View Full Version : What percentage of Americans have a PhD...
and/or a professional degree like an MD? My fiance said 8%, I said that's way too high. I looked all around the net and can't find the numbers. Any ideas?
jk the sooner fan
6/19/2006, 07:11 PM
in my first masters class, i was told that only 5% of americans have a masters degree, so i would think it would be lower for the doctoral dealio's
She also thought a lot more than half the population have degrees of any kind, I was thinking more like 30%.
jk the sooner fan
6/19/2006, 07:16 PM
i think that % is just a tad under 20 actually......
dang, no wonder we're shipping so many jobs overseas
SicEmBaylor
6/19/2006, 07:19 PM
Too many.
GottaHavePride
6/19/2006, 07:26 PM
What we need is another level past a doctorate. A bachelor's degree needs to become a common standard, like a high school diploma is now. Of course, then I remember there are tons of people out there that don't even finish high school.
What we need is another level past a doctorate. A bachelor's degree needs to become a common standard, like a high school diploma is now. Of course, then I remember there are tons of people out there that don't even finish high school.
That's especially true here in the boondocks of eastern Oklahoma, unfortunately.
Al Gore
6/19/2006, 07:46 PM
What we need is another level past a doctorate. .Ninja.....
I have a B.A. and look what it did for me! I get to drive a big ol' truck.
Of course, my degree was in Basket Weaving.
Vaevictis
6/19/2006, 08:12 PM
What we need is another level past a doctorate. A bachelor's degree needs to become a common standard, like a high school diploma is now. Of course, then I remember there are tons of people out there that don't even finish high school.
How about we start by making a high school diploma mean something again before we do anything else?
IMO, the only reason a college degree is needed for as many jobs as it is is because high school diplomas are totally worthless now.
Lots of detailed information available from the census.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/education/cps2004.html
Looks like if you take the population as a whole it breaks down this way.
15% - Bachelor's degree
5% - Master's degree
1% - Doctorate (PhD, et. al)
1% - Professional (MD, et. al)
I know that those numbers are quite a bit higher (usually double or more) in urban areas, and it varies widely by region.
RacerX
6/19/2006, 09:05 PM
Keep after it GDC.
GottaHavePride
6/19/2006, 09:46 PM
How about we start by making a high school diploma mean something again before we do anything else?
IMO, the only reason a college degree is needed for as many jobs as it is is because high school diplomas are totally worthless now.
Well, yeah. My high school had 10 valedictorians (I was not one of them - I was the saludatorian, finished with a 3.98) and half of them were cheerleaders. And nothing against cheerleaders; I've known some that were very intelligent, but these girls could barely add. Took the easiest classes and the minimum number of hours. A couple of the other valedictorians were overachievers - took Calculus, Bio, Physics, Chemistry, European History, AND were fluent in a second language, entered college with sophomore standing, etc. The floaters shouldn't have been anywhere NEAR that group at graduation. Oh well.
Public schools right now barely require algebra. Science classes are an absolute joke unless you have an exceptional teacher, ditto for English.
mdklatt
6/19/2006, 10:40 PM
My high school had 10 valedictorians (I was not one of them - I was the saludatorian, finished with a 3.98) and half of them were cheerleaders. And nothing against cheerleaders; I've known some that were very intelligent, but these girls could barely add. Took the easiest classes and the minimum number of hours. A couple of the other valedictorians were overachievers - took Calculus, Bio, Physics, Chemistry, European History, AND were fluent in a second language, entered college with sophomore standing, etc. The floaters shouldn't have been anywhere NEAR that group at graduation. Oh well.
At my cousin's graduation there were more "valedictorians" than saluditorians, and lots of them seemed to be the basket-weaving types you're talking about. Is this a new thing, or an OK/KS thing? Both my high schools in Texas had one valedictorian (barring a tie). Advanced classes received extra weighting--an A in an honors class was worth more than an A in regular class, etc.
skycat
6/19/2006, 11:47 PM
My high school had 10 or so valedictorians. But we had a funky gpa scale that allowed an extra point per grade per honors/AP class. IOW an A=5, B=4, C=3 etc.
So they just gave everyone that had over a 4.0 "valedictorian" status. It did manage to reserve the podium for true nerd types.
homerSimpsonsBrain
6/19/2006, 11:55 PM
I worked in construction in college. They said cuz I was edumacated I could be the PhD (Post hole Digger).
Snrfn4ever08
6/19/2006, 11:56 PM
Ninja.....
took the word right out of my mouth
Vaevictis
6/20/2006, 12:01 AM
Just put an end to social promotion, and require that:
1. Everyone can read a reasonably advanced piece of literature and write a reasonable report on it.
2. Make sure everyone can solve a small set of linear equations. (3 or so)
3. Understand the steps of the scientific method, and understand that science is just a method for understanding the natural world and does not attempt to replace or contradict anyone's religion.
4. Make sure everyone has seriously read the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and have a basic understanding of at least the recent history (last 200 years or so) of the world.
That right there would raise the intelligence of the American populace by several orders of magnitude.
GottaHavePride
6/20/2006, 12:09 AM
At my cousin's graduation there were more "valedictorians" than saluditorians, and lots of them seemed to be the basket-weaving types you're talking about. Is this a new thing, or an OK/KS thing? Both my high schools in Texas had one valedictorian (barring a tie). Advanced classes received extra weighting--an A in an honors class was worth more than an A in regular class, etc.
Nah. My high school didn't weight GPAs for AP or honors classes, so all 10 valedictorians finished with a 4.0 gpa. I was the only saludatorian because I only had one B one semester, but I had a lot of extra hours from jazz band (before school), driver's ed (summer), and I played in pit orchestras for summer musicals for credit. So I had more hours than most, and that pulled my average to where no one else tied me.
Oh, and my one B came from freshman world history - the yainch didn't like how I wrote essays, despite the fact that every single English teacher I ever had loved my writing -- I tend to leave out irrelevant facts, make a point, support it, and stop writing. History Beeyotch wanted me to include totally irrelevant details that had no bearing on the topic of my essays.
critical_phil
6/20/2006, 12:21 AM
i think Westmoore had about 50 valedictorians this year.
they were all named Nguyen.
GottaHavePride
6/20/2006, 12:27 AM
Dey took errrr jaerbs!
mdklatt
6/20/2006, 01:14 AM
Dey took errrr grades!
Fixed.
walkoffsooner
6/20/2006, 02:22 AM
If you don't go to college you better know how to do something.:D
-- I tend to leave out irrelevant facts, make a point, support it, and stop writing. History Beeyotch wanted me to include totally irrelevant details that had no bearing on the topic of my essays.
A teacher like this is the only reason that I remember that Tycho Brahe had a silver nose. And also that he died because he held it in too long at the dinner table.
Can't for the life of me remember why he's famous though. ;)
fadada1
6/20/2006, 07:06 AM
i taught at a southland conference school (to remain nameless) for 2 years. let me just say that there are some serious, serious flaws with education right now. for those you you that had 10 valedictorians in your class, there are 20 more that should've been in special ed.
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