From Science Careers Blog
Depression afflicts almost half of STEM graduate students at UC Berkeley
By Rachel Bernstein
Between 42% and 48% of University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. students in science and engineering are depressed, according to data from a report released by the university’s Graduate Assembly. Science and engineering Ph.D. students also report minimal career optimism and academic engagement, according to additional analyses conducted by study author Galen Panger, who is a Ph.D. student at the UC Berkeley School of Information, in collaboration with Science Careers. On a somewhat more positive note, these science and engineering students report that their advisers are important career assets who have provided some positive mentorship.
The report summarizes results from a survey completed by 790 graduate students in master’s degree programs, professional schools, and Ph.D. programs. “We designed it to speak to graduate students as a population because generally graduate students are an afterthought” on university campuses, where undergraduates are usually the focus, Panger says. “One of the high-level goals is to say, ‘Look, graduate students are different. … They’re not just older undergrads. They’re distinct, and they have distinct needs.’”...