2019 acs graduate Student Survey Report

3.1. Career Interests and Plans
Students’ rankings of career interests are reflected in Table 3.1.1, wherein industry (41.2%) and 
academia (38.0%) were by far the most likely to be highly ranked, followed by interest in govern-
ment (11.6%), entrepreneurship (4.9%) and nonprofit (4.4%). Considering gender differences, 
female respondents (34.0%) were less likely than male ones (40.0%) to rank academia as a cur-
rent top career interest. This downward trend was also true in the difference between the rank-
ings of working in entrepreneurship for female (3.8%) versus male respondents (7.1%). Female 
respondents (14.1%) were also more likely than male ones (8.8%) to rank a government job as a 
top choice. There was little appreciable difference between the current top career interest rank-
ings of doctoral degree graduate students versus master’s degree students. The 2013 survey 
data asked survey takers to rate their level of interest in a career sector on a five-point scale (five 
being very interested); although different measures were used in 2013, the results show a similar 
pattern and order of career interests in the five different career sectors.
Taking into account the different job areas in the Industry sector, students were more likely to 
select Research & Development (56.5%) than other job areas when asked about their level of 
interest, followed by Manufacturing (13.8%). Considering the job areas in Academia, students 
were more likely to select that they were “very interested” in being a Professor at a Research
Institution (44.8%), followed by their interest in being a Professor at a Primarily Undergradu-
ate Institution (39.8%). It is important to note a distinction between the interests of male versus 
female respondents in academia, where females (36.4%) were far less likely than males (52.2%) 
to select that they were “very interested” working as a Professor at a Research Intensive Insti-
tution. They were more likely to select that they were interested in working as a Professor at a 
Primarily Undergraduate Institution, as well as working as a member of Academic Professional 
Staff. Considering job areas for Entrepreneurship, male respondents (52.7%) were much more 
likely than females (15.4%) to say they were interested starting their own company. This differ-
ence in gender responses echoes the overall results of the 2013 Graduate Student Survey.
For an indication of how their interests may have changed since the start of graduate school, 
students were asked what their top career interests had been at the beginning in comparison to