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Graduate School Admission Results

About 880,630 results

MRC LMS, Imperial College London

Added on May 19, 2024

Film And Moving Image Studies, Concordia University (Canada) 1a/0p/11r. It really just takes one.

Added on May 18, 2024

Biochemistry, Drexel University Ignore status -- has anyone heard back from Drexel for BHAD PhD program ??

Geography, university of florida my application was rejected due to the new florida state law., psychology in education, columbia university well this sucks.

Added on May 17, 2024

Education Policy, University Of Illinois

Applied chemical science and technology, university of washington.

Added on May 16, 2024

Physics, University Of Delaware Literally just received my rejection email from the University of Delaware, I've assumed I hadn't gotten in for probably a month now since this has come so late. Would have been nice if they could have told me sooner.

Raymondbug, colby college, history, cornell university, social work, california state university long beach, engineering and science education, clemson university, chemistry, georgia state university applied for phd, got acceptance for ms. does anyone know if the department offers tuition waivers and assistantship stipends in this case, neural and behavioral sciences, suny downstate health sciences university, biomedical engineering, university of southern california, oise, university of toronto, product development engineering, university of southern california no test scores submitted. gpa under 3.0; however, work experience and projects related to major made up for it. i applied in february, philosophy, institute of oppressed minds got punished by the dept head for sending fine's highlighted texts. must have caused a brain aneurysm., east asian studies, yale university, mechanical engineering, university of maryland baltimore.

Added on May 15, 2024

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School of Graduate Studies

How to apply, 1. choose your program.

Explore our programs. Chances are, we’ve got what you’re looking for.

View / download our Graduate Student Viewbook (2023–24) for more information (PDF) .

2. Learn about Admissions Requirements

Confirm your program’s admission requirements by consulting the SGS Calendar . Visit your graduate unit’s website to confirm application procedures and deadlines. Some requirements you should consider: prerequisite degrees and courses, minimum GPA, application deadlines, and confirmation of supervision

3. Prepare Your Application

Review all the admission requirements for your chosen program. Plan enough time to submit your application and all supporting documents before the deadline. Note that referees will only receive reference requests when you pay the application fee, so give your referees plenty of time to submit their references.

4. Apply Online

Apply through GradApp .

You will create a personal profile and begin the submission. Set aside 30-60 minutes to create a personal profile on our online application system, including your personal information and academic history. Please note that you will not be able to make changes to this information after paying the application fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wondering how to apply from overseas? Looking for a supervisor? Search the FAQs and get the answers you need.

Financial Support

Do you have questions about your financial situation? Reach out to your Graduate Unit for more information about funding packages. For details about awards, scholarships and emergency funding, explore the opportunities .

Doctoral-stream graduate programs at the University of Toronto offer a range of financial supports to graduate students to offset the cost of their graduate education.

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

MIE PhD students produce a thesis of original work with the support of world-renowned researchers and facilities.

MIE Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students work with world renowned faculty members to gain the knowledge and competencies needed for a career in research or industry leadership. The keystone of the doctoral program is a thesis of original work, supervised by a professor.

Students entering the PhD program typically have a Master’s degree. Outstanding applicants coming directly from a bachelor-level program can also apply for direct entry into the PhD program. Full-time PhD students receive funding during the program and can apply for various scholarships.

Admission Requirements

Direct entry phd, flex-time phd, tuition fees, program requirements, specializations, qualifying exam, annual progress review meetings, thesis & final oral examination, phd funding, teaching assistantships, helpful links.

Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission . The Graduate Office cannot provide assessments of credentials prior to application.

• A master's degree with high academic standing from a recognized university (see Alternate Paths to PhD below)
• Minimum GPA requirement of 3.3 (B+; 77-79%) in the previous two years of graduate study. View U of T's Grade Scale for reference. International students should use the International Degree Equivalencies Tool to see which international credentials are required
• Evidence of exceptional research ability
• To be considered for admission, all applicants that require proof of ELP must meet the minimum score requirement for every component of the English language proficiency exam including reading, writing, speaking and listening
• All test components must be completed and passed at the same time (applicants cannot combine scores from different exams)
• For more information, including approved test centres, visit the School of Graduate Studies website

Alternate Paths to PhD:

• Direct Entry PhD: Exceptionally strong applicants (GPA: A- or higher) with a bachelor's degree may be nominated by an MIE professor for direct entry to the PhD program. Learn more about Direct Entry PhD below.
• MASc Fast-Track and Retroactive Transfer to PhD: Exceptional MASc students (GPA: A- or higher and no grade lower than B+) may request to transfer to the PhD program before completing all of the MASc program requirements. Learn more about transferring from MASc to PhD

Exceptionally strong applicants with a bachelor's degree may apply directly to the PhD program.

Additional admissions requirements:

• GPA: A- or higher
• An MIE professor must nominate the student for the Direct Entry PhD program by submitting a one page summary outlining the reasons for the nomination and indicating whether they are able to supervise the student to the Graduate Coordinator: gradchair@mie.utoronto.ca

The Flex-time PhD program offers the flexibility for professionals who want to continue to work while pursuing their PhD part-time.

The program requirements for the Flex-time PhD are the same as the full-time program with the following exceptions:

• The qualifying exam must be taken within 16 months of registration rather than 12 months
• PhD candidacy is achieved if all requirements have been met by end of 3rd year rather than end of 2nd year

Please note:

• the Flex-time PhD program is not eligible for funding support
• Transfers between the full-time and flex-time PhD programs are not permitted

View a the PhD Flex-time Program Requirements checklist

Those interested in applying to the Flex-time PhD program must:

• a thesis topic
• the extent to which the employer will provide time and resources for the student to work on their Ph.D.
• a proposal on how the IP policies of the University will be respected.
• If the Committee is satisfied that the prospective student, his/her employer and an MIE professor are all committed to the success of the student’s program, the student will be invited to submit a formal application

The information below is for reference only and is subject to change annually. Registered students should check their fee balance on their ACORN account . View the U of T Student Accounts website for more information about fees.

Pay annually:

• Domestic students: $8,489.52/year
• International students: $9,113.52/year

Pay per session:

• Domestic students: $4,272.26/session
• International students: $4,896.26/session

Applicants to MIE's PhD program must complete the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Online Admissions Application  by the deadline indicated below.

• Application window: October 1 - January 1 (application fee deadline)
• Document deadline January 15
• Application window:- June 1 - October 1 (application fee deadline)
• Document deadline October15

Same application deadlines for Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents and International Students.

PhD Application Instructions

Students are not required to submit paper copies of their documents unless requested by the Graduate Office.

• Create an  SGS applicant profile and pay the application fee (non-refundable/transferable, regardless of the circumstance). See application deadlines above.

Once your profile has been created, the following is required:

• 2 references. Email addresses for referees must be institution-based (not GMail, Hotmail, etc.). Both referees must hold academic appointments and it is required that one or both of the referees be a previous thesis supervisor. References from friends and family will not be accepted. Instructions will be sent to each referee by email via the SGS system on how to submit a reference letter.
• Complete (or most up-to-date) academic record / transcript(s). Upload post-secondary institutional transcripts as PDF files. Every transcript must include its respective grading scale . You are not required to submit official paper transcripts unless requested by the Graduate Office.
• Resume/C.V.
• Letter of Intent: explain why you want to join our program. Describe your research interest, career goals, the courses you intend to take, etc. The letter should be 650 – 1000 words.
• Field of Study:  Students must indicate up to three fields of study.
• If the student’s admitting degree was issued by a country  not listed under Exemptions on the  School of Graduate Studies  website, the student is required to provide English Language Proficiency (ELP) exam results electronically. MIE requires proof of ELP even if their language of instruction and examination was English. Please note that all test components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) must be completed and passed at the same time (applicants cannot combine scores from different exams). For minimum requirements and approved test centres visit the School of Graduate Studies website. Important : If ELP exam results are required, an application is not considered complete until the results are submitted electronically from the testing institution.

Students are not required to submit official paper transcripts unless it is requested by the Graduate Office. The review process will take place using your electronic transcripts.  Please note that a request for an official transcript is for verification purposes and does not mean acceptance into the program.

If you are receive an email request for paper documents, mail to:

PhD Program Graduate Studies Office, MC108 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering 5 King’s College Road Toronto, ON M5S 3G8 Canada

After application submission

Admission into the PhD programs is extremely competitive: we only offer admission to a small fraction of applicants, because these students must be funded, either by external scholarships or by a professor's research funds. As a result, PhD applicants are strongly encouraged to contact professors with whom they would like to work, either before or after submitting an application. Without funding, we cannot offer admission.

Students can review the status of their application on the SGS Online Admissions Application website .

Documents Pending

Additional documents required. A student's application is not considered complete until all of the required documents have been submitted. Once all documents have been submitted, status will not automatically update to Under Review. Statuses are updated manually on an ongoing basis.

Under Review

Application complete. Faculty members will review applications and may contact students about offering supervision. Students should actively pursue confirming a supervisor as admission can only be granted to students who have secured a supervisor. Students can contact MIE Faculty members directly to inquire about potential supervision.

If the faculty member has confirmed a student's supervision, the student will be notified of next steps including submission of official final transcripts. Confirmation from the supervisor to the Graduate Office is required to proceed in the PhD program.

Students will then be notified of the results of their application and their status will update to Decision Made.

Graduate Research Days

Select applicants will be invited to learn more about research at MIE at Graduate Research Days .  Applicants will be notified if they have been selected to attend.

Winter Orientation was held on December 10, 2024. The presentation is available here .

• Transfer credit may be requested for up to two previously completed Half Credit Equivalent (HCE) courses (grade of at least A-) that were not used for credit towards a degree
• PhD students must remain in good academic standing by
• maintaining an average GPA of A-
• no grade lower than B- (No failure, FZ, is permitted)
• completing yearly requirements (see below)
• progress review meetings (including the Qualifying Exam ) must be held at least every twelve months from the initial date of registration to get feedback on the progress and quality of their work

Note: Failure to remain in good academic standing will result in various sanctions such as student ineligibility for funding and registration in the program.

Yearly requirements

Download Yearly Requirements Checklist

• at least three MIE courses
• at most one APS or TEP course
• at most one 500 level course
• at most one Reading course (assigned by supervisor)

Note: Fast-track students must complete seven graduate HCE courses (at least four MIE courses) in the first two years of their PhD program

• Attend JDE1000H Ethics in Graduate Research seminar
• Attend 70% of MIE's Distinguished Seminar Series (SRD4444Y). Attendance recorded with student's T-card
• Hold Qualifying Exam (within 12 months of PhD registration)
• Preliminary work on thesis under supervision of MIE faculty member
• Complete fifth graduate level HCE course (if not completed in Year 1)
• Hold first PhD Committee meeting (within 24 months of PhD registration)
• Continue work on thesis

Candidacy will be achieved upon completion of Year 1 & 2 requirements. Candidacy status appears on ACORN.

• Hold second PhD Committee meeting (within 36 months of PhD registration)
• Hold third PhD Committee meeting (before end of fourth year of program)
• Hold MIE Departmental exam after thesis submission to committee (may skip this exam and go directly to Final Oral Exam with committee's vote)
• Hold Final Oral Exam (before end of fourth year of program)

View the Program Requirements section above for required courses.

View the  Courses  page to view all offered MIE courses.

PhD students may pursue collaborative specializations in the following areas:

• Engineering Education
• Psychology and Engineering

In MIE, the purpose of the qualifying exam is to assess the prospects that the student will complete a quality PhD thesis and will develop the ability to operate as an independent researcher. The date and time of the qualifying exam is coordinated between the student and their supervisory committee. The committee consists of the student’s supervisor and at least two other professors appointed as SGS Graduate Faculty with expertise relevant to the thesis topic. The majority of committee members should be MIE faculty members.

Requirements : In order to schedule a qualifying exam, the PhD student must meet the following requirements:

• successfully complete at least four Half Credit Equivalent courses (at least five for Fast-Track PhD), with at least an A- average
• obtain one credit on ACORN for attending JDE1000H Ethics in Graduate Research seminar
• obtain one credit on ACORN for attending 70% of MIE's Distinguished Seminar Series  (SRD4444Y). Attendance recorded with student's T-card

A student who does not meet the above requirements may be required to delay the qualifying exam until requirements are met.  A substantial delay (1 term or more) without Grad Office permission will result in a request to SGS to terminate the program.

Program Requirement : To maintain good academic standing, doctoral students are expected to hold their qualifying exam according to the following schedule from time of admission:

• 12 months - PhD students with a completed Master's degree
• 8 months - Fast Track PhD students (after fast-tracking from a Master's degree).
• 16 months - Direct entry from a Bachelor's degree
• 24 months - Flex-time PhD students.

Process before exam: At least 10 business days before the scheduled qualifying exam, the student must:

• book a room for the exam by contacting  reception@mie.utoronto.ca
• Notify the Graduate Office of their qualifying exam via the Graduate Management System (GMS)
• This document is typically double-spaced and no longer than 10 pages (including figures, tables, and a short list of references). Consult with your supervisor for specific expectations. Read about how to write a good qualifying exam research proposal

Procedure during exam:

• The qualifying exam begins with a student presentation of no more than 20 minutes that summarizes their research proposal.
• This is followed by questions from the committee. (note: MIE PhD qualifying exams are open to other students, unless otherwise requested).
• Following the exam, the committee assesses progress to date and suitability for the PhD program.
• the committee decides whether to adjourn the exam and allow the student another opportunity to pass the exam within three months ,
• or to fail the student and recommend termination of the PhD program.

Following a successful qualifying exam, a PhD student must meet his/her supervisory committee for a progress review meeting at least every twelve months . These meetings allow the committee to assess the progress of the student, in order to decide whether the student remains in good academic standing (see Program Requirements ).

At least ten business days before the scheduled PhD committee meeting, the student must:

• book a room for the exam by contacting  reception@mie.utoronto.ca
• no more than 10 double-spaced pages
• summary of recent progress in the research
• major tasks that remain and a timetable for completion of the program
• papers (journal and conference, published and submitted) and presentations that have resulted from the work
• The student may include additional material as appendices to the report (and should refer to this material in the report), however, the committee is not obligated to read any additional material.

Similar to the qualifying exam, a progress review meeting begins with a student presentation of no more than 20 minutes, followed by questions from the committee. Following the meeting, the committee assesses progress since the last exam/meeting. If the assessment is “unsatisfactory”, another meeting must be scheduled within three months, to determine whether to allow the student to remain in the program.

Exams maybe conducted remotely via video conferencing, in-person, or a combination (hybrid).

The PhD program culminates in the presentation of an oral and written thesis.

A student is ready to defend the thesis once:

• The student's course requirements have been met
• or the thesis committee has decided to forgo the Departmental via Ballot on GMS
• Supervisor must trigger the vote to bypass by selecting the Ballot button on the supervisor's student listing on GMS.
• The written thesis has been submitted to their supervisor

Once the thesis is ready for the external examiner's appraisal, a member of the supervisory committee must submit the Examiner Nomination Form .

Examiner Nominations

A member of the supervisory committee must submit an External Nomination Form to the Graduate Studies Office via the nomination form at least 10 weeks before the proposed exam date.

The date and time of the oral exam is coordinated between the student and the FOE committee.

SGS will approve the external examiner. Approval criteria can be found in the Guidelines for the Doctoral Final Oral Examination .

Approval of the External Examiner

An external examiner nomination form must be submitted to initiate the approval process.  Form must be accessed with a UofT/MIE email address.

C.V. format: website link or document (word, .pdf).

The external examiner's c.v. must contain the following:

• Examiner's current title (academic position)
• Year current title was attained

If not included on the c.v., a link to the researcher's website must include the following:

• If at UofT, supervisor must be identified.
• A list of current and graduated research students (Masters and PhD).
• A list of publications.

Once the examiner is approved, the written thesis may then be sent to the external examiner.

The candidate may use UTsend , Dropbox , OneDrive , etc to distribute the thesis to the examiner and other members of the committee.

Scheduling the Final Oral Exam

A committee member or the student should use a scheduling tool to arrange the meeting date (e.g. Doodle , Calendly , etc) in order to minimize the interactions with the examiner before the exam.

Once the date is set, the student must submit the PhD Final Oral Scheduling Form at least 8 weeks before the exam date.

Once the scheduling form is received, the Graduate Program Administrator will:

• Distribute the examiner's instructions to the approved examiner.
• SGS requires a minimum of 20 business days (excluding weekends, holidays and winter break) to fulfill a chair request.

A member of the supervisory committee must arrange video conferencing details for virtual exams.

The candidate cannot host a virtual final exam.

After the Exam

Following a successful FOE, and once the thesis has been finalized, the PhD student must submit their corrected, final thesis to their supervisor for approval. If the student's supervisor requests a printed copy, visit the SGS website for standard formatting requirements.

I f a printed report is requested by the supervisor:

• the binding of theses should be good quality buckram hard-cover, with gold lettering. Colour of PhD thesis cover must be blue.

SGS does not require a physical copy of the thesis. The student must upload an electronic copy of the supervisor-approved thesis to ProQuest in accordance with the  SGS thesis submission guidelines.

The Graduate Office does not require a physical copy of the thesis.

After submitting their thesis  to ProQuest, the student must:

• Complete the departmental Clearance Form online.

Technical problems accessing the clearance form must be reported to:

Departmental IT Support:   computing@mie.utoronto.ca

Convocation Ceremony

Ceremony details are communicated by SGS and the Office of Convocation .

Final Year Fees

Final year fees are pro-rated by date of final thesis submission .

Stay Connected!

Registered PhD candidates receive enough funding to cover tuition and incidental fees. In addition, PhD candidates receive a minimum of $25,000 per year for up to four years (5 years for PhD direct-entry and fast-track students).

Most students earn more than the minimum as a result of teaching assistantships and scholarships, such as from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and the Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) program.

View the Scholarships & Funding page for more information.

Doctoral Completion Award

The DCA provides tuition support to full-time PhD students who are beyond the funded cohort (year 5 for PhD and year 6 for PhD direct and fast-track students)

Applicants must be current with PhD committee meetings and demonstrate need.

For more information contact the Grad Office at dca@mie.utoronto.ca

All full-time graduate students are eligible to apply for Teaching Assistant (TA) paid positions at MIE. TAs assist undergraduate and graduate course instructors with supervision of labs, leading tutorials and marking assignments and tests.

Apply for TA positions and view more job and volunteer opportunities on the  Professional Development  page.

AMIGAS is the graduate student association at MIE. They host social, athletic, academic, and professional development events for all MIE graduate students, aiming to enrich their professional and personal leadership experiences.

School of Graduate Studies (SGS)

• SGS homepage
• Sessional Dates
• SGS Grad Hub
• Student Forms & Letter Requests
• Scholarships & Awards
• Graduate Supervision Guidelines

PhD Final Oral Scheduling

• External Examiner Request Form
• PhD Final Oral Scheduling Form
• SGS FOE Guidelines

Student Information Systems

• Student administrative system
• Enrol in courses
• View timetable
• Course materials & info
• Book appointments
• Request transfers
• U of T webmail

Email:  gradoffice@mie.utoronto.ca

MASc & PhD applicants: Email:  grad.admission@mie.utoronto.ca

Office: MC108, 5 King's College Road

Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 am - 4 pm

Mailing address: Graduate Studies Office, MC108 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Toronto 5 King’s College Road Toronto, ON M5S 3G8 Canada

Professor Tobin Filleter

Associate Chair of Graduate Studies

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering University of Toronto 5 King’s College Road Toronto, Ontario • M5S 3G8 • Canada Phone: +1-416-978-3040

Traditional Land Acknowledgement

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

© 2024 Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Apply to U of T

Your admission decision.

You’ve completed your application, including any required or supplementary documents. So what comes next? 

Receiving Your Admission Decision

You have received an email directing you to check the admission decision via your application on  join.utoronto.ca . You can expect to hear from all of the University of Toronto faculties you selected during the application process. If you have not been admitted to your selected program(s), you may still be considered for alternate programs and campuses, space permitting. Admission decisions are released starting in February and continuing through to late May.

Admission Decisions That You Could Receive

You were admitted to u of t.

Congratulations! Welcome to the U of T community. We recommend checking out our Next Steps in order to plan your start here at the University.

You Were Admitted But Received a Conditional Offer

Most of our admission decisions are based on interim marks, and so the majority of our offers are typically conditional on achieving acceptable final standing. Students are expected to maintain consistent academic standing for the duration of their high school (and post-secondary, if applicable) studies.

You Were Waitlisted

We are unable to admit all students who have good academic records, so our waitlist is an opportunity for eligible undergraduate applicants to be reconsidered for admission. Applicants on the waitlist will be assessed for admission for any available spaces in the program that they originally applied to, as well as related program areas at the university. Find out more about how we use the waitlist.

You Weren’t Admitted to U of T

The most common reasons for not being admitted to the University of Toronto:

• your overall average, or grades in prerequisite subjects, are not competitive
• you did not present a senior level/Grade 12 English course for admission consideration
• you did not present a senior level/Grade 12 course in all prerequisite subjects required for the program(s) you applied to
• you have repeated an unacceptable number of courses for the program(s) you have selected
• you have an insufficient number of available courses at the time of consideration
• you applied to a program that does not accept applicants with post-secondary studies
• English language requirement (if applicable) was not met by the deadline
• supplementary information (if required) was not submitted or was not competitive

We recommend reviewing your decision and your application (including your required documents) and invite you to submit again the following year.

Accepting an Offer of Admission

Welcome! We recommend keeping these pointers in mind when accepting your offer of admission:

• Do it before the deadline! Don’t wait until the last minute to accept your offer.
• We’ll let you know if and when there is a deposit needed.
• Check the JOIN U of T applicant website for instructions on how to go about accepting your offer of admission.
• Late responses may be allowed at the University’s discretion. If you have missed the deadline to respond to your offer, log in to the OUAC website to see if your offer is still available to be accepted online.

Deferring an Offer of Admission

If you are unable to begin your degree studies this fall, you may request a one-year deferral of your offer of admission. Deferrals are not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Deferral requests that are approved will include deferral of eligible entrance scholarship(s) awarded – check the terms of your award for conditions and eligibility – and the residence guarantee, if applicable. Deferral applications will be available beginning in July. The cost to apply for deferral of an offer of admission is $90. Please note that offers to non-degree studies, the International Foundations Program, and Computer Science at the Faculty of Arts and Science, St. George campus are not eligible for deferral.

Your deferral request will be considered if you have:

• accepted (responded Yes to) the offer of admission
• paid the Admission Deposit (if required)
• met all conditions of the offer of admission
• confirmed that you do not plan to study at another post-secondary institution

September 15th is the deadline to submit a Request for Deferral of your offer of admission. The Deferral Request Form is available via the JOIN U of T applicant website , Offer of Admission page. If you miss the deferral deadline, you will have to reapply for admission in a future session. We suggest you submit your deferral request as soon as your official, final transcripts are available.

If you have registered for courses, you must drop or withdraw from all your courses as soon as possible.

Please contact the faculty or division directly for details on deferring offers of admission to: Applied Science and Engineering; Nursing; Bachelor of Information; Physician Assistant program; and Medical Radiation Sciences.

Review of Decisions

All admissions decisions are final. In extraordinary circumstances, a decision may be reviewed for procedural fairness and lawfulness.

In the case of first-entry undergraduate admissions, requests for review should be uploaded to the applicant portal within seven (7) calendar days of the date of issue of the admission decision. For other academic programs, please consult the relevant website or office.

Fraudulent Information or Documentation

You should be aware that when you submit your application you are required to certify that the personal information and documents submitted in the application, or to be submitted (all of which constitutes the application), are true, complete and correct in all respects. If evidence is found to the contrary your admission to the University may be rescinded, your registration may be revoked or you could be subject to additional academic penalties. Other universities may also be notified.

Residence Decisions

Don’t forget to check out your  StarRez  application to find out about residence decisions.

Find out which application you should use , depending on whether you’re a current Ontario high school student, an applicant from another Canadian province or territory, an international applicant, or in another circumstance.

Make sure you check the Important Application Dates to find out when your application, required documents, and other supplementary documents are due.

It depends on what you’re applying to, but most programs do not require additional applications. Some programs, colleges and campuses ask students to fill out an added application or profile. You should receive an email that will indicate if you need to fill out an application, where you can find it and what the deadline is. You can also find this information by looking up your intended program’s requirements in the Program Finder .

Find out about academic requirements for applicants from outside Canada .

Find out about U of T’s English Language Requirements and proof of English facility .

If you have completed college or university studies, AP, IB, GCE, CAPE, or French Bacc. examinations you may be eligible for transfer credit at the University of Toronto. Transfer credits are assessed after admission.

Find out more about transfer credits at U of T.

All changes to your application should be made before the application deadline .

If you have applied using the OUAC Undergraduate Application and wish to make changes to your initial application, you must do this by logging in to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre website .

All other applicants (International/Internal/Part-Time/Non-Degree) should log onto JOIN U of T , click on Check Status, and follow the instructions for making changes to your application.

We do not accept any changes or corrections via email or telephone.

You will receive an acknowledgment from U of T, with login instructions for our applicant website, JOIN U of T , about two weeks after you submit your application.

Telephone & In-Person Inquiries We are available for telephone and in-person inquiries.

Email Inquiries Connect with us by email for:

• Admissions: apply.adm.utoronto.ca/register/questions
• Ask a Student: apply.adm.utoronto.ca/register/askastudent

Contact Client Services for financial aid inquires including:

• OSAP (Ontario Student Assistant Program) full and part-time
• BSWD (Bursaries for Students with Disabilities)
• UTAPS (University of Toronto Advanced Planning for Students)
• Part-Time Financial
• OOP Funding for other provinces outside of Ontario
• US student aid – for United States citizens (US Federal Student Aid loan opportunities, private loans (non-government), Veteran Affairs certification requests for benefits & education tax credit

Your feedback is important to us. Please take a couple of minutes to let us know how we did by completing our  University Admissions and Outreach Satisfaction Survey .

If you are unable to begin your degree studies in the fall, you may request a one-year deferral of your offer of admission. Deferrals are not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Check out further information on deferring an offer of admission .

PhD in Medical Biophysics - Medical Physics Specialization

In addition to our  graduate programs , the Department of Medical Biophysics offers a CAMPEP  -accredited specialization for PhD students interested in a Medical Physics career. Medical Physics spans research, development, and clinical trials involving medical imaging and radiotherapy technologies.

In this specialization within our PhD program, students complete a thesis-based PhD, while completing a structured medical physics course curriculum. The specialized program provides a research-intensive environment that immerses students in clinical technologies pertinent to medical imaging, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy. Cutting edge research involving machine learning, theranostics, and heavy particle therapy are ongoing. Students gain skills to pursue the production of high quality research and develop leadership skills.

Upon completion of their PhD, students who fulfill the Medical Physics course curriculum receive a letter of attestation from the Program Director , certifying that all required courses and modules have been successfully completed.

More information about the program can be found below.

Admission Requirements - Medical Physics Specialization within the Medical Biophysics PhD program

Students wanting to enroll in the Medical Physics PhD Specialization must first apply to and be accepted into the Medical Biophysics PhD program . Admission consideration to the Medical Biophysics PhD requires:

completion of an appropriate master's degree from a recognized university 

a minimum A- average in the final two years of study. This is flexible for those demonstrating exceptional aptitude for research.

submission and evaluation of all supplemental application material as outlined on the  Admission Requirements and Deadlines  page of our website.

an admissions interview for all candidates who are a potential fit for the program.

To be eligible for admission to the Medical Physics PhD specialization, students must also have:

completed an undergraduate degree in physics or an equivalent, relevant quantitative physical or engineering science, or have least three upper level (3rd or 4th year) half-courses in traditional physics such as classical mechanics/dynamics, quantum mechanics, electromagnetic theory thermal physics, atomic/nuclear physics, optical physics, or laboratory physics. Applicants with a non-physics majors must have coursework that is equivalent to a minor in physics, as defined by the University of Toronto, involving upper-level physics (e.g., PHY356H1, PHY357H1) and calculus courses.

their supervisor's approval in order to be eligible for a transfer into the Medical Physics PhD Specialization. This type of transfer must be completed by the end of their first year of study as a PhD student.

students must notify the program director and the MBP office within 1 year of beginning their PhD program.

For more information on admission requirements and application procedures for MBP Graduate programs, please visit the  Admission Requirements and Deadlines  page.

Courses - Medical Physics PhD Specialization

In addition to the mandatory course requirements of the MBP PhD program, students enrolled in the MBP PhD Medical Physics Specialization will be required to complete the following courses:

MBP 1023H: Clinical Radiation Physics and Dosimetry

MBP 1301H: Radiation Oncology: Clinical & Experimental Radiobiology

MBP 1407H: Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Overview

MBP 1411H: Overview of Medical Imaging

MBP 1412H: Ultrasound Overview

MBP 1415H: Radiotherapy Physics

MBP 1416H: Anatomy & Physiology (for Non-Specialists or Physicists)

MBP 1417H: Introduction to Health Physics

Please note that modules are available to all MBP students with suitable prerequisites. They can be taken pre-emptively for MSc students who are considering reclassification into the PhD Specialization.

For more information about courses, including detailed course descriptions, please refer to the MBP Course Modules page .

CAMPEP Accredited Postgraduate Information

CAMPEP (Commission on the Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs) and SDAMPP (Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs) require all medical physics education programs to post and maintain data regarding student statistics as indicated below.

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Current Students at Bloomberg Nursing, explore what we have to offer.

Current student resources, doctor of philosophy (phd).

Innovative, quantitative, and qualitative research that is leading the way not just for nursing but for healthcare around the world. This is Nursing in Action.

The Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is designed to prepare scientists and scholars with the analytical and research skills required to expand their knowledge of clinical, theoretical, and health systems issues.

Program Information Sessions

Doctoral Programs Information Session

December 4: Admissions Q & A Workshop

December 11: Doctoral Programs Q&A Financial Workshop

What you will learn:

Gain a superior understanding of the theoretical foundations of nursing science

A broad appreciation of the relationship between nursing science and the scientific basis of other health disciplines

In-depth knowledge and specialization related to a selected aspect of nursing science

The ability to design and conduct research studies of relevance and importance to nursing science

Commitment to ethical scholarship and collaboration in furthering knowledge with a critical and objective perspective on research

The ability to contribute to the education of undergraduate and graduate nursing students

Note: Effective September 2020, students will no longer enrol in fields of study. (Effective Care and Health Outcomes, Nursing Health Systems, Critical Approaches to Health and Health Care).

Watch our 2023 Doctoral Program Information Session

Program format, full-time in-person.

Students normally complete the program in four years.

Combining access to renowned nursing researchers and mentors, the PhD program includes two years of course work and at least two years of work on the thesis/research project. In addition to required courses, students also attend a three-day research symposium where they connect with their peers and supervisor.

Program Overview

Why choose bloomberg nursing at u of t.

Bloomberg Nursing was one of the first post-secondary institutions in Canada to offer a graduate education in nursing. Our commitment to excellence continues with the brightest minds in nursing research, scholarship, clinical practice and health care administration. As a graduate of Bloomberg Nursing, you are not only prepared to succeed, you join a community of scholars advancing health care through innovative research and evidence-based knowledge translation that influences policy and practice nationally and internationally.

Full-Time Program

PhD students must enrol on a full-time basis. PhD students normally complete the degree in four years of full-time study.  All requirements for the degree must be completed within six calendar years from the date of the student’s enrolment in the program.

The required course components of the PhD program are offered in-class only.

Program Requirements

The PhD in Nursing is offered as a full-time program.

Successful completion of all required courses by the end of Year 2 in the program.

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 3.0 full course equivalents (FCEs) that include:

PhD Seminar (1.0 FCE)

Research methods course NUR 1079Y Research Methods for Knowledge Discovery (1.0 FCE)

One course (0.5 FCE) related to the substantive area of the field of study and thesis plans

One course (0.5 FCE) may be either a method or substantive area course as determined by the student and the supervisory committee.

Students must attain a minimum average standing at the B+ level for required courses.

Students are normally expected to complete all five required courses (3.0 FCEs) by the end of Year 2. If all required courses are not successfully completed (with a minimum average standing at the B+ level) by the end of Year 3, the Faculty of Nursing will normally make a recommendation to SGS for termination of registration.

For students who enrolled prior to September 2020:

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 3.0 Full Course Equivalents (FCEs) that include:

Field of study Course (0.5 FCE) that includes one of the following:

• NUR 1085H (for students in the critical perspectives in health and healthcare field of study)
• NUR 1086H (for students in the Nursing Health Systems field of study) or
• NUR 1087H (for students in the Effective Care and Health Outcomes field of study)

At least one method course (0.5 FCE) relevant to the field of study and to the dissertation plans

At least one course (0.5 FCE) related to the substantive area of the field of study and thesis plans

The fifth required course (0.5 FCE) may be either a method or substantive area course as determined by the student and the supervisory committee.

All PhD students should visit the  SGS site  on  PhD supervision.  It has important information on the topic of  student-supervisor relationship :  SGS PhD Supervision

Literature Review Paper

Successful completion of the literature review paper.

The literature review paper topic as well as type and format of the literature review paper must be approved by the supervisor (with signed documentation by the student and supervisor) by March 1 of Year 1. This agreement should specify the problem statement, the format/type of literature review that is appropriate to the field of study, and to the scholarly traditions within which the student’s research is situated.

The literature review paper must be submitted by September 30 of Year 2. The submitted literature review paper will be formally reviewed and evaluated by the supervisor and at least one additional thesis committee member. Written and verbal feedback about the submitted literature review paper will be provided to the student at a supervisory committee meeting. For the literature review paper to be considered a pass, both faculty members’ assessments of the literature review paper must be at the  successful completion or pass level . If both examinations are considered pass, the student may receive either a  satisfactory or excellent  rating at their supervisory committee meeting. If one or both paper reviews are rated unsatisfactory or not pass, then the student receives an  unsatisfactory  rating at the supervisory committee meeting.

If the student does not successfully complete the literature review paper first submitted, the student will have one additional opportunity to revise and rewrite the literature review paper, based on the feedback received at the supervisory committee. The student must resubmit the revised literature review paper by December 1 of Year 2. This revised literature review paper must be formally evaluated by the supervisor and one other thesis committee member (normally the same committee member who completed the assessment of the original literature review paper). The student will receive feedback about the revised literature review paper at a supervisory committee meeting. For the literature review to be considered a pass, both faculty members’ assessments of the literature review must be at the  pass  level. If both reviews are considered pass, the student may receive either a  satisfactory or excellent  rating at their supervisory committee meeting. If one or both reviews are rated  failure/not pass , then the student receives an  unsatisfactory  rating at the supervisory committee meeting.

If the student does not successfully complete the literature review paper on the second attempt, the Faculty of Nursing will normally recommend to SGS that the student’s registration in the PhD program be terminated.

Thesis Proposal

Successful defense of the thesis proposal, normally by the end of Year 2.

Students are normally expected to defend their thesis proposal by the end of Year 2 of their program. Students must successfully defend their thesis proposal no later than the end of Year 3. The format of the proposal will be similar to that of a modified tri-council grant application. Assessment of the thesis proposal consists of both the written proposal and the oral defence of the proposal. Students who do not successfully defend the proposal after the first attempt may have one additional opportunity to successfully present and defend the written proposal, and this must be accomplished before the end of Year 3 of the program.

If the student does not successfully defend the thesis proposal by the end of Year 3 (including a second attempt, if required), the Faculty of Nursing will recommend to SGS that the student’s registration in the PhD program be terminated.

The student’s dissertation will be defended in the PhD Final Oral Examination of the School of Graduate Studies.

Program Length : 4 years full-time; 5 years transfer-from-master’s

Time Limit : 6 years full-time; 7 years transfer-from-master’s

Admission Requirements

Applicants are admitted under the  general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies . Applicants must also satisfy the Graduate Department of Nursing Science’s additional admission requirements stated below:

Applicants must hold a master’s degree or its equivalent in nursing or related field with at least a B+ standing from a  recognized university .

All  English facility requirements  must be met at the time of application.

Applicants whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must demonstrate proficiency in English. An interview may be required.

Please email  connect.nursing@utoronto.ca  for information on the PhD program and the application process including identifying a supervisor. Please note that meeting minimum admission requirements does not ensure admission to the program.

Transfer from the MN Program into the PhD Program

Exceptional students who are excellent candidates for the PhD program may apply to transfer from the MN to the PhD program. Students must currently be enrolled in the MN program at the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto to qualify.

Candidates applying to transfer from the MN program must have:

1. agreement of an identified supervisor., 2.  completed the following :.

MN-Clinical : Four courses; two completed with a minimum grade of B+ and the following two required courses, both with a minimum grade of A:

History of Ideas in Nursing Practice: Clinical

Research design, appraisal, and utilization: clinical.

• 3 hour Tues: 1-4pm

MN-HSLA : Four courses; two completed with a minimum grade of B+ and the following two required courses, both with a minimum grade of A:

History of Ideas in Nursing Practice: Health Systems Leadership and Administration

Integrated approaches to research appraisal and utilization part 2.

MN-NP : Four courses; two completed with a minimum grade of B+ and the following two required courses, both with a minimum grade of A:

Research Design, Appraisal, and Utilization: Nurse Practitioner

Introduction to qualitative research: methodologies, appraisal and knowledge translation: nurse practitioner.

• 3 Sections with 1 hour optional tutorial Thurs. Section 6331 1pm-2pm Section 6332: 1pm-2pm Section 6333: 11am-12pm

Please visit our  How to Apply  section for detailed information on the application process and required documents.

Doing Qualitative Research: Design and Data Collection

• 3 hours/week

Intermediate Statistics for Health Sciences Research

Implementation science in healthcare, research methods for knowledge discovery, phd student/faculty seminars.

• 2 hours/week

Topics in Critical Perspectives in Health and Health Care

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I was impressed by the dedication and expertise of the faculty members. Their commitment to fostering a dynamic learning environment, combined with their wealth of real-world experience, truly set the […]

Rey Omar Mina

I was impressed by the dedication and expertise of the faculty members. Their commitment to fostering a dynamic learning environment, combined with their wealth of real-world experience, truly set the stage for an enriching academic journey. The clinical rotations provided an invaluable opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world patient scenarios. I had the privilege of working alongside experienced preceptors who provided invaluable guidance and mentorship.

The first year was hard and busy but transformational. The curriculum provided students with various ways of learning including lectures, online discussions, case studies, and simulation labs. Learning hands-on from […]

Tomoko Fukushima

The first year was hard and busy but transformational. The curriculum provided students with various ways of learning including lectures, online discussions, case studies, and simulation labs. Learning hands-on from instructors who are experts in their field at the simulation lab was priceless. I also learned from fellow classmates who bring the breadth of experiences in different fields. Although course work can be overwhelming sometimes, faculty is supportive of our learning journey.

Being a Doctor of Nursing student has led me on a journey of intellectual growth and discovery and through rigorous research, collaboration with esteemed peers from across Canada, and mentorship […]

Kandis Harris

Being a Doctor of Nursing student has led me on a journey of intellectual growth and discovery and through rigorous research, collaboration with esteemed peers from across Canada, and mentorship from accomplished faculty at the University of Toronto. This transformative experience is preparing me to contribute positively by bringing valuable insights, fearless innovation, engaged leadership, and expertise to my profession. 

Introduced at a time when learning health systems are unfolding across Canada, Bloomberg’s Doctor of Nursing program has commenced at a perfect time. During this program, I have gained a […]

Vanessa Wright

Introduced at a time when learning health systems are unfolding across Canada, Bloomberg’s Doctor of Nursing program has commenced at a perfect time. During this program, I have gained a greater understanding of interplay between health system structures and how nurses are ideal leaders and change agents to advance research and education within these settings. Most importantly, I have felt supported and encouraged by my supervisor, committee, professors, and classmates to continue to generate inquiry across academic and health organizations, situating myself as a lifelong leaner.  

I chose to attend Bloomberg Nursing at the University of Toronto for graduate studies to engage deeply with leading nurse scholars and learn within a community of emerging nurse leaders, […]

Calvin Tsang

I chose to attend Bloomberg Nursing at the University of Toronto for graduate studies to engage deeply with leading nurse scholars and learn within a community of emerging nurse leaders, progressing through the master’s program together as a cohort. The Master of Nursing program prepared me to take on leadership roles in advancing nursing practice as my cohort and professors challenge current notions to envision a dynamic future for nursing. I have benefited from the unparalleled networking opportunities that Bloomberg Nursing offers through placement opportunities that put into practice the concepts we learn in the classroom, and a robust and engaged alumni network that mentors the next generation of nurse leaders.

As a student, my most memorable learning experience took place in a second-year class on reflexive nursing practice. Prior to taking this class, I was unaware of reflexive practice and […]

Samantha Bulchand

As a student, my most memorable learning experience took place in a second-year class on reflexive nursing practice. Prior to taking this class, I was unaware of reflexive practice and many of the systemically rooted issues in nursing. This class shaped my perspective by encouraging me to reflect on my own positionalities, identities and experiences to better challenge and address issues in nursing such as systemic racism. This class truly inspired me to become as advocate for patient justice and nurse’s rights!

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Bloomberg Nursing prides itself on providing our students with expert faculty in the field of nursing innovation and science. You will learn directly from nurses and nurse practitioners with a variety of clinical backgrounds.

Kristin Cleverley , RN, PhD, CPMHN(C)

Associate Professor CAMH Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research

Lisa Cranley , RN, PhD

Associate Professor

Craig Dale , RN, PhD, CNCC(C)

Cindy-Lee Dennis , PhD, FCAHS

Denise Gastaldo , PhD

Edith Hillan , RN, PhD, FAAN

Lindsay Jibb , RN, PhD, CPHON

Assistant Professor Signy Hildur Eaton Chair in Paediatric Nursing Research

Linda Johnston , PhD, FEANS, FAAN

Samantha Mayo , RN, PhD

Acting Director, Doctoral Programs Associate Professor RBC Financial Chair in Oncology Nursing Research

Linda McGillis Hall , RN, PhD, FCAHS, FCAN, FCNEI, FAAN

Katherine McGilton , RN, PhD, FCAHS, FCAN, FAAN

Professor – Status only (Primary)

Carles Muntaner , MHS, PhD, FCAHS

Sioban Nelson , RN, PhD, FCAHS, FCAN, FAAN

Monica Parry , MEd, MSc, NP-Adult, PhD, FAAN, FCAN

Elizabeth Peter , RN, PhD, FAAN

Martine Puts , RN, PhD, FAAN

Professor Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Care of Frail Older Adults

Jennifer Stinson , RN-EC, PhD, CPNP, FAAN

Professor – Status only (Primary) Mary Jo Haddad Nursing Chair in Child Health Research

Robyn Stremler , RN, PhD, FAAN

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Acting Associate Dean, Academic Associate Professor Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Pediatric Palliative Care

Amy Wright , NP, PhD

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All applications are submitted through the School of Graduate Studies Online Application Portal . Please note that we do not accept any hard copies of your application or hard copies of supporting documents.

For questions regarding the online application process, please visit the School of Graduate Studies Admissions FAQs .

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All applications to our programs require the minimum following supporting documentation:

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Please send a summary of your experiences in education, work, travel, volunteering, and other relevant areas. The maximum length is two pages, single-spaced.

Statement of Intent

As part of your application, please submit a letter of intent or personal statement outlining your goals for your graduate studies. The letter can be  uploaded in the applicant status portal after the application form has been submitted.

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Electronic copies of transcripts are required at the time you apply online. Only if you are successful at gaining admissions will we require official copies to be submitted to the department.

Due to COVID we are currently only accepting official e-transcripts. We will notify admitted candidates once the receipt of mail-in paper transcripts will be accepted. International transcripts: Please use International Degree Equivalencies Tool to ensure that you meet the minimum admissions requirements.

We do not require a credential evaluation assessment by a third-party, such as WES.

Letters of Recommendation

You will need three letters of recommendation , to be submitted online by your referees through the online application system prior to the supporting documentation deadline.

Note:  The online application system will automatically email an electronic reference request to each referee  when the application form is submitted. Referees will have until the deadline to upload supporting documentation to submit their reference letter . It is highly recommended that applicants contact their referees ahead of time to inform them of the supporting documents deadline and confirm both their availability and their preferred institutional email address.

English-Language Proficiency Testing (if applicable)

As English is the primary language of instruction and communication at the University of Toronto, applicants must demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in English, regardless of their citizenship status or country of origin. It is important that these students follow SGS policies on ELP testing requirements and take one of the required tests for admission to a graduate program.

Applicants from universities outside Canada where English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of their application.

Please submit official copies of your English proficiency scores (Institution Code: 0982). You can include unofficial copies with your application while waiting for the official ones to arrive.

Learn more about ELP Testing here .

Please do not send the results to our department. Students must arrange for their score to be reported electronically to the University of Toronto (Enrolment Services) by the testing agency. Please check SGS ELP Testing website above for more detail.

Application Fee

The non-refundable application fee is currently CAD $125 per application.

Note: You may apply to more than one program. Each program will require a separate application and application fee. Applicants will not be considered for a program that they did not apply for.

We will not review applications that are paid after the Application Submission & Payment Deadline

A Note on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Submission of the GRE is not a requirement for admission to our programs.

If you wish, you may submit an official copy of any Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, including the Advanced Mathematics Examination, directly from the testing service to the department (Institution Code: 0982). An unofficial copy may be included with your application while waiting for the official one to arrive.  

This is suggested, but not required for international students.

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

The 10,000 PhDs project at the University of Toronto: Using employment outcome data to inform graduate education

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliations Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Roles Data curation, Methodology, Software

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization

Roles Investigation

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation, Validation

Roles Investigation, Validation

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing

• Reinhart Reithmeier, 
• Liam O’Leary, 
• Xiaoyue Zhu, 
• Corey Dales, 
• Abokor Abdulkarim, 
• Anum Aquil, 
• Lochin Brouillard, 
• Samantha Chang, 
• Samantha Miller, 

• Published: January 16, 2019
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898
• Reader Comments

The purpose of the 10,000 PhDs Project was to determine the current (2016) employment status of the 10,886 individuals who graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD in all disciplines from 2000–2015. Using internet searches, we found that about half (51%) of the PhD graduates are employed in the post-secondary education sector, 26% as tenure-track professors, with an additional 3% as adjunct professors and 2% as full-time teaching-stream professors. Over the time-period 2000–2015 there has been a near doubling in PhD graduates with the biggest increase in graduation numbers for the Physical (2.6–fold) and Life Sciences (2.2-fold). Increasingly, these graduates are finding employment in the private and public sectors providing the highly qualified personnel needed to drive an innovation economy.

Citation: Reithmeier R, O’Leary L, Zhu X, Dales C, Abdulkarim A, Aquil A, et al. (2019) The 10,000 PhDs project at the University of Toronto: Using employment outcome data to inform graduate education. PLoS ONE 14(1): e0209898. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898

Editor: Cassidy Rose Sugimoto, Indiana University Bloomington, UNITED STATES

Received: April 6, 2018; Accepted: December 13, 2018; Published: January 16, 2019

Copyright: © 2019 Reithmeier et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Data can be visualized in graphical form on the School of Graduate studies web-site: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/about/Pages/10 ,000-PhDs-Project.aspx.

Funding: The 10,000 PhDs Project was an initiative of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, that provided internal funding for this project.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

The need for phd employment outcome data.

The research enterprise within universities and affiliated institutions is driven largely by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in an apprenticeship model where supervisors train the next generation of scientists and scholars. But, do PhD graduates necessarily follow in their supervisors’ footsteps in an era of flattened university hiring and increasingly competitive research funding? If not, then where exactly do today’s PhDs end up working?

Employment outcome data for PhD graduates is limited [ 1 – 7 ] making it difficult for educators to know what skills and knowledge graduates will need for career success when they complete their programs. To fill the gap, groups like the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) have called for the systematized tracking of career pathways and enhanced professional development activities [ 8 , 9 ]. Indeed, a 2018 Consensus Study Report [ 10 ] of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine recommends that “Biomedical research institutions should collect, analyze, and disseminate comprehensive data on outcomes, demographics, and career aspiration of biomedical pre- and postdoctoral researchers using common standards and definitions developed by the institutions in concert with the National Institutes of Health.” In response, a consortium of nine US research institutes has launched a new initiative “The Coalition for Next Generation Life Science” ( www.nglscoalition.org ) focused on transparency to make “meaningful data on career outcomes available to trainees” [ 11 ].

In this paper we describe the results of 10,000 PhDs Project, which determined the current (2016) employment positions of the 10,886 individuals who graduated with a PhD in all disciplines from the University of Toronto (U of T) between 2000 to 2015 with a success rate of over 85%. An initiative of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) at U of T, the 10,000 PhDs Project relied entirely on internet searches of publically-available data sources to track the career trajectories of graduates. No surveys were conducted and no individuals were contacted. The same methodology (described below) was used by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) in their survey of 2009 Ontario PhD graduates [ 12 ].

Each of the five main employment sectors–post-secondary education (PSE), private, public, charitable and individual–were subdivided by job description. The data were analyzed for each of the four U of T graduate divisions: humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences. The data were further analyzed by gender, by citizenship (Canadian/Permanent Resident/International), and by employment location.

A complete description of the search methodology, definitions of employment sectors, job descriptions, and the data fields in the survey form are provided in Supporting Information ( S1 Methodology and Survey Form ). Briefly, a team of researchers was recruited from a pool of senior undergraduates and graduate students at U of T. Researchers went through an extensive training period that included pilot searches, job classifications and confidentiality. Lists of PhD graduates from existing graduate student registry data were provided by the SGS, which included the following identifiers:

■ Year of Graduation                ■Graduate Division

■ Full legal name                       ■Department/Graduate Unit

■ Field of Study                        ■Gender

■ Thesis Title                            ■Country of Citizenship

■ Supervisor(s)                        ■Status in Canada

Starting with the year of graduation researchers conducted systematic searches on Google using the full name, PhD (University of Toronto) and field of study to determine the current and any previous employment, as well as any further education pursued by the graduates. A secondary search used Google Scholar to perform a literature search of the publication history of the alumnus to determine location/institution information as well as time spent at the institution by assessing author affiliation and publication dates. A tertiary search used the supervisor or home department websites to retrieve any alumni information from these public sources. The most useful sources of information were: Google Scholar and on-line publications, university and corporate web-sites and directories, personal web-sites and Linked-In. Access to the survey interface was restricted to researchers based on their unique University of Toronto Identifier (UTORID). The data was entered into individual survey forms (See Supporting Information ) created in and uploaded securely to SharePoint. The researchers who participated in data collection no longer had access to the data once each submission was completed. No data was ever stored on personal computers. The researchers worked together to do individual searches one calendar year at a time in random order, taking about 15–30 minutes per search and inputting of data. The searches were carried out over an 8-month period from June 2016 to January 2017 at a total cost of $50,000 to pay the part-time student researchers.

Once verified and entered into the survey form (Supporting Information), researchers filled in other sections that included PhD Field of Study, Research Activity, Employment Sector, and Skills pertaining to their current employment. Data was only recorded if it was found in two or more reliable internet sources such as publications, university or company web-sites and staff directories. The research coordinator (Liam O’Leary) and project supervisor (Reinhart Reithmeier) reviewed the annual data once completed to look for any anomalies or inconsistencies, especially with regard to job classification.

Using this methodology, we were able to locate 85% of the PhD graduates. These data sets are a collection of the employment status in 2016 of the PhDs who graduated from the U of T from 2000 to 2015 without any personal identification. The data for U of T, the four graduate divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences), Faculties, and individual graduate departments are represented as tables and pie charts were generated using Excel spreadsheets of the exported data.

The research protocol for the 10,000 PhDs project was reviewed by the Research Oversight and Compliance Office at the University of Toronto. Because the project would only be accessing publically-available data and no individuals would be contacted or identified as part of this research project, the Office confirmed that Research Ethics Board approval would not be required. Researchers who were collecting data signed a confidentiality agreement that was approved by legal counsel at the University of Toronto.

Results and discussion

Increase in number of phd graduates.

The U of T is Canada’s largest university with approximately 75,000 undergraduates and 17,000 graduate students enrolled in masters, professional masters and PhD programs. U of T is the highest-ranked research-intensive university in Canada and among the top-ranked public universities in the five most prestigious international rankings: #22 in the Times Higher Education ( https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-world ), #28 in the QS World Rankings ( https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings ), #23 in the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy ( https://www.statista.com/statistics/226665/academic-ranking-of-world-universities/ ), #20 in the U.S. News Best Global Universities and #4 by the National Taiwan University ( http://nturanking.lis.ntu.edu.tw/ ). Comparable public universities in the United States would include the University of California universities, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Pennsylvania State University, University of Illinois, Purdue University, University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of Washington, University of Minnesota and University of Massachusetts, among others.

Between 2000 and 2015, U of T witnessed a near 2-fold increase in the annual number of PhD graduates from 494 to 901, in part as government-driven strategies to invest in highly qualified personnel to build an innovation-based economy ( Fig 1 ). The School of Graduate Studies at U of T is organized into four divisions: Physical Sciences (including the Faculty of Engineering), Life Sciences (dominated by graduate students in the Faculty of Medicine), Social Sciences (including the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), and Humanities. The division that saw the greatest increase in the number of graduates was Physical Sciences (2.6-fold), followed by Life Sciences (2.2-fold) and then Social Sciences (1.4-fold). There was no increase in the annual number of Humanities graduates, which has remained steady at about 100 for each year.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.g001

PhD graduates are employed in various sectors of the economy

Fig 2 shows the distribution of U of T PhD graduates from 2000–2015 in various employment sectors, as determined via internet searches carried out in 2016. Using this methodology, we were able to determine the current employment positions of 85% of the graduates. Of these, about half (51%) are currently employed in the post-secondary education (PSE) sector; 26% are employed as tenure-track professors. Tenure-track professors are those who are tenured or tenure-stream, teach at the undergraduate and graduate level in their discipline and typically conduct research support by grants, supervise graduate students and post-doctoral scholars and publish in their field of study. An additional 2.3% are employed as full-time teaching-stream professors. These professors are primarily focused on teaching and pedagogy, typically employed in small undergraduate-degree granting universities or in colleges. Another significant group at 3.4% are adjunct professors who are commonly employed as independent research scientists in university-affiliated research institutes. They have a similar job description to tenure-track faculty with a primary focus on research, training graduate students and post-doctoral scholars and may be involved in teaching activities. Thus, about 1/3 of U of T PhD graduates from 2000 to 2015 currently hold full-time positions as university professors. Others are employed in the PSE sector as full-time (1.6%) or part-time/sessional lecturers (3.6%), mostly in the Humanities, and as research associates (3.4%), or university administrators (2.3%). Some, mostly recent (2012–15) graduates, are continuing their education as post-doctoral fellows (6.9%) or in professional schools (1%). 18% are employed in the Private Sector, 10% in the Public Sector, and 3% each in the Charitable/Not-for-Profit Sector and the Individual/Self-employed Sector.

The Post-Secondary Education (PSE) Sector in blue includes tenure-track professors, adjunct professors, teaching-stream professors, full-time and part-time lecturers, university administrators, research associates, and those continuing their education as post-doctoral fellows and in professional schools.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.g002

The positions of 15% of graduates could not be determined by internet searches alone and they are classified as “unknowns’. For some individuals we could not find two independent sources of career information and others did not have a professional (web-site, LinkedIn, etc.) on-line presence. Some recent (2015) graduates still self-identified as PhD students. The 10,000 PhDs Project did not determine unemployment rates or salary levels. However, 2016 census data [ 13 ] from Statistics Canada showed that unemployment rate for the 176,750 PhDs in the Canadian job market, including those with PhD degrees from abroad, was 5.1%, which is lower than the 7.7% rate for the general population. A Statistics Canada study [ 14 ] of 2005 PhD graduates found that their median income was $65,000 two years after graduation, but this includes many who were employed as post-doctoral fellows and is much higher than the median income ($41,400) of Canadians employed on a full-time basis.

The percentage of graduates currently employed as tenure-track professors varied with graduate division ( Fig 3 .), with the highest in Humanities (36%) and Social Sciences (36%), followed by Physical Sciences (22%) and Life Sciences (18%). In contrast, the percentage of graduates working in the Private Sector was highest for Physical Sciences (34%), followed by Life Sciences (17%), Social Sciences (10%) and Humanities (5%). By Faculty, the Rotman School of Management had the highest percentage (72%) of their PhD graduates currently employed as tenure-track professors, followed by the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work (58%), the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (48%) and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (44%). In contrast, 15% of the Life Science graduates in the Faculty of Medicine are currently employed as tenure-track professors.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.g003

Employment in the Private and Public Sectors

Fig 4 shows the distribution of PhD graduates currently employed in different industries in the Private Sector. At 26% of the those employed in the Private Sector, Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals employs the highest number of graduates, primarily from Life Sciences. Companies in Engineering/Computing Technology (14%), Information Technology (10%), and Banking, Finance and Investment (10%) mainly employ Physical Science graduates working for major Canadian banks and investment firms. For graduates in IT, the major employers are international companies like Google, Microsoft, Intel and IBM with graduates working in Canada and the USA. The third-ranked term “Other” refers mainly to those working in private firms as psychologists, social workers, etc. In the Public Sector, major employers of PhD graduates (mainly Social Sciences and Life Sciences graduates) are federal, provincial and municipal governments and hospitals. These individuals are commonly employed to work on research projects and in policy.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.g004

Employment sector trends from 2000–2015

Fig 5 shows major employment sectors for each year from 2000–2015. The uptake into tenure-track positions has remained constant over the time period 2000–2011 with about 200 graduates from each year assuming tenure-track positions. While it would appear that more recent graduates are finding tenure-track in numbers lower than older cohorts, this is likely a temporary phenomenon associated with the multi-year process, including post-doctoral positions, of applying for, and finally being hired into, such positions. The tenure-track employment rates of 2012–2015 graduates would likely reach the same levels as earlier cohorts by 2020.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.g005

The vast majority of graduates currently employed as post-doctoral fellows are in the Physical and Life Sciences. Interestingly, only about ¼ of the 2015 graduates are post-doctoral fellows, with the remainder moving directly into employment. Thus, the majority of the most recent PhD graduates do not follow the traditional pathway of pursuing a post-doctoral fellow position, a necessary prerequisite for faculty positions in the Life and Physical Sciences. The number of graduates who are currently post-doctoral fellows decreased steadily for those who graduated earlier than 2015 ( Fig 5 ) with very few 2011 graduates currently employed at post-doctoral fellows. Projecting forward from 2011, if the number of PhD graduates who become tenure-track professors remains constant at about 200 per graduating year ( Fig 5 , dark blue bar) about half of the ~250 individuals who graduated in 2015 who are currently in post-doctoral positions ( Fig 5 , light blue bar) will become professors. Given that the number of graduates who obtain tenure-track positions has remained constant and the number of graduates has almost doubled, the percentage of recent graduates who become professors is about half of the 40% of 2010 graduates.

The bar graph shows that while the number of PhD graduates employed at tenure-track professors has remained constant, the number finding employment in other sectors particularly the private and public sectors has increased. This is particularly true for Physical and Life Science graduates, who make up the bulk of the increase in number of graduates. Examples of job titles (President, Vice-President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Director, Senior Scientist, Senior Consultant, Manager, Partner, etc.) indicate that graduates working in the Private and Public Sectors have assumed a variety of managerial or executive leadership positions.

Where in the world are U of T PhD graduates employed?

About 2/3 (66%) of the found U of T PhD graduates are employed in Canada, 21% in the United States and 13% internationally ( Table 1 ). The majority (76%) of Canadian graduates are employed in Canada, while 17% go to the US, often temporarily as post-doctoral fellows. 7% of Canadian graduates are employed outside of North America. Permanent residents tend to stay in Canada (56%), although about 25% go to the United States. About equal percentages of international graduates stay in Canada, go to the US or return home, although this varies with citizenship. For example, 68% of American graduates from U of T return to the US for employment, most commonly as tenure-track professors in the Humanities.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.t001

Of the PhD graduates who are currently tenure-track professors, 60% are employed in Canada at over 60 different universities with U of T, York University and Ryerson University as the top employers–all in the Toronto area, suggesting a strong local geographic preference. Of all the professors hired at U of T over the period 2000–2015 about 15% are U of T PhD graduates; 85% of the hires are graduates from other universities. 24% of tenure-track professors are employed in the US, and 16% in international universities, mostly in China/Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Middle East.

An about equal number of women (49%) and men (51%) graduated with a PhD from U of T from 2000 to 2015 ( Table 2 ), although this varies by division: women make up 24% of PhD graduates in Physical Sciences, 55% in Life Sciences, 65% in Social Sciences and 55% in Humanities. Women PhD graduates are well-represented in tenure-track (46%) and full-time teaching-stream (51%) professor positions. At U of T there is a nearly equal distribution of the 257 male and female U of T PhD graduates from 2000 to 2015 currently employed as tenure-track professors, while women predominate teaching-stream professor positions.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.t002

Other comparable PhD outcome studies

A PhD outcome survey for 2005–13 graduates was recently completed by the University of British Columbia [ 1 ] using a combination of surveys (49% response rate) and internet searches (91% overall completion rate). The results obtained are remarkably similar to the 10,000 PhDs Project. They found that of the 3750 graduates: 51% are in the PSE sector, 26% in the private sector and 13% in the public and not-for-profit sectors. 60% are employed in Canada and again, Canadian citizens tend (75%) to be employed in Canada. About 1/3 of International student graduates stay in Canada, 1/3 go to the USA, and 1/3 return to their home countries.

An April 26, 2016 report [ 12 ] by Linda Jonker from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) entitled “ Ontario’s PhD Graduates from 2009 : where are they now ?” found that 51% of PhD graduates from 2009 graduating all Ontario universities (~30% from U of T) were currently employed within the PSE sector, 29% as university professors, 4% primarily teaching at a university both full-time and part-time, 3% affiliated as status-only professors, 9% in research at universities (as post-doctoral fellows, research associates, etc.), 2% in colleges, and 3% in other roles at universities. 34% of the graduates are employed outside academia and employment information for the remaining 15% could not be found. The corresponding data from the 10,000 PhDs Project for 2009 U of T graduates is very similar with 51% in the PSE sector and 27.5% as tenure-track professors and 5% as full-time university lecturers or teaching-stream professors. Similarly, the current employment status of 15% of the 2009 U of T PhD graduates could not be determined. Both studies found that about 2/3 of PhD graduates that were found are employed in Canada. The HEQCO study used internet-based searches to identify where PhD graduates are currently working and the 10,000 PhDs Project used the same methodology. The finding that the percentage of U of T PhD graduates who are currently tenure-track professors is similar to the percentage of PhD 2009 graduates from all Ontario universities stands in contrast to the United States where institutional prestige plays an enormous role in shaping faculty hiring across disciplines [ 15 ]. An earlier 2015 Conference Board of Canada survey [ 2 ] found that about 40% of all PhDs working in Canada were employed in the PSE sector, 18.6% as professors, but these numbers include individuals with PhDs from universities outside Canada.

Using internet searches, Stanford University [ 4 ] determined the initial employment (within 1 year of graduation) and current (2013) employment of two graduation cohorts: a 10-year cohort (2002–03 graduates) and a 5-year cohort (2007–09). They located 2,420 graduates and determined 74% of the initial and 81% of the current positions. In terms of current employment, 45% are in the academic sector, 32% in business, 2% in government and 3% in the non-profit sector. Stanford was the top employer of Stanford graduates as tenure-track professors. PhD alumni in Humanities have a high percentage (77%) of being currently employed in the academia while engineering graduates (48%) tended to be employed in business most commonly by companies like Google and Intel. There is a strong local geographical preference for the San Francisco Bay area for Stanford graduates as we found for U of T graduates for the Greater Toronto area.

Heggeness and colleagues [ 16 ] used public data from the US census to build a comprehensive picture of career outcomes for PhDs in the biomedical sciences ( http://www.sjscience.org/article?id=570 ). In 2004 there were 26,000 individuals under 40 working as biomedical scientists, mostly as trainees. By 2011 this number had increased to 36,000 with four out of five working outside academia in good agreement with our findings (18% of Life Sciences PhD graduates are employed as tenure-track professors with an additional 7% adjunct professors working in hospital-based research institutes). They highlight the “need to gather and communicate data about what careers past trainees have followed so that current trainees can benefit from this experience.”

An analysis of the 2010 Survey of Doctoral Recipients (SDR) found that over 60% of the STEM PhD holders who graduated from 1959 to 2010 are currently working in the United States are employed in non-academic careers mostly for private businesses mostly in R &D or in government [ 17 ]. Women and minorities were more likely to work in government or non-STEM fields than other groups performing work unassociated with R&D. They conclude “PhD students lack training in areas that may feature strongly in their career pursuits.”

It would be very useful to compare the employment outcome data obtained in the 10,000 PhDs project to similar studies carried out at universities in Canada, the USA and internationally. As mentioned in the Introduction, such comprehensive data is not readily available and, in some cases, different methodologies and survey instruments were used making comparisons difficult. It will perhaps fall onto national organizations such as the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Canada and Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in the United States to coordinate PhD employment outcome activities in their constituent universities to produce robust and comparable datasets using common methodologies. The formation of the Coalition for Next Generation Life Sciences is an important step in this direction [ 11 ]. The 10,000 PhD Project provides a template for other universities to conduct similar studies without the use of expensive surveys that often have poor completion rates.

Informing graduate education

The realization that the majority of PhD graduates do not assume tenure-track positions can inform and indeed transform graduate education. The apprenticeship model whereby professors essentially train their replacements is outmoded. In today’s dynamic economy and job market, academic supervisors need to embrace and indeed, celebrate the diversity of careers their PhDs graduates obtain, as many graduates move well beyond the comfortable confines of the academic world. A 2010 survey of 4109 PhD science students at 39 top US research universities found that most students, often with the encouragement of their advisors, initially aspire to a faculty position with a focus on research but over the course of their graduate studies this goal becomes less attractive, perhaps after experiencing the challenges of academic life first-hand or learning about other rewarding career paths [ 18 ].

Graduate students often find the transition from school to work difficult, highlighting the need to embed professional development within graduate programs, where students can develop their transferable skills and professional networks [ 19 , 20 ]. Skill gaps analyses in Canada [ 21 ] and the US [ 22 ] have highlighted the importance of equipping trainees with the skills (leadership, project management, communication, problem-solving, programming, financial and process improvement), etc. employers, especially those employers outside academia, are looking for.

A comprehensive Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group Report [ 23 ] released in 2012 recommended that “NIH should create a program to supplement training grant through competitive review to allow institutions to provide additional training and career development experiences to equip students for various career options and test ways to shorten the PhD training period.” The Report also concluded that the transition of PhDs into the biotech and pharmaceutical industries would be more effective if their training were better aligned with the skills required in these careers. One outcome of this Report is that NIH grantees that support graduate students for doctoral degrees and/or postdoctoral researchers should have Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for these individuals ( http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/ ). The BEST Consortium [ 24 ], funded by NIH, is clearly aimed at implementing best practices to better prepare trainees for diverse career options.

The data from the 10,000 PhDs Project was made available to all Faculties and graduate units within U of T once the searches and data analysis was completed. Further information gleaned from departmental records on their alumni was used to locate an additional 3% of graduates and reduce the number of unknowns. To ensure transparency, this updated employment data of 88% of the graduates is publically-available in an easy to navigate dashboard format on the SGS web-site ( http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/about/Pages/10,000-PhDs-Project.aspx ). Prospective PhD students can use the outcome data to imagine their career possibilities in different disciplines and current graduate students can make more informed career choices.

The 10,000 PhDs Project has shown that PhD graduates from the University of Toronto continue to find employment in the post-secondary education (PSE) sector as professors, but increasingly are finding jobs in other sectors helping to drive an innovation economy. This should not be surprising given their highly-evolved communication, research and technical skills, strong work ethic, and ability to work independently and effectively in multi-disciplinary teams. These are the attributes among the knowledge generators, critical thinkers, innovators and problem solvers that the world needs today.

Supporting information

S1 methodology and survey form..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209898.s001

Acknowledgments

Reinhart Reithmeier (PhD, FCAHS) is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto and was a Special Advisor (2015–17) to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. This article is a synopsis of a Report on the 10,000 PhDs Project submitted by Reinhart Reithmeier to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. An opinion piece on the 10,000 PhDs Project was published previously in University Affairs ( https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/10000-phds-project-closer-look-numbers/ ). The authors thank Locke Rowe, former Dean and Joshua Barker, current Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost of Graduate Research and Education and Vice-Deans Elizabeth Smyth and Luc DeNil for their advice on this project. Karen Williamson is thanked for her interest in the 10,000 PhDs Project and excellent administrative support.

• 1. Porter, S., Mol, S., Johnston, Locher, J. and Johnston, M. (2017) UBC PhD Career Outcomes Report 2005–2013. ( http://outcomes.grad.ubc.ca/docs/UBC_PhD_Career_Outcomes_April2017.pdf ).
• 2. Edge, J. and Munro, D. (2015) Inside and Outside the Academy: Valuing and Preparing PhDs for Careers, The Conference Board of Canada. ( http://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=7564 ).
• 3. McGill’s PhD Outcomes: Report on 2013 and 2014 Survey Results. (2015) McGill Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. ( https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/files/gps/channels/attach/mcgill_graduate_outcomes_survey_report_2015.pdf ).
• 4. The Stanford PhD Alumni Employment Project (2015) Stanford University. ( http://web.stanford.edu/dept/pres-provost/irds/phdjobs )
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• 6. Wood LM and Townsend RB (2013) The Many Careers of History PhDs: A Study of Job Outcomes, Spring 2013. The American Historical Association. ( https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-diversity-for-historians/career-diversity-resources/the-many-careers-of-history-phds ).
• 8. Allum J.R., Kent J.D. and McCarthy M.T. (2014). Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement: A CGS Report. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools. ( https://cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_PhDCareerPath_report_finalHires.pdf ).
• 9. Denecke D., Feaster K., & Stone K. (2017). Professional development: Shaping effective programs for STEM graduate students. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools. ( http://cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_ProfDev_STEMGrads16_web.pdf ).
• 10. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. The Next Generation of Biomedical and Behavioural Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through. Washington, DC: The National Academies press. ( https://doi/org/10.17226/25008 ).
• 12. Jonker L. (2016) Ontario’s PhD Graduates from 2009: Where are they now? Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. ( http://www.heqco.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/Ontario%27s-PhD-Graduates-from-2009-ENG.pdf ).
• 13. Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016287. ( http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/olc-cel/olc.action?objId=98-400-X2016287&objType=46&lang=en&limit=0 ).
• 14. Desjardin, L. and King, D. (2011) Expectations and Labour Market Outcomes of Doctoral Graduates from Canadian Universities. Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Studies Catalogue no. 81-595-M—No. 089. ( http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2011089-eng.pdf ).
• 17. Turk-Bickal , Berger A. and Haxton C. (2014) The nonacademic careers of STEM PhD holders. (Data Brief) Washington D.C.: American Institutes for Research ( https://www.air.org/resource/nonacademic-careers-stem-ph-d-holders ).
• 19. Reithmeier, R.A.F. and Kelleher, C. (2016) Mentorship Matters: The Case for Graduate Professional Development. Academic Matters. ( https://academicmatters.ca/2016/01/mentorship-matters-the-case-for-graduate-professional-development/ ).
• 21. Munro, D. and Stuckey, J. (2013) The need to make skills work: the cost of Ontario’s skill gap. Conference Board of Canada Report ( https://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=5563 ).
• 23. Tilghman et al. 2012 Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group Report ( https://acd.od.nih.gov/documents/reports/Biomedical_research_wgreport.pdf ).

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• PhD Program

PhD Tuition and Funding

A&s tuition, fees & base funding package - 2023-24.

2023-24 full-time = $8,213.96  ($6,210.00 tuition + $2,003.96 mandatory incidental fees) 

International

• 2023-24 full-time = $8,969.96  ($6,210.00 tuition + $2,003.96 mandatory incidental fees + $756.00 UHIP)

PhD Program Funding

In 2001, the Faculty of Arts and Science introduced a base funding package for eligible graduate students. This package has increased substantially over time. The base funding package helps the Faculty to recruit outstanding students and allows these students to focus on their studies and complete their degrees in a timely manner.

Students are responsible for any course-related expenses, as well as payment of their tuition and fees. Tuition and fees are subject to change on an annual basis. In 2023-24, the tuition fee for full-time domestic PhD students is $8,213.96. Additional information is available on the Student Accounts website . 

The base funding package consists of a University of Toronto Fellowship (UTF) and a Research Assistant Stipend (RA Stipend). There is a possibility of top-ups from sources such as the Program-Level Fellowship.

More Information

Program-level fellowships (plfs).

PLFs are provided by Faculty of Arts and Science. For the 2023-24 academic year, the Faculty of Arts and Science is allocating $1,000 for each registered PhD and MA student. The distribution of funds is determined in consultation with graduate students each year. For the 2023-24 year, we will distribute 50% of allocated funds to MA and PhD students' base funding ($500 per MA and Year 1-5 PhD students) and the other 50% to Black, Indigenous, and other racialized MA and PhD students.

Research Assistantship (RA)

RA Position

Faculty members can hire students to assist with their research. Faculty members pay students from their research funds and in addition to base funding. RA Position is paid as a taxable T4 and involves hourly rates for your research-related work for a faculty member. It is paid as you are completing the work. There is a contract between a student and a faculty member outlining the specifics of this position.

RAship Stipend

PhD students receive an RA stipend of $800 included in the base-funding. The RA stipend helps students to connect with faculty members and their research. Consult your funding letter. RA Stipend is paid into your account by direct deposit in October. 

TAships play a very important role in the Centre’s educational mandate for both graduate and undergraduate students. Therefore, the decisions about TA assignments are made by the Centre’s director, both Associate Directors, with administrative support from Undergraduate Adminstrative Coordinator and Graduate Administrator. 

The hourly rates and the total number of TA hours are regulated through the university’s Collective Agreements with CUPE3902, Uni 1. The current agreement sets a limit of $7,755 to be counted towards base funding for students entering in year 1. Any TA earnings beyond this level will augment a graduate student's actual income, and cannot be offset by lower levels of financial support from other sources (UTF and RA).

TA Assignments, Contracts, and Training Timeline

• May:  The Subsequent Appointment System opens for students in Year 2 and beyond to declare whether they want to hold an appointment in the coming year, and to provide some details about the kind of TA-ship they want, and on which campus. 
• July: You will get a provisional TA assignment on the  TAship site . 
• July: for F/Y terms and in November for S term:  Any TA Job Posting  Applications  will be made available.
• August 11 for F/Y term and December 11 for S term:  You will receive your TA contract. 
• September 1:  Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours (DDAH) forms outlining TA duties and specifying the hours assigned to them, have to be confirmed by both the TA and course instructor on the  TAship Online System
• Questions regrading TA assignments at the St. George campus can be sent to  Colleen Osborn .  Questions regrading TA assignments at the UTM campus can be sent to   Sabrin Mohamed   Questions regrading TA assignments and DDAH forms at the UTSC campus can be sent to  Milene Neves  

How is your funding paid?

The stipend part of University of Toronto Fellowship payments are paid through direct deposit. To set up direct deposit, follow these steps:

• Log into your ACORN account. 
• Ensure your contact information, including address, is up-to-date under Profile & Settings . 
• Click on Financial Account  in the left menu. 
• Select Direct Deposit  and enter your banking information. You will need your transit number, bank number, and account number. 
• Banking Authorization Form
• Void cheque or printout from bank with account information
• TD1 Tax Form, TD1-ON Tax Form
• Photocopy of Social Insurance Number (SIN) card, and
• Photocopy of study permit (if not a citizen or resident of Canada).
• Note to international students: If you do not have a Social Insurance Number, please secure the information required by Services Canada in applying for a Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN). You must have a valid Social Insurance Number in order to earn income in Canada. 

Important notes:

• ACORN/ROSI and U of T's payroll HR system are not connected and therefore any changes to your information must be submitted separately for each system.
• Payroll entries must be processed by the payroll close date, which is typically about the 15th of the month, and about the 7th in December. Your information must reach the Department Manager in sufficient time to allow for processing.

When to expect payment

UTF payment comes in two forms: a stipend and tuition.

• The stipend is paid three times a year: at the beginning of September, January, and May.
• The tuition is paid directly into the student account in two instalments, in September and January.

CGS-M, SSHRC, FAST and OGS awards are paid in three instalments in September, January, and May. Students holding CGS-M, SSHRC and OGS awards are responsible for paying their tuition as it is NOT automatically deducted from these awards.

TA payments come on the 28th of the month, but only for the months the student teaches. If, for example, the student’s TAship is in the Fall semester only, the payments will be deposited in September, October, November, and December. The Winter payments come in January, February, March and April.

RAship Stipend is paid into your account in October by direct deposit.

Additional Funding Sources

Work-study program.

Every year the Centre hires work-study students to provide employment and career development opportunities. This is a part of the University of Toronto financial aid program. Students may apply for the positions advertised by the Centre, but also for positions advertised by individual faculty members and other departments.

Work-Study positions for the 2024-25 academic year will be made available on the Career Learning Network website .

Job postings will be made available to view in August 2024. All students registered as full time for the 2024-25 year will be eligible to apply.

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The 10,000 PhDs project at the University of Toronto: Using employment outcome data to inform graduate education

Reinhart reithmeier.

1 Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2 School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Liam O’Leary

Xiaoyue zhu, corey dales, abokor abdulkarim, lochin brouillard, samantha chang, samantha miller, wenyangzi shi, associated data.

All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Data can be visualized in graphical form on the School of Graduate studies web-site: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/about/Pages/10 ,000-PhDs-Project.aspx.

The purpose of the 10,000 PhDs Project was to determine the current (2016) employment status of the 10,886 individuals who graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD in all disciplines from 2000–2015. Using internet searches, we found that about half (51%) of the PhD graduates are employed in the post-secondary education sector, 26% as tenure-track professors, with an additional 3% as adjunct professors and 2% as full-time teaching-stream professors. Over the time-period 2000–2015 there has been a near doubling in PhD graduates with the biggest increase in graduation numbers for the Physical (2.6–fold) and Life Sciences (2.2-fold). Increasingly, these graduates are finding employment in the private and public sectors providing the highly qualified personnel needed to drive an innovation economy.

Introduction

The need for phd employment outcome data.

The research enterprise within universities and affiliated institutions is driven largely by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in an apprenticeship model where supervisors train the next generation of scientists and scholars. But, do PhD graduates necessarily follow in their supervisors’ footsteps in an era of flattened university hiring and increasingly competitive research funding? If not, then where exactly do today’s PhDs end up working?

Employment outcome data for PhD graduates is limited [ 1 – 7 ] making it difficult for educators to know what skills and knowledge graduates will need for career success when they complete their programs. To fill the gap, groups like the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) have called for the systematized tracking of career pathways and enhanced professional development activities [ 8 , 9 ]. Indeed, a 2018 Consensus Study Report [ 10 ] of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine recommends that “Biomedical research institutions should collect, analyze, and disseminate comprehensive data on outcomes, demographics, and career aspiration of biomedical pre- and postdoctoral researchers using common standards and definitions developed by the institutions in concert with the National Institutes of Health.” In response, a consortium of nine US research institutes has launched a new initiative “The Coalition for Next Generation Life Science” ( www.nglscoalition.org ) focused on transparency to make “meaningful data on career outcomes available to trainees” [ 11 ].

In this paper we describe the results of 10,000 PhDs Project, which determined the current (2016) employment positions of the 10,886 individuals who graduated with a PhD in all disciplines from the University of Toronto (U of T) between 2000 to 2015 with a success rate of over 85%. An initiative of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) at U of T, the 10,000 PhDs Project relied entirely on internet searches of publically-available data sources to track the career trajectories of graduates. No surveys were conducted and no individuals were contacted. The same methodology (described below) was used by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) in their survey of 2009 Ontario PhD graduates [ 12 ].

Each of the five main employment sectors–post-secondary education (PSE), private, public, charitable and individual–were subdivided by job description. The data were analyzed for each of the four U of T graduate divisions: humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences. The data were further analyzed by gender, by citizenship (Canadian/Permanent Resident/International), and by employment location.

A complete description of the search methodology, definitions of employment sectors, job descriptions, and the data fields in the survey form are provided in Supporting Information ( S1 Methodology and Survey Form ). Briefly, a team of researchers was recruited from a pool of senior undergraduates and graduate students at U of T. Researchers went through an extensive training period that included pilot searches, job classifications and confidentiality. Lists of PhD graduates from existing graduate student registry data were provided by the SGS, which included the following identifiers:

■ Year of Graduation                ■Graduate Division

■ Full legal name                       ■Department/Graduate Unit

■ Field of Study                        ■Gender

■ Thesis Title                            ■Country of Citizenship

■ Supervisor(s)                        ■Status in Canada

Starting with the year of graduation researchers conducted systematic searches on Google using the full name, PhD (University of Toronto) and field of study to determine the current and any previous employment, as well as any further education pursued by the graduates. A secondary search used Google Scholar to perform a literature search of the publication history of the alumnus to determine location/institution information as well as time spent at the institution by assessing author affiliation and publication dates. A tertiary search used the supervisor or home department websites to retrieve any alumni information from these public sources. The most useful sources of information were: Google Scholar and on-line publications, university and corporate web-sites and directories, personal web-sites and Linked-In. Access to the survey interface was restricted to researchers based on their unique University of Toronto Identifier (UTORID). The data was entered into individual survey forms (See Supporting Information ) created in and uploaded securely to SharePoint. The researchers who participated in data collection no longer had access to the data once each submission was completed. No data was ever stored on personal computers. The researchers worked together to do individual searches one calendar year at a time in random order, taking about 15–30 minutes per search and inputting of data. The searches were carried out over an 8-month period from June 2016 to January 2017 at a total cost of $50,000 to pay the part-time student researchers.

Once verified and entered into the survey form (Supporting Information), researchers filled in other sections that included PhD Field of Study, Research Activity, Employment Sector, and Skills pertaining to their current employment. Data was only recorded if it was found in two or more reliable internet sources such as publications, university or company web-sites and staff directories. The research coordinator (Liam O’Leary) and project supervisor (Reinhart Reithmeier) reviewed the annual data once completed to look for any anomalies or inconsistencies, especially with regard to job classification.

Using this methodology, we were able to locate 85% of the PhD graduates. These data sets are a collection of the employment status in 2016 of the PhDs who graduated from the U of T from 2000 to 2015 without any personal identification. The data for U of T, the four graduate divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences), Faculties, and individual graduate departments are represented as tables and pie charts were generated using Excel spreadsheets of the exported data.

The research protocol for the 10,000 PhDs project was reviewed by the Research Oversight and Compliance Office at the University of Toronto. Because the project would only be accessing publically-available data and no individuals would be contacted or identified as part of this research project, the Office confirmed that Research Ethics Board approval would not be required. Researchers who were collecting data signed a confidentiality agreement that was approved by legal counsel at the University of Toronto.

Results and discussion

Increase in number of phd graduates.

The U of T is Canada’s largest university with approximately 75,000 undergraduates and 17,000 graduate students enrolled in masters, professional masters and PhD programs. U of T is the highest-ranked research-intensive university in Canada and among the top-ranked public universities in the five most prestigious international rankings: #22 in the Times Higher Education ( https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-world ), #28 in the QS World Rankings ( https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings ), #23 in the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy ( https://www.statista.com/statistics/226665/academic-ranking-of-world-universities/ ), #20 in the U.S. News Best Global Universities and #4 by the National Taiwan University ( http://nturanking.lis.ntu.edu.tw/ ). Comparable public universities in the United States would include the University of California universities, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Pennsylvania State University, University of Illinois, Purdue University, University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of Washington, University of Minnesota and University of Massachusetts, among others.

Between 2000 and 2015, U of T witnessed a near 2-fold increase in the annual number of PhD graduates from 494 to 901, in part as government-driven strategies to invest in highly qualified personnel to build an innovation-based economy ( Fig 1 ). The School of Graduate Studies at U of T is organized into four divisions: Physical Sciences (including the Faculty of Engineering), Life Sciences (dominated by graduate students in the Faculty of Medicine), Social Sciences (including the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), and Humanities. The division that saw the greatest increase in the number of graduates was Physical Sciences (2.6-fold), followed by Life Sciences (2.2-fold) and then Social Sciences (1.4-fold). There was no increase in the annual number of Humanities graduates, which has remained steady at about 100 for each year.

PhD graduates are employed in various sectors of the economy

Fig 2 shows the distribution of U of T PhD graduates from 2000–2015 in various employment sectors, as determined via internet searches carried out in 2016. Using this methodology, we were able to determine the current employment positions of 85% of the graduates. Of these, about half (51%) are currently employed in the post-secondary education (PSE) sector; 26% are employed as tenure-track professors. Tenure-track professors are those who are tenured or tenure-stream, teach at the undergraduate and graduate level in their discipline and typically conduct research support by grants, supervise graduate students and post-doctoral scholars and publish in their field of study. An additional 2.3% are employed as full-time teaching-stream professors. These professors are primarily focused on teaching and pedagogy, typically employed in small undergraduate-degree granting universities or in colleges. Another significant group at 3.4% are adjunct professors who are commonly employed as independent research scientists in university-affiliated research institutes. They have a similar job description to tenure-track faculty with a primary focus on research, training graduate students and post-doctoral scholars and may be involved in teaching activities. Thus, about 1/3 of U of T PhD graduates from 2000 to 2015 currently hold full-time positions as university professors. Others are employed in the PSE sector as full-time (1.6%) or part-time/sessional lecturers (3.6%), mostly in the Humanities, and as research associates (3.4%), or university administrators (2.3%). Some, mostly recent (2012–15) graduates, are continuing their education as post-doctoral fellows (6.9%) or in professional schools (1%). 18% are employed in the Private Sector, 10% in the Public Sector, and 3% each in the Charitable/Not-for-Profit Sector and the Individual/Self-employed Sector.

The Post-Secondary Education (PSE) Sector in blue includes tenure-track professors, adjunct professors, teaching-stream professors, full-time and part-time lecturers, university administrators, research associates, and those continuing their education as post-doctoral fellows and in professional schools.

The positions of 15% of graduates could not be determined by internet searches alone and they are classified as “unknowns’. For some individuals we could not find two independent sources of career information and others did not have a professional (web-site, LinkedIn, etc.) on-line presence. Some recent (2015) graduates still self-identified as PhD students. The 10,000 PhDs Project did not determine unemployment rates or salary levels. However, 2016 census data [ 13 ] from Statistics Canada showed that unemployment rate for the 176,750 PhDs in the Canadian job market, including those with PhD degrees from abroad, was 5.1%, which is lower than the 7.7% rate for the general population. A Statistics Canada study [ 14 ] of 2005 PhD graduates found that their median income was $65,000 two years after graduation, but this includes many who were employed as post-doctoral fellows and is much higher than the median income ($41,400) of Canadians employed on a full-time basis.

The percentage of graduates currently employed as tenure-track professors varied with graduate division ( Fig 3 .), with the highest in Humanities (36%) and Social Sciences (36%), followed by Physical Sciences (22%) and Life Sciences (18%). In contrast, the percentage of graduates working in the Private Sector was highest for Physical Sciences (34%), followed by Life Sciences (17%), Social Sciences (10%) and Humanities (5%). By Faculty, the Rotman School of Management had the highest percentage (72%) of their PhD graduates currently employed as tenure-track professors, followed by the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work (58%), the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (48%) and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (44%). In contrast, 15% of the Life Science graduates in the Faculty of Medicine are currently employed as tenure-track professors.

Employment in the Private and Public Sectors

Fig 4 shows the distribution of PhD graduates currently employed in different industries in the Private Sector. At 26% of the those employed in the Private Sector, Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals employs the highest number of graduates, primarily from Life Sciences. Companies in Engineering/Computing Technology (14%), Information Technology (10%), and Banking, Finance and Investment (10%) mainly employ Physical Science graduates working for major Canadian banks and investment firms. For graduates in IT, the major employers are international companies like Google, Microsoft, Intel and IBM with graduates working in Canada and the USA. The third-ranked term “Other” refers mainly to those working in private firms as psychologists, social workers, etc. In the Public Sector, major employers of PhD graduates (mainly Social Sciences and Life Sciences graduates) are federal, provincial and municipal governments and hospitals. These individuals are commonly employed to work on research projects and in policy.

Employment sector trends from 2000–2015

Fig 5 shows major employment sectors for each year from 2000–2015. The uptake into tenure-track positions has remained constant over the time period 2000–2011 with about 200 graduates from each year assuming tenure-track positions. While it would appear that more recent graduates are finding tenure-track in numbers lower than older cohorts, this is likely a temporary phenomenon associated with the multi-year process, including post-doctoral positions, of applying for, and finally being hired into, such positions. The tenure-track employment rates of 2012–2015 graduates would likely reach the same levels as earlier cohorts by 2020.

The vast majority of graduates currently employed as post-doctoral fellows are in the Physical and Life Sciences. Interestingly, only about ¼ of the 2015 graduates are post-doctoral fellows, with the remainder moving directly into employment. Thus, the majority of the most recent PhD graduates do not follow the traditional pathway of pursuing a post-doctoral fellow position, a necessary prerequisite for faculty positions in the Life and Physical Sciences. The number of graduates who are currently post-doctoral fellows decreased steadily for those who graduated earlier than 2015 ( Fig 5 ) with very few 2011 graduates currently employed at post-doctoral fellows. Projecting forward from 2011, if the number of PhD graduates who become tenure-track professors remains constant at about 200 per graduating year ( Fig 5 , dark blue bar) about half of the ~250 individuals who graduated in 2015 who are currently in post-doctoral positions ( Fig 5 , light blue bar) will become professors. Given that the number of graduates who obtain tenure-track positions has remained constant and the number of graduates has almost doubled, the percentage of recent graduates who become professors is about half of the 40% of 2010 graduates.

The bar graph shows that while the number of PhD graduates employed at tenure-track professors has remained constant, the number finding employment in other sectors particularly the private and public sectors has increased. This is particularly true for Physical and Life Science graduates, who make up the bulk of the increase in number of graduates. Examples of job titles (President, Vice-President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Director, Senior Scientist, Senior Consultant, Manager, Partner, etc.) indicate that graduates working in the Private and Public Sectors have assumed a variety of managerial or executive leadership positions.

Where in the world are U of T PhD graduates employed?

About 2/3 (66%) of the found U of T PhD graduates are employed in Canada, 21% in the United States and 13% internationally ( Table 1 ). The majority (76%) of Canadian graduates are employed in Canada, while 17% go to the US, often temporarily as post-doctoral fellows. 7% of Canadian graduates are employed outside of North America. Permanent residents tend to stay in Canada (56%), although about 25% go to the United States. About equal percentages of international graduates stay in Canada, go to the US or return home, although this varies with citizenship. For example, 68% of American graduates from U of T return to the US for employment, most commonly as tenure-track professors in the Humanities.

Of the PhD graduates who are currently tenure-track professors, 60% are employed in Canada at over 60 different universities with U of T, York University and Ryerson University as the top employers–all in the Toronto area, suggesting a strong local geographic preference. Of all the professors hired at U of T over the period 2000–2015 about 15% are U of T PhD graduates; 85% of the hires are graduates from other universities. 24% of tenure-track professors are employed in the US, and 16% in international universities, mostly in China/Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Middle East.

An about equal number of women (49%) and men (51%) graduated with a PhD from U of T from 2000 to 2015 ( Table 2 ), although this varies by division: women make up 24% of PhD graduates in Physical Sciences, 55% in Life Sciences, 65% in Social Sciences and 55% in Humanities. Women PhD graduates are well-represented in tenure-track (46%) and full-time teaching-stream (51%) professor positions. At U of T there is a nearly equal distribution of the 257 male and female U of T PhD graduates from 2000 to 2015 currently employed as tenure-track professors, while women predominate teaching-stream professor positions.

Other comparable PhD outcome studies

A PhD outcome survey for 2005–13 graduates was recently completed by the University of British Columbia [ 1 ] using a combination of surveys (49% response rate) and internet searches (91% overall completion rate). The results obtained are remarkably similar to the 10,000 PhDs Project. They found that of the 3750 graduates: 51% are in the PSE sector, 26% in the private sector and 13% in the public and not-for-profit sectors. 60% are employed in Canada and again, Canadian citizens tend (75%) to be employed in Canada. About 1/3 of International student graduates stay in Canada, 1/3 go to the USA, and 1/3 return to their home countries.

An April 26, 2016 report [ 12 ] by Linda Jonker from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) entitled “ Ontario’s PhD Graduates from 2009 : where are they now ?” found that 51% of PhD graduates from 2009 graduating all Ontario universities (~30% from U of T) were currently employed within the PSE sector, 29% as university professors, 4% primarily teaching at a university both full-time and part-time, 3% affiliated as status-only professors, 9% in research at universities (as post-doctoral fellows, research associates, etc.), 2% in colleges, and 3% in other roles at universities. 34% of the graduates are employed outside academia and employment information for the remaining 15% could not be found. The corresponding data from the 10,000 PhDs Project for 2009 U of T graduates is very similar with 51% in the PSE sector and 27.5% as tenure-track professors and 5% as full-time university lecturers or teaching-stream professors. Similarly, the current employment status of 15% of the 2009 U of T PhD graduates could not be determined. Both studies found that about 2/3 of PhD graduates that were found are employed in Canada. The HEQCO study used internet-based searches to identify where PhD graduates are currently working and the 10,000 PhDs Project used the same methodology. The finding that the percentage of U of T PhD graduates who are currently tenure-track professors is similar to the percentage of PhD 2009 graduates from all Ontario universities stands in contrast to the United States where institutional prestige plays an enormous role in shaping faculty hiring across disciplines [ 15 ]. An earlier 2015 Conference Board of Canada survey [ 2 ] found that about 40% of all PhDs working in Canada were employed in the PSE sector, 18.6% as professors, but these numbers include individuals with PhDs from universities outside Canada.

Using internet searches, Stanford University [ 4 ] determined the initial employment (within 1 year of graduation) and current (2013) employment of two graduation cohorts: a 10-year cohort (2002–03 graduates) and a 5-year cohort (2007–09). They located 2,420 graduates and determined 74% of the initial and 81% of the current positions. In terms of current employment, 45% are in the academic sector, 32% in business, 2% in government and 3% in the non-profit sector. Stanford was the top employer of Stanford graduates as tenure-track professors. PhD alumni in Humanities have a high percentage (77%) of being currently employed in the academia while engineering graduates (48%) tended to be employed in business most commonly by companies like Google and Intel. There is a strong local geographical preference for the San Francisco Bay area for Stanford graduates as we found for U of T graduates for the Greater Toronto area.

Heggeness and colleagues [ 16 ] used public data from the US census to build a comprehensive picture of career outcomes for PhDs in the biomedical sciences ( http://www.sjscience.org/article?id=570 ). In 2004 there were 26,000 individuals under 40 working as biomedical scientists, mostly as trainees. By 2011 this number had increased to 36,000 with four out of five working outside academia in good agreement with our findings (18% of Life Sciences PhD graduates are employed as tenure-track professors with an additional 7% adjunct professors working in hospital-based research institutes). They highlight the “need to gather and communicate data about what careers past trainees have followed so that current trainees can benefit from this experience.”

An analysis of the 2010 Survey of Doctoral Recipients (SDR) found that over 60% of the STEM PhD holders who graduated from 1959 to 2010 are currently working in the United States are employed in non-academic careers mostly for private businesses mostly in R &D or in government [ 17 ]. Women and minorities were more likely to work in government or non-STEM fields than other groups performing work unassociated with R&D. They conclude “PhD students lack training in areas that may feature strongly in their career pursuits.”

It would be very useful to compare the employment outcome data obtained in the 10,000 PhDs project to similar studies carried out at universities in Canada, the USA and internationally. As mentioned in the Introduction, such comprehensive data is not readily available and, in some cases, different methodologies and survey instruments were used making comparisons difficult. It will perhaps fall onto national organizations such as the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Canada and Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in the United States to coordinate PhD employment outcome activities in their constituent universities to produce robust and comparable datasets using common methodologies. The formation of the Coalition for Next Generation Life Sciences is an important step in this direction [ 11 ]. The 10,000 PhD Project provides a template for other universities to conduct similar studies without the use of expensive surveys that often have poor completion rates.

Informing graduate education

The realization that the majority of PhD graduates do not assume tenure-track positions can inform and indeed transform graduate education. The apprenticeship model whereby professors essentially train their replacements is outmoded. In today’s dynamic economy and job market, academic supervisors need to embrace and indeed, celebrate the diversity of careers their PhDs graduates obtain, as many graduates move well beyond the comfortable confines of the academic world. A 2010 survey of 4109 PhD science students at 39 top US research universities found that most students, often with the encouragement of their advisors, initially aspire to a faculty position with a focus on research but over the course of their graduate studies this goal becomes less attractive, perhaps after experiencing the challenges of academic life first-hand or learning about other rewarding career paths [ 18 ].

Graduate students often find the transition from school to work difficult, highlighting the need to embed professional development within graduate programs, where students can develop their transferable skills and professional networks [ 19 , 20 ]. Skill gaps analyses in Canada [ 21 ] and the US [ 22 ] have highlighted the importance of equipping trainees with the skills (leadership, project management, communication, problem-solving, programming, financial and process improvement), etc. employers, especially those employers outside academia, are looking for.

A comprehensive Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group Report [ 23 ] released in 2012 recommended that “NIH should create a program to supplement training grant through competitive review to allow institutions to provide additional training and career development experiences to equip students for various career options and test ways to shorten the PhD training period.” The Report also concluded that the transition of PhDs into the biotech and pharmaceutical industries would be more effective if their training were better aligned with the skills required in these careers. One outcome of this Report is that NIH grantees that support graduate students for doctoral degrees and/or postdoctoral researchers should have Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for these individuals ( http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/ ). The BEST Consortium [ 24 ], funded by NIH, is clearly aimed at implementing best practices to better prepare trainees for diverse career options.

The data from the 10,000 PhDs Project was made available to all Faculties and graduate units within U of T once the searches and data analysis was completed. Further information gleaned from departmental records on their alumni was used to locate an additional 3% of graduates and reduce the number of unknowns. To ensure transparency, this updated employment data of 88% of the graduates is publically-available in an easy to navigate dashboard format on the SGS web-site ( http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/about/Pages/10,000-PhDs-Project.aspx ). Prospective PhD students can use the outcome data to imagine their career possibilities in different disciplines and current graduate students can make more informed career choices.

The 10,000 PhDs Project has shown that PhD graduates from the University of Toronto continue to find employment in the post-secondary education (PSE) sector as professors, but increasingly are finding jobs in other sectors helping to drive an innovation economy. This should not be surprising given their highly-evolved communication, research and technical skills, strong work ethic, and ability to work independently and effectively in multi-disciplinary teams. These are the attributes among the knowledge generators, critical thinkers, innovators and problem solvers that the world needs today.

Supporting information

S1 methodology and survey form, acknowledgments.

Reinhart Reithmeier (PhD, FCAHS) is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto and was a Special Advisor (2015–17) to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. This article is a synopsis of a Report on the 10,000 PhDs Project submitted by Reinhart Reithmeier to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. An opinion piece on the 10,000 PhDs Project was published previously in University Affairs ( https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/10000-phds-project-closer-look-numbers/ ). The authors thank Locke Rowe, former Dean and Joshua Barker, current Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost of Graduate Research and Education and Vice-Deans Elizabeth Smyth and Luc DeNil for their advice on this project. Karen Williamson is thanked for her interest in the 10,000 PhDs Project and excellent administrative support.

Funding Statement

The 10,000 PhDs Project was an initiative of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, that provided internal funding for this project.

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