The Initiative’s objective is to make the full range of PhD career pathways visible, valued, and viable for all students.
For more information contact Emily Miller, Deputy Vice President for Institutional Policy
The PhD Education Initiative aims to change the culture surrounding doctoral education at AAU member institutions so that graduate education is more student-centered, placing greater emphasis and focus on students as individuals with diverse educational and professional interests, needs, and challenges.
The long-term goals of the Initiative are:
- Institutional Change. Influence the culture and behavior in departments to foster increased inclusion of current and prospective doctoral students from diverse backgrounds and to provide PhD students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in careers within and beyond academia.
- Data Transparency. Adopt institutional policies and practices to make PhD program data—including data about the career pathways and employment trends of their PhD alumni—widely available.
- Strategies. Highlight and encourage effective university, disciplinary society, and federal agency strategies and programs.
Explore more fully the Initiative's six key terms that guide its approach.
A cohort of eight member universities will implement reforms within STEM, social sciences, arts, and humanities PhD programs over four academic years.
Learn more about data transparency efforts within the PhD Initiative.
See some of the AAU PhD Education Initiative resources designed to share information about promising and effective strategies, practices, and programs to promote institutional and systemic change.
Information about the Initiative's project team, advisory board, and funders.
