Data in this report were collected from physics PhDs in the classes of 2000 and 2001, a time when the U.S. economy reached a peak and then entered a downturn. Data were collected from 72% of the class of 2001, a year in which there were 1,214 physics PhDs conferred. The unemployment rate for these classes remained low, at 3%. The proportion of new…

This report follows up the employment status of 1997 physics and astronomy degree recipients. The report notes that: (1) only 2 percent of 1997 doctoral degree recipients were unemployed in the winter of 1998; this is down from a recent high of 6 percent for the class of 1993; (2) half of new physics Ph.D.s in the class of 1997 accepted permanent…

This report provides data on students earning physics and astronomy bachelor's degrees for the 1997-98 academic year. The report notes that: (1) after many years of steady decline, the number of undergraduates earning physics bachelor's degrees has stabilized, with 3,821 degrees awarded in l997-98; (2) declines in undergraduate degrees persist at…