Gekommen, um zu bleiben? Die Promotion als Wegbereiter wissenschaftlicher Karrieren

How do formal doctoral contexts and doctorate conditions affect the career intentions of PhD holders and their actual employment chances in the academic field? According to social cognitive career theory, comprehensive opportunity and support structures during doctoral studies encourage career goals within the academic field. From a labor economics point of view, their outcomes are in turn important signals increasing the chances for employment in academia. Analyses are based on representative data from the DZHW PhD panel study. Findings of logistic regression analyses show that opportunity and support structures, especially those facilitating the integration into career networks, are closely related to the intention of pursuing a career in the academic field. Research-related productivity signals are associated with a higher likelihood of being employed in academia after graduation. In this regard, both structured doctoral programmes and research assistant positions provide conditions conducive to successful employment. In contrast, external doctorates reduce the chances for employment in the academic field.