Humanities, Ph.D.s and Data
Perhaps surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of data surrounding what Ph.D. students are doing, either while they are in school or after. Last year the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) conducted two surveys to fill in the gaps of knowledge surrounding career aspirations and what is happening to those who leave the programs. Some of their findings include that over half of employed Ph.D.s in humanities are teaching at the postsecondary level; about 70% of those who work in academia are working full-time; and overall, only 12% of Ph.D.s end up with a tenure-track job.
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
Changes in 2019 to Watch For
With a new year comes new trends, and Education Dive has several to watch for. One is fundraising, as colleges use private donors more as state funding declines. Of course, some of those private gifts come with strings attached. As technology is expected to displace almost one-third of workers in the next decade, colleges are striving to help students become job-ready and to prove it when discussing admissions and recruiting. Among other trends are the high turnover in college presidents, increasing credential options and the use of AR and VR to help students prepare for their career fields.
Source: Education Dive
The Early Bird Gets the Seat
Most students — about 25,000 — applying for the University of Virginia’s Class of 2023 submitted applications by November 1st, an indicator that everything in the admissions timeline is being pushed up. UVA early applications increased by 17% and the University of Rochester’s increased by 35%. Some of these applications are “early action,” which gives students the option of accepting admission at other schools through May, and others are “early decision” which requires acceptance unless financial aid is not offered.
Source: The Washington Post
New Year, New Name
Harvard Business School has changed the name of its online learning platform from HBX to Harvard Business School Online. It’ll be offering the same programs, just with a new name. Current and former students support the name change, believing it will eliminate any doubt about its association with Harvard Business School. A recent survey of graduates showed that 25% had received a promotion or title change after taking an HBX course and over half of them saw a widening of their scope of work.
Source: Inside Higher Education