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Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ Leads the Pack In STEM PhDs

New report ranks Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ No. 1 in the nation for STEM grads who go on to earn PhDs.

By Chris Lydgate ’90 | September 27, 2019

Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the percentage of STEM majors who go on to earn PhDs in STEM fields, according to a that was conducted on behalf of the Council of Independent Colleges. Roughly 38% of Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ STEM grads obtained a PhD in the ten-year timeframe covered by the report, edging out MIT, Caltech, Harvey Mudd, and other tech schools.

The absolute number of Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ STEM PhDs is smaller than traditional engineering powerhouses: 288 Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ grads earned a STEM PhD from 2007 to 2016, compared to 742 from Caltech, for example. But those colleges also have many more STEM majors. When you look at the percentage of STEM majors who later obtain PhDs in the field—known as the “institutional yield ratio” in higher-ed jargon—Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ vaults to the top of the list. 

“This finding illustrates the strength of Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬’s science program, and shows the power of doing STEM in the broader context of the humanities,” says President Audrey Bilger. “STEM majors at Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ graduate with a breadth of perspective that few can match.” 

The report, titled Strengthening the STEM Pipeline Part II, focused on the role of small and mid-sized independent colleges in preparing underrepresented students in STEM. It also revealed that Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ stands at No. 7 on the list for women in STEM, with 18% of Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬’s female STEM grads earning PhDs. (The report excluded Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ and some other small liberal-arts colleges from the lists ranking African Americans or Latinx with STEM PhDs because Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ produced fewer than 25 PhDs in each of these categories.)

Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬’s unique science program combines outstanding professors who work closely with students on research projects at the cutting edge of their disciplines. Majors include biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, environmental studies, math, neuroscience, physics, and statistics. Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ students publish their results in top scientific journals with surprising frequency. Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ also maintains the that is run primarily by undergrads. 

“We have a long history of students and faculty learning together at Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬,” says Prof. Jay Mellies [biology]. “Scientific inquiry involves a lot of trial and error, but gaining new knowledge is exciting, with the realization that there are always more questions to answer.”

Some recent research projects at Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ include:

And some prominent STEM grads include:

The report examined PhDs earned between 2007 and 2016 and was conducted by the University of Chicago’s center on behalf of the , a nonprofit association dedicated to supporting college and university leadership; Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ is not a member institution.

Tags: Academics, Alumni, Awards & Achievements, Editor's Picks, Institutional, Life Beyond Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬, Research