Physics graduate student employment: what we can learn from professional social media

TL;DR

This study analyzes the employment outcomes of physics graduates using LinkedIn data, revealing high employment rates, diverse career paths, and the importance of online networking for career development.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach by combining thesis records with LinkedIn data to assess physics graduate employment and career diversity.

Findings

94% of graduates are employed or studying further within a year

20% of employed graduates work in non-traditional physics careers

Academic career graduates have lower online connectivity

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the employment status of recent University of Ottawa physics MSc and PhD graduates, finding that 94% of graduates are either employed or pursuing further physics education one year post-graduation. Our database was populated from the public online repository of MSc and PhD theses submitted between the academic years of 2011 to 2019, with employment information collected in 2020 from the professional social media platform LinkedIn. Our results highlight that graduates primarily find employment quickly and in their field of study, with most graduates employed in either academia or physics-related industries. We also found that a significant portion of employed graduates, 20%, find employment in non-traditional physics careers, such as business management and healthcare. Graduates with careers in academia tend to have lower online connectivity compared to graduates with careers in industry or non-traditional fields, suggesting a greater importance for online networking for students interested in non-academic careers.