PhD Student Outcomes

Launch into a High-Impact Career

A PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Duke helps to open opportunities for future success. Duke MEMS has an excellent track record of placing doctoral graduates in industry, national labs, and academia—and empowering a growing number of graduates to start their own companies.

Duke Chapel and Abele Quad at Duke University

Success in Numbers

Our PhD graduates go on to make important contributions across a range of opportunities. Click to get interactive with our data.

More Data

61.2%

go on to careers in industry and the public sector

with leading organizations such as Amazon, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and the U.S. Department of Defense

17.7%

go on to positions in academia

at places such as Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, UT Austin and the U.S. Naval Academy

13.5%

go on to further training

including post-doctoral fellowships

Meet Duke MEMS Alumni

Breathing New Life Into Baby CPR Training

A team of undergrads took on the challenge of designing a responsive CPR training manikin for their MEMS senior design capstone.

5/2 Duke Magazine

The Perfect Fit

Discover how Ted Kaufman’s education and experience in Duke’s mechanical engineering program helped launch his political career closely tied to President Joe Biden.

9/24/24 Pratt School of Engineering

$25 Million Gift to Establish New STEM+ Scholars Program

The Karsh STEM+ Scholars Program will match undergraduate students who have declared majors in disciplines in the natural sciences, engineering, and STEM-related fields with faculty in the Pratt School of Engineering and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

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