Too Many PhDs?

[high_hopes]

So, a thread on another forum I read has an interesting discussion as to whether there are too many PhD programs in sociology and what the implications are for people hoping to get jobs in academia.

 

http://www.socjobrumors.com/topic/too-many-phd-students

 

What do you all think? It certainly makes me think that I should be very wary of getting my PhD at a lower-ranked institution particularly if they don't have a good placement rate for graduates into academic jobs.

[anna_M]

I think, besides the institution, the professor is very important. If he or she has a good network and reputation, it may make the difference. 

Anyway, there are too many PhDs and not just in sociology. 

[hcstritz]

One of my professors convinced me to switch from applying to Master's of Public Policy programs (which I thought would make me more employable) to applying to Sociology PhD programs (which is where my interests truly lie) when he mentioned that, as the baby boomers start to retire, there will be *lots* of job openings in academia. 

 

I'm wary of getting a PhD at a lower-ranked institution, but I'm also wary of people who claim that the only way you'll be successful is to go to a top-ranked school. That being said, I think you're right not to apply to schools with not very good placement rates.

[Coindinista]

Those things help, but if those are the things that a potential professor relies on to secure a job, she or he likely won't amount to much in the field anyway.  There is no substitute for innovative thinking, frequent publication, and perceptive research--these are not things that are necessarily acquired in an institution.

[lyrehc]

ASA had a study a couple years ago that was posted on their site which showed that because of baby boomer retirement there are currently more people leaving the field than new sociology PhDs each year. I don't have the link anymore but you might want to look for it.

 

I'm in another field now but I find that information very reassuring.

[anna_M]

I saw the ASA stats, but there are also many more people graduating with a PhD than in the past. According to other stats only 18% finds a tenure track job. Although, many have carreer goals outside academia nowadays, the job market for social science PhDs issn't  good. 

[Legal Sociologist]

If only 18% find tenure track jobs then what becomes of the other 82%? 

[anna_M]

post docs, ajuncts, jobs outside academia, jobs at community colleges. However, sometimes people do find tenure track positions after working for a while as a ajunct or post doc. But lets not have illusions, the job market for social science or humanity PhDs is not assuring at all.

[Catria]

For this reason, one might wonder whether the graduate sociology applicant pools have collapsed like graduate humanities applicant pools have...

[Roll Right]

This is pure sensationalism and conjectur. No one here has produced convincing evidence regarding the "health" of the job market do social science PhDs.

[anna_M]

Yes,  adjuncts are surviving on $3.000 per course (overloaded with 6 courses a year), because the job market is great. The fact that there are many of them, especially in the social sciences, is not worrisome at all. But I am just sensationalizing, of course.

[uselesstheory]

It's interesting to note that, to generalize (there are some exceptions and variations, but still), sociology programs seem to get more applicants each year/admissions to programs become increasingly competitive, even though there is obvious awareness of how unpromising the job market is.