A Comparison of Supply and Demand for PETE Professionals in Higher Education in the United States

This study examined the supply and demand issues of D-PETE professionals in higher education. The three concerns addressed were: (a) doctoral graduates and their respective job placements in the academic years of 1996-97 through 2008-09, (b) an examination of two targeted academic years (2005-06 and 2008-09) to determine the supply of entry level doctoral candidates and experienced job seekers, and (c) the number of advertised positions in pedagogy and outcomes of those position searches. A general comparison of the two academic years revealed: over half of the positions were filled with both graduates and ABD pedagogists and a third of position searches failed. The following conclusions were made demand was greater than supply and ABD's in D-PETE filled pedagogy positions. Lastly, the impact of these failed searches must be examined as it relates to the profession.