In February 2017 we first considered the question of whether a sustained PER PhD specialization in a physics department correlates with the number of physics bachelor’s degrees awarded. We found an apparent connection.1 In September 2018, we examined that relationship more closely and found that the number of students earning bachelor’s degrees in physics appears to grow faster at PhD departments with a sustained PER specialization than in PhD departments that do not have the specialization, with substantially larger effects evident in larger departments.2 Over the next three months, we will consider the representation of women among physics bachelor’s degree recipients in PhD departments with a sustained PER specialization compared to those with no PER specialization.
We use the same data from our prior studies with the exception of limiting the analysis to departments that provided information on the number of men and women earning degrees in at...