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Non-Academic Career Options for PhDs and MAs

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General Resources

Graduate students are among the most well-educated members of society. However, since graduate students are always measuring their performance against that of their highly talented peers and mentors, they often underestimate their significant strengths and transferable skills.

Below you will find some information on non-academic careers in which the transferable skills of PhDs in the humanities and social sciences are highly valued. There are, of course, many types of careers open to PhD students—we’ve included the more frequent options for students in these fields here. Please feel free to schedule an appointment to speak with a CCE counselor regardless of where you are in your career decision-making process. To make an appointment, call 212-854-5609.

For PhDs seeking a non-academic careers, there are two resources we almost always recommend. One is a book called “So What Are You Going to Do with That?”: Finding Careers Outside Academia by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius. The other is WRK4US, an email discussion list for PhDs in the humanities, social sciences, and education seeking careers in non-academic fields.

Transferable Skills

Regardless of the new field or fields in which you find yourself interested, position your expertise in terms of abilities, not just content. For example:
• If you have organized an academic conference or lecture series on your campus, discuss the ways in which you took initiative to market, organize, and successfully run the event.
• Experience selecting and working with a dissertation committee can be used to show your ability to manage relationships with individual stakeholders.
• Highlight your written and verbal communication skills gained in writing and presenting your scholarship.
• Teaching is evidence of ability to present complex matters to a variety of audiences. The skills you develop as a TA or instructor will often be transferable to any field in which presentation skills are essential.

Career Fields Discussed Here

Non-Academic University Careers

Private Secondary Schools

Museums/Cultural and Historical Organizations

Educational Consulting

Academic Publishing

U.S. Federal Government

Consulting

Non-Academic Publishing

Professional Research

Nonprofits

Library Science and Information Resources

Freelancing

Non-Academic University Careers

For many PhDs one source of satisfying non-academic employment is the institution they are most familiar with—the university. Many non-faculty jobs at colleges and universities draw on the interests and skills of PhDs in the humanities.

Jobs in Teaching/Writing Centers

Campus teaching and learning centers are growing areas of job opportunity for PhDs. If you enjoy direct contact with a variety of students, teaching, and working with faculty, an academic administration position in a teaching or writing center may be a perfect way to utilize your graduate school experience. A position at these centers might involve work with undergraduates, graduate students, faculty members, or all three. Some specific duties include working with undergraduates to boost their writing and study skills and helping graduate students improve their teaching and writing skills.

Research and Public Affairs Offices

Institutional research offices look for PhDs to prepare and analyze data about the university and to apply that analysis to institutional problems and issues. Public affairs offices, internal and external newsletters and magazines, and the communications and foundations arms of development offices are all likely sources of opportunities for PhDs with strong research and writing skills.

Student and Academic Affairs

Many other student support offices on university campuses seek highly qualified candidates to fill advising and support roles. Some of the major offices that value the skills of a PhD include: academic advising, career services, student activities, residence life, counseling, minority/multicultural affairs, and international student affairs.

Where to Look

The most reliable source of information about open positions will be the human resources page of universities of interest to you. The job databases listed below are also useful in the search for non-academic university jobs. If you’d like to stay at your current institution, be sure to let colleagues know you’re interested in these opportunities.

Educational Consulting

Higher-education consulting is a relatively small industry, but it’s been gaining prominence and opening up new career opportunities for PhDs. Educational consultants might work in the nonprofit division of a large management consulting firm. Some work in smaller companies dedicated to educational consulting, or they work independently. This is a field in which higher education experience is valued, particularly the transferable skills in research and writing gained in a PhD program.

When you’re looking to break into consulting, take advantage of your graduate-school affiliation. Talk to your institution’s admissions director or head of institutional advancement, and ask if they have worked with any consultants. If so, ask them whom, and ask if it's OK to mention that the admissions person or advancement person suggested you contact them.

Where to Look

• Independent Educational Consultants Association
• Advancing Education, Inc.
• Art and Science Group
• Eduventures
• Educational Consulting Services

Consulting

Duke University's Fuqua School of Business defines consulting as "the business of providing advice to firms in trouble, on the move, or trying to do what they do better, faster, and more cheaply." Consulting firms offer PhDs the opportunity to use and expand upon their knowledge base in exciting, varied positions with interesting and highly motivated colleagues. Consultants also have impact within the companies they work for and are able to see the results of change quickly.
While rewarding, consulting is also a demanding field. Most consultants travel extensively—they may spend three weeks a month on the road—and often work 60 to 80 hours a week. It is important to weigh the costs and benefits of a demanding schedule with the opportunities before diving into a consulting job. Attending information sessions, networking with industry professionals, and performing company research will assist you in learning about the field and deciding whether it is a good fit.

Where to Look

What follows is a list of sites that will be useful for those interested in learning more about consulting, as well as a sampling of firms known to hire PhDs.

Nonprofits

Many former academics seek out nonprofit as their first step outside academia. The culture of nonprofits can be particularly PhD friendly, since many share values similar to those of universities, and they are populated with well-educated staffs. The term "nonprofit" covers a wide range of organizations, including health, religious, arts, and charitable organizations, as well as advocacy groups, professional societies, and research institutes.

Where to Look

Below is a list of Web sites and job databases that are particularly useful for learning more about opportunities in the nonprofit world.

Private Secondary Schools

Many humanities graduate students who love to teach have found private-school teaching to be a rewarding career. Graduate students often choose private schools because, unlike public schools, they generally do not require teaching certification. Many private-school teachers continue to publish and be involved in their academic disciplines. The opportunity to interact with students in a variety of arenas (classrooms, athletics, theater, student clubs, and class trips) and a sense of making a difference in students’ lives are cited over and over again by secondary teachers as reasons why they enjoy the profession.

Employment Preparation

Experience with adolescents and teenagers is important preparation for a career in secondary-school teaching. While your PhD states that you are clearly qualified to teach the subject, you need to emphasize your investment and interest in students. There are several ways to get this experience. Contact schools in your area for substitute or part-time openings, or volunteer to tutor in your subject at a local school. Also, look for jobs teaching in one of the summer programs run by independent schools.

Where to Look

Academic Publishing

For some, publishing provides an opportunity not only to stay intimately involved with scholarship, but to direct and influence the fields you love. The desire to promote and nurture scholarship is the key to a truly successful career in publishing. To be successful in the work, you must truly love books, love scholarship, and, most of all, love publishing. Those working at academic presses believe that PhDs' engagement with scholarship can make them better editors. It's difficult to truly understand the reasons why scholarship is worthwhile if you are not a scholar yourself.

Academic journals in particular often prefer hiring PhDs for editing positions; however, publishing firms in a variety of fields also seek PhDs for editing, marketing, sales, production, design, information technology, and business positions.

Where to Look

Non-Academic Publishing

There are also many literary, creative, and management opportunities for PhDs in book and magazine publishing. “Trade books” and “consumer magazines” differ from scholarly (academic) publishing in that their products are intended to appeal to all readers. Many PhDs have skills that could result in successful careers in editorial, managing editorial, marketing, sales, production, design, information technology, and business positions.

Where to Look

Library Science and Information Resources

Pursuing a career in Library Science and Information Resources is an interesting way for PhDs to use the skills developed in graduate school while practicing a profession outside academia. If you are considering this field as a long-term commitment, a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree is strongly advisable and in many cases necessary. A combination of a PhD and MLS will give you an appreciated edge in this competitive field. If you choose to pursue this additional degree, it is also suggested that you gain as much practical experience in the field as possible and center your electives on the area of your choice.

Where to Look

Museums/Cultural and Historical Organizations

Museums and cultural organizations may seem like a natural fit for those in history or the history of art. However, graduate students in many fields have moved on to fulfilling, productive careers in museums and cultural organizations. In addition to curatorial and research work, these organizations offer opportunities in outreach and education, grant writing and development, and marketing and public relations. These organizations often seek to hire those with graduate degrees not only for their knowledge of a given subject, but also for their skills in research, writing, and presentation.

Where to Look

U.S. Federal Government

Students in many fields can work for federal agencies, including some that are not necessarily associated with U.S. foreign policy. The analytic and research skills, not to mention knowledge of foreign cultures, accumulated during a graduate career are often quite useful to governmental bureaus. PhDs with specialized knowledge of a language and/or culture can be valuable assets to the Department of State, and have also received positions as analysts at the Central Intelligence Agency. Many agencies—ones you might not think of as obvious fits for PhDs—hire anthropologists, historians, writers, editors. A useful way to find these positions is to do a keyword search on these terms at the USA jobs site. Below you'll find a list a few agencies known to hire PhDs. NOTE: Most federal government jobs are limited to U.S. citizens.

Where to Look

Professional Research

There are many contexts in which graduate students can applied the research skills gained during their programs. For example, think tanks conduct research in a broad array of areas and fall on various points of the political spectrum. They often like to hire PhDs as the research, analytical, and writing skills developed in graduate school are often directly applicable to the work of these institutions. Many PhDs put their skills to work in areas such as program evaluation, fundraising research, market research, or public opinion research. Positions in professional research may require skills in quantitative research, qualitative research, or both, as well as strong written communication skills.

Where to Look

Freelancing

Freelancing can be defined as almost any situation in which you work for a client, rather than an employer. It can be something as simple as a house-sitting job or as complicated as setting up your own computer-consulting business. Freelance—or contract—work is self-employment, so you are responsible for managing your business and figuring (and paying) your taxes on your own. Freelancing can provide tremendous flexibility but does not include company benefits (e.g., paid time off, insurance).

For PhDs considering careers outside academe, freelancing is an excellent way to ease into job hunting. Not only will you make contacts, but you'll gain relevant skills and test your interests. While the analytical powers you developed as a graduate student are valuable in the nonacademic world, employers such as management consulting companies expect to see those abilities complemented with practical problem-solving skills.

Below is a quick primer on what to think about when considering a freelancing career.

  • What should I do first? Focus on a skill that you'd like to use, and then look for a market. Think about your talents and abilities, and figure out where they could best be applied. Or start by thinking about a need in the market and how you may be able to fill the void.
  • How do I find clients? Freelancers are almost always hired by word of mouth. Start by letting friends, family, and colleagues know that you're working as a freelancer. Ask them to help you identify potential clients. Mention your freelancing to anyone who asks, “What do you do?”
  • How much should I charge? Be sure to pay yourself according to what the market will bear, not what seems like enough to you. It’s a common beginner mistake to underpay yourself for your labor. You can identify standard rates by talking with others who do similar work.

What do I need to know before I start? 

  • Ask questions up front. Never assume that you know what the clients want. Think about what issues might occur along the way and raise them now. For example, before you take a writing assignment, ask about the audience, the context, the tone, and the goal of the piece.
  • Get a contract in writing. Be firm about this. A contract prevents misunderstandings and protects both you and the client. It can be as informal as an e-mail message stating the work to be done, the deadlines, and the pay. Keep the contract in a safe place.
  • Keep good records. Track how many hours you work each day, take notes when you meet with clients, and record any extra out-of-pocket expenses. When you finish a project, put a copy in your portfolio to use in pitching to other clients.

Where to Look