For the last several decades, we have been extraordinarily successful in placing our PhD graduates in tenure-track academic jobs. We calculate our placement percentage by means of the number of PhD graduates who receive a tenure-track job within three years of graduation. Between 2000 and 2015, about 80% of our students were in tenure-track academic jobs within three years of graduation. More recently, our placement rates show a decrease in academic employment and in increase in alt-ac jobs, secondary school teaching jobs and jobs outside of the academy.
Our 3-year tenure-track placement for 2021/2022 is 44.4% or 4 out of 9 students. Of the remaining 5 students, one teaches at a private boarding school, the rest work in private industry or non-profit. Graduates from 22/23 and 23/24 have not yet been out for 3 years, so their 3-year placement rate can’t be calculated. 7 people graduated in 2022/2023. Two are in non-tenure track positions. The other five did not apply for academic positions and work for a range of private, non-profit and governmental organizations. 3 people graduated in 23/24, one is tenure track, one a VAP, one a freelance writer and editor. To sum up, of the 19 people who graduated between Fall 2021 and Summer 2024, 5, or about 26% are in tenure track jobs, 3 in non-tenure track jobs (15.7%), 1 teaches secondary school, 4 work at universities in non-academic positions and the others we have employment data on work for non-profits or in private industry. Of these 19 people about 8 chose not to go on the academic job market at all, but only to apply for other jobs or educational opportunities.
The department has created an intensive and comprehensive system to help students prepare themselves for their job applications, from the initial preparation of applications to mock on-campus interviews. We also have a yearly colloquium, Translating the PhD, that seeks to bring Duke Career Resources and our own PhD. Alumni together to help students think about a range of jobs outside of the academy. Duke’s Summer Internship programs also facilitate gaining different kinds of career experiences—many of our graduates have used these opportunities to explore a range of academic and extra-academic career possibilities.
Recent Tenure-Track Positions
2024
- Kathleen Burn (PHD 2022), Oklahoma State University
2023
- Nicole Higgins (PhD 2024), University of Central Missouri
2022
- Stoney Portis (PhD 2021), The United States Military Academy - West Point
- Claire Ravenscroft (PhD 2020), International Christian University
- Kevin Spencer (PhD 2022), School of English Studies Wenzhou-Kean University
- Jessica Stark (PhD 2020), University of North Florida
- Emma Davenport (PhD 2022), Emory University
2021
- Justin Mitchell (PhD 2020), University of Michigan
- Patrick Timmis (PhD 2021, Hillsdale College
2020
- Rachel Gevlin (PhD 2020), Birmingham-Southern College
- Sasha Panaram (PhD 2020), Fordham University
2019
- Patrick Morgan (PhD 2019), University of Louisiana - Monroe
2018
- Israel Durham (PhD 2018), Lehman College
- Matthew Omelsky (PhD 2018), University of Rochester
2017
- Jessica Hines (PhD 2017), Birmingham-Southern College
- Jonathan Howard (PhD 2017), Boston College
- Mary Caton Lingold (PhD 2017), Virginia Commonwealth University
- Marina Magloire (PhD 2017), University of Miami
2016
- Ainehi Edoro (PhD 2016), Marquette University
- Rebecca Evans (PhD 2016), Southwestern University
- William Hunt (PhD 2016), Barton College
- Thomas Manganaro (PhD 2016), University of Richmond