Basic Science PhD Graduation Stats & Career Outcomes
Graduation Statistics
To help applicants and others interested in our graduate programs, we provide information on the outcomes of trainees who have enrolled in our graduate programs.
The data presented below are aggregate information from the biomedical PhD programs of the Basic Science Division that are currently accepting students.
These data are based on the 668 students who were enrolled on January 1, 2000 or thereafter and have completed their time at GSBS.
For information on individual graduate programs, please see the program websites.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Percentage of Students Completing the PhD Degree | 88.2% |
| Percentage of Students Completing an MS Degree | 4.3% |
| Percentage of Students Leaving with any Advanced Degree | 92.5% |
| Average Time to PhD Degree | 5.6 years |
Career Outcomes
To help applicants and others interested in our graduate programs, we have summarized information of the careers that are being pursued by the PhD and MD/PhD graduates from the biomedical PhD programs of the Basic Science Division that are currently accepting students. All individuals who graduated from 2000 to the present are included.
Because the Genetics, Molecular & Cellular Biology program admitted its first class in September of 2023, following the merger of two previously existing programs, Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology (CMDB) and Genetics, we include information on completion statistics for all students who were originally in the parent programs.
This information is updated annually.
For information on individual graduate programs, please see the program websites.
| Type of Position | Percentage of Graduates |
|---|---|
| Biotech/Pharma Research | 27.2% |
| Biotech/Pharma Business Support & Development | 10.7% |
| Academic Research Faculty | 10.5% |
| Academic Postdoc Training | 6.5% |
| Clinical Practice | 5.3% |
| Academic Teaching Faculty | 5.1% |
| Residency/Fellowship Training | 4.6% |
| Academic Research Staff | 4.2% |
| Consulting | 4.1% |
| Communications | 3.1% |
| IP/Law | 2.5% |
| Academic Clinical Faculty | 2.2% |
| Academic Admin Staff | 1.9% |
| Education & Outreach | 1.9% |
| Government | 1.5% |
| Non-Science Careers | 1.2% |
| Non-Profit | 0.8% |
| Clinical Support | 0.3% |
| Additional Higher Education | 0.2% |
| Biotech Postdoc Training | 0.2% |
| Deceased | 0.3% |
| Not in the Labor Force | 2.2% |
| Unknown | 3.6% |
Definitions
- Academic Admin Staff - Individuals at an institution of higher education who support the academic mission in a staff role
- Academic Clinical Faculty - Faculty at academic medical centers who primarily provide clinical care and conduct some research
- Academic Postdoc Training - Individuals pursuing postdoctoral training at institutions of higher education
- Academic Research Faculty - Faculty at institutions of higher education who conduct discovery research as a significant portion of their activity
- Academic Research Staff - Individuals conducting laboratory research in a staff role such as staff scientist or research associate at an institution of higher education
- Academic Teaching Faculty - Faculty at institutions of higher education whose primary role is teaching
- Additional Higher Education - Individuals pursuing an additional higher education degree after their GSBS degree
- Biotech Postdoc Training - Individuals pursuing postdoctoral training at biotech companies
- Biotech/Pharma Business Support & Development - Individuals in business development, product development, administration, clinical research management, manufacturing oversight, and similar careers
- Biotech/Pharma Research - Individuals who lead research teams or actively conduct discovery research
- Clinical Practice - Individuals with a clinical degree in addition to the PhD whose primary function is treating patients
- Clinical Support - Individuals at a medical facility who direct or provide clinical laboratory support related to patient care
- Communications - Individuals engaged in science writing, editing or other forms of media
- Consulting - Individuals working for consulting firms that support the science enterprise
- Education & Outreach - Individuals working in the primary or secondary education field
- Deceased
- Government - Individuals working for a government agency such as the NIH, FDA, or others who conduct or support research
- IP/Law - Individuals involved in technology transfer, patent law or other aspects of law
- Non-profit - Individuals working at nonprofit organizations such as NGOs or others that support biomedical science
- Non-science Careers - Individuals pursuing careers not involving science
- Not in the Labor Force - Individuals who are not in the labor force
- Residency/Fellowship Training - Individuals (predominantly MD/PhD graduates) in residency or fellowship training
- Unknown - Individuals for whom current information is unavailable