Research Programs in Non-Ph.D. Granting Institutions

Abstract

Research in non-Ph.D. granting institutions has been growing. Up to now, the National Science Foundation has made grants to physicists in 60 different institutions of this type. An analysis of these grants shows that physicists in quite small colleges, even those with only two-man departments, engage in research. With research participation becoming more universal, some changes in the concept of the college teaching position can be anticipated. It is believed that because of this changing concept and increased research support for small colleges, more of each year's crop of Ph.D.'s will seek teaching positions in these institutions. Increased research activity in non-Ph.D. granting institutions is expected to help them continue their role as an important supplier of well-trained and well-motivated students to our graduate school system. The research conducted in the small undergraduate schools may not be as competitive as that in the large universities, but the research which survives will necessarily be of the challenging type. It is hoped that research programs in small colleges will not be forced in any way, and that research will not become falsely identified as a cure for bad teaching.