opportunity to develop new skills since it is a mixture of “both scientific research and project administration.” He also highlights a big bonus for UK PhD graduates interested in a European experience. “The fact I was English was a big bonus,” he says, “It didn’t matter that I had no Spanish—English was crucial to communication with all the [international] project scientists—and in terms of publishing in international journals, English is vital.”
The destinations of doctoral graduates in the physical sciences and engineering show strong vocational ties to the subjects studied. The engineering professions account for some 15% of the group, and information technology a further 7.5%. It is worth noting that PhD graduates from a range of disciplines, not only computer scientists, enter IT professions and they are based in a range of employment sectors (only 4% of PS&E PhD graduates are employed specifically in computer based industries).
Steve, a PhD engineer, is one of them. He works for a company that develops and supplies engineering analysis software. “My PhD gave me a thorough understanding of materials and continuum mechanics, to a level above most people who would have been applying for similar jobs,” he asserts. So the fact that he had not used the company’s particular software before did not prevent him from landing the role. Of the value of his PhD he says, “it was not the specifics of the research that helped, more the total acquired information, techniques and skills.”
Beyond these dominant sectors, however, the key feature is diversity, with PS&E PhD graduates finding roles which reflect the broad range of skills developed through research – careers based on analysis (business and finance), communication (teaching and marketing) and project management (management and engineering). Just over 5% are employed in public administration, which includes the Civil Service and 11% in other business categories.
It was getting involved in technology transfer through the commercial potential of her PhD research in chemistry that led to Kelly’s interest in her current role, an innovation adviser for Business Link - the national business advice service - in Nottinghamshire. Her job is to act as a liaison between small and medium sized enterprises and universities in the East Midlands, so that companies can benefit from the expertise of local academics. As well as her personal experience of technology transfer, she describes her “familiarity with academic bureaucracy” as a vital element in landing her job.
For Caroline, “My PhD convinced me that research was not for me, but that I wanted to stay within chemistry”. Her role as Deputy Editor of Chemical Communications certainly keeps her in touch with research, and researchers. As well as commissioning review articles for the journal, she regularly attends conferences in the UK and abroad to promote the Royal Society of Chemistry’s publications.
The Roberts Review highlighted the need to improve skills awareness and development in PhD students. By adopting a proactive approach, many, like Caroline, have already recognised how they can apply those skills in a range of sectors and employment categories.
PhD graduates in the physical sciences and engineering are predominantly employed as scientific researchers in universities and industry. Other popular careers at the time of the survey included IT professions and engineering roles. These graduates are also successful at finding work in business and commercial fields and are employed across all sectors.
Half of the Physical Science and Engineering PhD graduates secure permanent contracts, confirming the positive view of their position in the labour market. The popularity of postdoctoral contract research contributes to the 23% who are on fixed term contracts of more than 12 months. 9% are on shorter term contracts and 2% are self-employed.
1. For data protection, all figures are rounded to the nearest five (back)
2. This figure includes both 'entered work in the UK' and 'working and studying in the UK' (back)
3. ‘Other professional, associate professional and technical occupations’ at 21.2% is high due to the inclusion of ‘university researchers’ who haven’t specified their research subject. We have identified these respondents (14%) as part of the postdoctoral researcher population.
The balance of postdoctoral researchers has been obtained by cross-referencing the ‘scientific research, analysis & development occupations’ category against industrial classifications to identify those scientific researchers working in the education sector (back)
PPARC 'A Fifteen Year Longitudinal Career Path Study of PPARC PhD Students' and 'A Study of the Career Paths of PPARC PhD Students'. Both of these are available at http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Pbl/StudyCareerPath.asp
SET Statistics is a summary of key science, engineering and technology indicators and is prepared in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics. http://www.ost.gov.uk/setstats/5.htm
SET for Success: Sir Gareth Roberts’ review of the supply of people with science, technology, engineering and mathematical skills surveyed employers (both academic and non-academic) on their recruitment and retention issues. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/enterprise_and_productivity/research_and_enterprise/ent_res_roberts.cfm
OST (now OSI) 'Survey of Postgraduates Funded by the Research Councils' (April '98) http://www.ost.gov.uk/research/funding/postgrad_survey/
'NW Employers' Needs and Expectations of Postgraduates': Dissemination Report, Hayley Morris, March 2000. Not exclusively about PhDs. http://www.lmi4he.ac.uk/publications.php
EPSRC 'Postgraduate Career Progression': a survey of former SERC funded postgraduates by the National Centre for Social Research Grahame Whitfield ISBN: 0904607577 (£10.00, P1935) http://www.natcen.ac.uk/natcen/pages/op_educationandskills.htm
IES/EPSRC study 'Employers’ Views of Postgraduate Physicists'. Summarised at http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/summary/summary.php?id=1417phys or download the full report: http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pdflibrary/1417phys.pdf
RSC 'Trends in Remuneration Survey Report 2004'. Available to RSC members from http://www.rsc.org/members/restricted/pdf/trends.pdf
'IOP Salary Survey 2001' (next due 2004) available from IOP (£40) breaks down salaries by job sector, job function and qualification. Key points from the last survey are available at http://physicsweb.org/article/world/14/10/9
'IEE Salary Surveys 2002', 2000 available from IEE to members only. Gives insight into levels of pay and benefits. http://www.iee.org/Membership/services/salaries.cfm
Engineering Council 'Engineers for Britain Digest of Engineering Statistics' including headlines from surveys and longitudinal studies including The DTI/Barclays National Graduate Tracking Survey 2001 http://www.engc.org.uk/publications/statsdigest/Digest2001.pdf
Institute of Physics: 'Career Paths of Physics Post-Doctoral Research Staff' (DTZ Pieda Consulting, July 1999). Hard copies are available from Tajinder Panesor at the IoP: Tajinder.Panesor@iop.org
