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[ex_libris]

I applied to Ph.D. programs this cycle and am starting to get acceptances (yay!). I'm trying to make a list of pros and cons for different programs to help me make a decision, and there's one thing that I think is very important, but I can't quite figure out how best to address it: job prospects after graduation.

Obviously, I'm taking into account the placement history for each individual program and, to a somewhat lesser degree, rankings. But I applied to  programs in two different social science fields (I'd be able to do the research I want to do in either, just from slightly different angles), and I'm wondering if I should choose one field over another based on growth/job openings.

I've looked at projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/OCO/ocos066.htm) and at job postings here at CHE. Can anyone recommend somewhere else I should be looking as well? Or, if this is not such a great approach, recommend a better one? Thanks!

[kedves]

Where you should look depends on what you want to do.  Do you plan an academic career, or are you interested in other options (government, foundations, business, NGOs)? 

If you want an academic career and one of the social science fields you are considering is sociology, then you probably know that the ASA has done job-bank studies for 2006 and 2008; those reports are on the ASA site.  Within sociology, some fields are in higher demand than others.  If you are considering other social sciences, I would look at the sites of their associations to see if there is something similar. 

[ex_libris]

I would very much prefer an academic career. However, knowing the skewed ratio of Ph.D.s to job openings in the social sciences, I realize I should be open to other options as well. Thanks for the suggestion of looking at the association sites; I'll definitely do that.

Also, how difficult is it to switch departments once your degree is in hand? For example, if one were to research gender issues in a sociology program, would that qualify one to teach in a women's studies department?

[systeme_d_]

I would very much prefer an academic career. However, knowing the skewed ratio of Ph.D.s to job openings in the social sciences, I realize I should be open to other options as well. Thanks for the suggestion of looking at the association sites; I'll definitely do that.

Also, how difficult is it to switch departments once your degree is in hand? For example, if one were to research gender issues in a sociology program, would that qualify one to teach in a women's studies department?

Women's studies programs like to hire folks with PhDs specifically in Women's Studies, but it is not at all uncommon for folks to be hired into a women's studies department with a degree in another field.  Most of these hires have earned a certificate in Women's Studies while in their PhD programs.  Certificates are usually earned by taking a certain amount of graduate level classes specifically in women's studies.  Of course, this requires a commitment beyond one's usual disciplinary coursework.

At many colleges and universities, Women's Studies programs are not departments unto themselves, but are instead "programs."  This usually means that many (sometimes all) of the faculty teaching the classes in the program are drawn from departments across the university.  These faculty often have certificates in Women's Studies, but not always.

[canadatourismguy]

I have a PhD in Geography and teach in a Business school but I seem to be a rare breed.