Jul 22, 2008 - Claremont, Calif. - A new report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) lists Harvey Mudd College (HMC) as the leader among private baccalaureate colleges in the U.S. in the percentage of graduates who go on to earn Ph.D. degrees in science and engineering.

The report, issued by the Division of Science Resources Statistics, traces the baccalaureate degree origins of science and engineering (S&E) doctorate recipients from 1997 to 2006 and ranks them by doctorate recipients per hundred. California Institute of Technology, classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctorate-granting institution with high research activity, was ranked first with 35.2 doctorate recipients per hundred bachelor's degrees awarded nine years earlier. HMC, classified as a baccalaureate institution because it grants only a bachelor of science degree, was ranked second at 24.9; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (doctorate granting, high research) was third at 16.6; and Reed College (baccalaureate) was fourth at 16.6.

"This is a strong indicator of the strength of our academic program, the dedication of our faculty and the incredible intellectual talents of the students at Harvey Mudd College," said President Maria Klawe. "It also validates the success of our mission of educating leaders in engineering, science and mathematics who will contribute to the development of new knowledge in their fields. As our founders knew in 1955, and as we do today, the U.S. faces challenges around the globe in remaining the leader in developing intellectual capital. We're proud to be taking a leadership role in this effort."

The report notes: "Baccalaureate colleges graduate relatively small numbers of undergraduate degree holders compared to doctorate- and master’s-granting institutions. However, when normalized by the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded, the baccalaureate colleges as a group yield more future S&E doctorates per hundred bachelor’s awarded than other types of institutions, except research universities. A group of 50 small, private baccalaureate schools (the Oberlin 50 [which includes HMC]) was studied in the mid-1980s and was found at that time to contribute greatly to producing future S&E doctorates. These schools have long out-produced (by yield) even the research universities."

The full report is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08311/nsf08311.pdf