Sixty-One Percent of STEM Ph.D.’s Pursue Nonacademic Careers, but Job Duties Differ Widely by Race and Gender - press release from the American Insititues for Research

Washington, D.C. – A new analysis by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) shows 61 percent of those with a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) doctorate have careers outside of academia. Although most STEM Ph.D. programs require rigorous research training, 43 percent of graduates in non-academic careers say research and development is not their primary work activity. More than half of all male graduates report working in research and development, while 43 percent of white females and 37 percent of black females perform research and development work.