Proginoskes wrote:
Dr. Jai Maharaj wrote:
US doctoral degrees in the decline, worried about Indians taking over

PTI
Saturday, August 20, 2005

Washington - The number of Americans earning doctoral
degrees has declined in recent years, "renewing worries"
that the US is losing its dominance in PHD-level
education to rapidly developing nations such as India and
China, according to a media report.

The US in 1970 produced more than half of the world's
doctorates, but if current patterns continue, the country
will be lucky to produce just 15 per cent of the world's
doctorates by 2010, Scripps Howard news service reported.

It said the trend "renews worries" that the US was losing
its dominance in PHD-level education to countries like
India, China.

"We don't know exactly why this is happening. But we do
know that there are financial issues involved, including
the increased debt burden that American students are
facing," said Debra Stewart, president of the Washington-
based council of graduate schools.

In a country where mathematics requirements have been watered down for
high school graduation, and mathematicians (and scientists) looked
"down on" as "nerds", the president of an organization doesn't know why
US students aren't going to graduate school? It ain't all financial,
Debbie. (Granted, a high school diploma is worth about as much as a
sheet of toilet paper, which forces people to go to college and rack up
debts courtesy of credit card companies ...)

--- Christopher Heckman

That's part of it. A country where biologist teachers are forced to
introduce religious doctrine is not going to produce many scientists.
But how many people with PhDs are driving cabs? That's the real
reason. Why lament the paucity of PhDs when the ones you have cannot
find decent employment. Many of the best are wall street quants, where
they retire after ten exhausting years as multi-millionaires. A friend
of my daughters, a very talented lab scientist, got a PhD in biochem
and is now working as a financial advisor because she could never get a
decent job as a biochemist.

It is well and truly said that you cannot push on a noodle. Without
demand, there will never be more PhDs. Anyone who asks me if they
should get a PhD in math, I ask them if they are crazy. If they are
crazy, that is totally obsessed with math, then maybe so. It is not an
entirely rhetorical question. All those other things, disdain for
nerds, lack of respect,..., are a consequence of the fundamental fact
that there is no demand.

When I got my PhD in 1962 there were about 250 PhDs in math a year.
But there was a large demand. Within just a couple years, the number
was pushing, then exceeding 1000/year and suddenly the demand was
filled and there were few jobs by, say, 1968 or 1969 and it has
remained that way since.