AIP FYI #144: Trends in First-Year Graduate Physics & Astronomy Students

In 2003, the number of first-year physics and astronomy graduate
students reached the highest level since 1994, according to a report
by the American Institute of Physics’ Statistical Research Center.
The October 2004 report also highlights an upturn in the number of
US citizens who are starting graduate school in physics and
astronomy, while the numbers of students from China and India
continue to grow as well.

The report presents the results of surveys of first-year graduate
students for the academic years ending in 2002 and 2003. “Total
enrollment of first-year physics and astronomy graduate students has
fluctuated considerably over time,” the report says. “After
reaching a recent peak of 3,481 in 1992, the number fell to a low of
2,559 by the end of the decade. Since then, the number has been
rising slowly but steadily, reaching the latest high of 3,076 in
2003.” After an almost thirty-year decline, the number of
first-year students from the US hit a low of 47 % in 2001, but the
report finds that “Beginning with the students who entered in the
fall of 2001, the percentage of students who were from the US began
to rise, reaching 54% in 2003.” The report goes on to say,
“Although it might be tempting to ascribe this shift to the impact
of the events of September 11, 2001, the shift actually started with
students who had already begun their studies in the US prior to that
date,” and may be partly attributable to more US citizens earning
bachelors in physics and astronomy and to a poor job market.

Of foreign students, China and India provide “an increasing number,”
while “Europe showed significant declines.” “These findings are a
bit surprising,” the report states, “considering many recent press
reports about visa difficulties being especially severe for
prospective Chinese students. However…the class of 2002-03 was
the first to enter after 9/11, and delays in the implementation of
many of the new regulations mean that the full impact may not show
up until we analyze the responses of those entering in the fall of
2003.”

The report finds “significant growth in the enrollment of women
among first-year physics and astronomy graduate students…rising
from 16% in 1995 to slightly more than 20% in 2003.” It says that
teaching assistantships are the most common type of financial
support for first-year graduate students, although “it is expected
that a large proportion of the teaching assistants will move into
research assistantships by the time they are in their third year of
study.” It also says that, “For US students, the most popular
subfields are astronomy and astrophysics (16%), condensed matter
(14%), and particles and fields (11%). Among foreign students,
condensed matter (22%) is first, followed by particles and fields
(10%).” Most of those students planning to obtain a PhD want to
work in academia, while “an industrial setting is the most popular
goal” for those who only plan to complete a masters degree.

The report, “Graduate Student Report: First-Year Physics and
Astronomy Students in 2002 and 2003,” (R-207.34), is available on
the AIP web site, along with many other reports on physics education
and workforce issues, at http://www.aip.org/statistics. Select
“Graduate Education” and click on “Full Reports.”

Audrey T. Leath
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3094