PhD Pathways in Canada: Sociodemographic and Disciplinary Influences That Impact Pathway, Duration, and Outcomes

The growing number of doctoral degree holders in the labour market signals increases in individual achievement and produces broader social and economic benefits. However, systemic inequities continue to shape access to doctoral education and favours certain students and degree pathways over others. Students typically enter PhD programs through two main paths: directly from a bachelor’s degree (two-degree pathway) or via a master’s degree (three-degree pathway). Despite the prevalence of both pathways, empirical research examining their predictors and outcomes remains limited. Using Canada as a case study and drawing on data from the 2018 National Graduate Survey, we examine how degree pathways are influenced by sociodemographic and disciplinary factors and how they relate to academic and labour-market outcomes. Our findings highlight disparities in pathway prevalence and outcomes, revealing that the path to and from a PhD is not uniform. From a policy standpoint, our results suggest that broader adoption (beyond STEM fields) of the two-degree model (bachelor’s to PhD) could improve the efficiency of doctoral training and align Canadian graduate education more closely with practices at leading U.S. institutions and among Canadian science and engineering fields.