How do I assess a brand new program?

[OutdoorsEd]

I've been accepted into a PhD program in Arizona that it is only a few years old. It has competitive funding, some known scholars, and a lot of resources for graduate students to do projects. 

But there's no job placement history. No dissertations to look at.  No national reputation built by alums. 

I'm really interested in the work and the location, but I worry about landing a tenure track position after graduating. 

[Neist]

I'm not really sure.

Have you asked some of your current faculty members what their thoughts of the program are? That's what I'd do. I'm not sure how to gauge it otherwise.

[rising_star]

I would like at the placement record of those known scholars and the publication record of current students to see if there are publication opportunities for them. I'd also talk to those same scholars and ask them why they joined a new PhD program, what they think the future for the program and its graduates is, etc. It's definitely a tough situation but there are things you can find out.