Job Market Shapes Undergrad Studies

Abstract

TSUKUBA, JAPAN —Shigeru Sugawara happily admits to a streak of individualism. In high school, his interest in physics was spurred by his classmates' dislike of the “gloomy” subject. Now he is a physics major at the University of Tsukuba, where he studies hard “because I figure it will help me stand out.” This contrarian streak, however, is tempered by pragmatism. He set his sights on Tsukuba, for example, because living expenses are much lower than in Tokyo. With help from his parents, who live in nearby Chiba Prefecture, he pays $180 a month for a one-room, shared-kitchen-and-bath apartment that “goes for $500 a month in Tokyo,” he says. And it's only a 5-minute bicycle ride from campus, meaning that he doesn't need to spend money on a car. His one indulgence is tennis; he has joined the university tennis club and spends all of either Saturday or Sunday on the courts. “It might be a bit much,” he confesses. Other leisure time is spent studying English or reading books, mostly science-related. Like most fourth-year science and engineering students, the 22-year-old Sugawara has completed his regular courses and doesn't need to worry about a final exam or a minimum grade-point average. To graduate he needs only the additional credits he will earn writing a thesis. His topic is the structure and properties of gallium arsenide semiconductor materials using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) techniques. ![Figure][1] Doctor, no. Shigeru Sugawara thinks job prospects are better with a master's degree than with a Ph.D. Photo credit: Eiji Miyazawa/Black Star The lab, headed by Shigehiko Yamamoto, recently acquired a 10-year-old piece of MBE equipment discarded by a national institute. But the device must first be refurbished, and Yamamoto, Sugawara, and a graduate student are doing the work themselves because there are no technicians. Replacing the worn-out vacuum pump, he says, was a case of “just following the directions in the manual.” Sugawara plans to remain at Tsukuba for a master's degree after passing an entrance exam for graduate school. He plans to continue his work with gallium arsenide before applying his scientific expertise to such worldly problems as dwindling energy supplies and rising pollution levels by working on a topic such as photovoltaic materials. He is also worried about science's “gloomy image” among younger students. To combat that image, Sugawara volunteers one Saturday morning a month helping youngsters build simple science experiments. Sugawara's love of physics, serious attitude, and social concerns make him an ideal candidate for a Ph.D. in physics, according to Yamamoto. “I want him to go on,” he says. But Sugawara's practical side is arguing against it, and he questions whether the government can reach its goal of doubling the number of Ph.D.s awarded by 2000. “I don't think there is much of a market for Ph.D.s,” he says with some resignation. With the uncertainty of employment, he says getting a Ph.D. “would be really hard on the spirit.” Instead, Sugawara hopes the university will find him an appropriate spot in one of the area's government or corporate labs. Sometimes, even individuals have to go with the crowd. [1]: pending:yes