Survey of Graduate Students

WITH the cooperation of physics departments and graduate students in all parts of the United States, the American Institute of Physics has recently initiated a long‐term study of the training of physicists at the graduate level. Existing statistical data indicate a discouragingly slow rise in the number of students receiving advanced degrees in physics relative both to the demand for trained physicists and to the total number of students enrolled for graduate study in physics. In order to gain a better understanding of the many factors bearing upon advanced training, the Institute decided earlier this year to conduct an annual questionnaire survey of all physics students engaged in graduate study. During the latter part of the spring semester some 8000 questionnaires for distribution to individual graduate students were sent to the department heads of 207 colleges and universities where graduate physics programs are offered. Thanks to the prompt action taken by the various departments, the questionnaires reached most of the students for whom they were intended, thus insuring a broad statistical sampling of those doing graduate work in the 1959–60 academic year. To date, well over half of the forms which were distributed have been filled out and returned to the Institute.