There has been much talk in recent years about whether the universities award too many PhDs—and about whether ‘proper’ research jobs actually exist for the recipients. As regards DTU, a new survey conducted by the analysis company Epinion on behalf of the University reveals that a PhD in the field of engineering quickly opens the door to a professionally relevant job, and that the assignments in question typically focus on research. In fact, employment rates among PhDs from DTU are higher than for the labour market in general, on a level with MSc Eng graduates.
“We thought it would be relevant to provide a more solid basis for discussions about the commercial opportunities open to PhDs. And we’re naturally delighted that we can now prove—with hard data—that DTU’s researcher study programmes provide graduates with excellent job opportunities, and that they help develop employees with competencies that are directly useful in both private and public sectors,” relates Martin P. Bendsøe, Senior Vice President and Dean of Graduate Studies and International Affairs.
According to the Epinion survey, an overwhelming majority of the researchers with a PhD from DTU who responded to the questions had no difficulty finding work after graduating. When the survey was conducted, 96 per cent were gainfully employed, and almost half of these people (47 per cent) were working in the private sector. Eleven per cent had found employment in the public sector outside the university sector, and 39 per cent were employed by DTU or another university. The remaining respondents were outside the set categories.
While a large share of the PhD graduates who found their first job within the university sector subsequently started to look towards the private sector, 97 per cent of those who initially found work with a private sector company were still employed in this sector when the survey was completed.
"We’re delighted that we can now prove that DTU’s researcher study programmes provide graduates with excellent job opportunities."
Dean Martin P. Bendsøe
According to the survey, fully 78 per cent are employed to conduct research.
“It is particularly important that so many of our graduates have found work in the private sector, because this is an aspect we focus on when organizing our PhD projects. That the business community can so readily find room for PhD graduates from DTU is highlighted by the fact that our graduates tend to note a high level of correlation between their qualifications and the needs they encounter at the companies that employ them,” adds Martin P. Bendsøe.
Researchers in demand
According to the survey, 90 per cent of respondents thought their PhD work had helped them acquire competencies that greatly or partially prepared them for their current work assignments.
In the private sector, large companies and groups are most keen to take on PhD graduates from DTU. As such, more than half (52 per cent) of the survey respondents had found jobs with enterprises or institutions that employ more than 5,000 people. However, even small companies with up to 50 employees need staff with researcher skills, and nine per cent of survey respondents had fewer than 49 colleagues at work.
Prefer to stay in Copenhagen
The Epinion survey also asked the former PhD students how they landed their first job. To this question, 37 per cent replied they found their first job through professional networks, six per cent through private networks, 29 per cent were headhunted, and just as many applied for an advertized position. Fully 74 per cent had found employment before completing their PhD course.
Slightly more than one in five (22 per cent) have found work outside Denmark, while the remainder seem happy to stay in the Greater Copenhagen Area. Fully 88 per cent of respondents who have found work in Denmark are employed within the Capital Region of Denmark.