PhD graduates 5 to 7 Years out: Employment outcomes, job attributes and the quality of research training: FINAL REPORT (Revised)

Abstract

The University of Queensland Social Research Centre (UQSRC) in conjunction with the Deans of Graduate Studies, The University of Queensland (UQ) and The University of Melbourne (UMEL) was funded by a Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) Higher Education Innovation Programme (HEIP) grant to undertake a pilot study of graduates from the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs at the Group of Eight (Go8) universities to determine the employment outcomes, job attributes and the quality of research training of those graduates. The study group was the cohort of PhD Graduates five to seven years out from graduation (1999- 2001). A questionnaire was designed for self-completion over the Internet and by paper hardcopy. The survey was carried out in April to October 2006. The survey yielded 1996 usable on-line and paper questionnaires, which constitutes 35 percent of the 5700 targeted graduates.