Does It Matter Where I Go to College?

Effects of physics departments on student outcomes

by Rachel Ivie and Kim Nies

Highlights

Does the type of department make any difference in the post-graduation lives of physics bachelors? This report compares outcomes for physics bachelors from large and small departments, defined by number of bachelor’s degrees awarded. It also looks at differences in physics bachelors’ outcomes between departments that grant PhDs in physics and those that award only a bachelor’s degree in physics.
Physics bachelors from large departments are more likely to attend graduate or professional school with the intention of earning a degree in any field than physics bachelors from smaller departments (Figure 1).
Graduates of large departments rate their physics and math preparation for a career more highly than graduates of smaller departments ( Figure 2). Graduates from departments that offer only bachelor’s degrees in physics rate their career communication and teamwork preparation more highly than graduates of departments that offer PhDs in physics ( Figure 3).
Physics bachelors are more satisfied with the department climate when they graduate from departments that do not offer graduate degrees in physics ( Figure 4 ).
Many very important outcomes are not affected by size and type of department, including salary, working in a science or technology job, and length of time spent looking for work ( Table 1).
Physics departments whose bachelors were very satisfied with the department’s climate in the early 1990s had higher numbers of graduates per FTE faculty member in the mid- to late-1990s ( Figure 5). This occurred in spite of the overall decline in the number of physics bachelors during the 1990s.