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Career statistics

What do PhDs from AU do after graduation? 

Where Do Newly Graduated PhDs Find Work?

One of the most frequently asked questions we get in the career service is "what do people do with a PhD from my field?" To answer this question we have developed the  PhD employment statistics to get a detailed overview of what type of first job PhD graduates typically get and where they find work. The overview is based on publicly available information regarding PhD graduates from 2022/2023. The overview represents the PhDs’ employment situation at the time the study was conducted.

Overall Findings

We have found that 49% of all PhD graduates find their first next job outside of academia, and that now only 42% continue in (most often) a postdoc.

We have also found that:

  • 71% work in large companies or institutions (+500 employees)
  • The most frequent geographical location is the Region of Central Jutland, where 64% find employment

PhD graduates from the faculty of ARTS

Frequent job titles outside of academia

  • Senior Advisor
  • Consultant
  • Editor
  • Composer 
  • Coordinator
  • Museum Inspector
  • Archeologist
  • Senior analyst 
  • Project developer
  • Curator
  • Antropologist
  • Analyst
  • IoT Consultant
  • External Leader
  • Planner

Companies/organizations/sectors

  • Food Bank
  • Teaching institutions
  • Kulturstyrelsen
  • Museums
  • Libraries
  • Den Frie Forskningsfond
  • Universities
  • IT and telecommunications
  • Municipalities 
  • Government Research
  • Public Administration
  • Culture and Communication
  • Consulting and Counselling Service
  • Non-public Research Company

PhD graduates from the faculty of BSS

Frequent job titles outside of academia

  • Consultant
  • Psychologist
  • Attorney
  • Project Advisor
  • Project Manager
  • Researcher
  • Data Scientist
  • Analyst
  • Senior Statistician
  • Economist
  • Pricing Acuary
  • Higher Executice Officer 
  • Lawyer
  • Customer Insights Specialist
  • Økonomisk Rådgiver
  • Manager
  • Senior Data Scientist
  • Fuldmægtig
  • Postdoctoral Fellow / Scholar
  • Lecturer

Companies/organizations/sectors

  • Novo Nordisk
  • Danish Technological Institute
  • Danske Commodities
  • COWI
  • Grundfos
  • Ørsted
  • Arla Foods
  • Municipalities
  • Gældsstyrelsen
  • Mærsk
  • Jysk
  • Norges Bank Investment Management
  • PKA
  • Whiteaway Group
  • Gorissen Federspiel
  • Nævnenes Hus
  • Toldstyrelsen
  • Venzo
  • Søstrene Grene
  • Danish Institute for International Studies
  • LEGO
  • Region Midtjylland
  • Psychiatric Center Sct. Hans
  • VIA University College
  • Political Administration
  • Trade and commerce
  • Industry
  • Transportation and service
  • Finance and insurance
  • Universities
  • Law practice
  • Health Sector
  • Teaching Institutions

PhD graduates from the faculty of Health

Frequent job titles outside of academia

  • Researcher 
  • Lecturer
  • Clinical Specialist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Chemist
  • Medical doctor
  • Biologist
  • Analyst
  • Consultant
  • Product Owner
  • Biomedical Scientist
  • QA Specialist
  • Biomedical Design Fellow
  • Cell Biologist
  • Trainee Doctor
  • Medical Physicist
  • CTO
  • Psychologist 
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Physiotherapist 

Companies/organizations/sectors

  • Arla Foods
  • Fertin Pharma A/S
  • Høiberg
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Qiagen 
  • DEFACTUM
  • Hospitals
  • Municipalities
  • Novozymes
  • Staten Serum Institut
  • Steno Diabetes Center
  • VIVE
  • FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
  • Gubra
  • Biogen
  • ComMIT Biologic
  • Hilton Foods Denmark A/S
  • Trade and Commerce
  • Food Industry
  • Wenemea
  • Bavarian Nordic
  • Vejlefjord Rehabilitering
  • Accenture DACH
  • Make Sense Analytics
  • Rehabiliterings Center for Muskelsvind
  • NMD Pharma A/S
  • Universities
  • Teaching institutions

PhD graduates from the faculty of Natural Sciences

Frequent job titles outside of academia

  • IT consultant
  • Research Scientist
  • Engineer
  • Software engineer
  • Quantitative analyst
  • Chemist
  • Associate
  • Application scientist 
  • Data Scientist
  • R&D Manager 
  • Patent Attorney
  • Analyst
  • Software Developer
  • Consultant
  • Biologist
  • Marine Biologist and Consultant
  • Patent Attorney
  • Center / Product Manager
  • Patent Attorney
  • Cryptography Engineer
  • Quantitative Product Researcher
  • Teacher
  • Scientists
  • Molecular Biologist
  • Project Coordinator / Manager
  • Co-Founder and Technical Manager
  • Quantum Engineer
  • Machine Learning Specialist
  • Complier Engineer

Companies/organizations/sectors

  • Arla Foods Ingredients
  • Vestas
  • Agencies
  • Netcompany
  • InCommodities
  • Google
  • Lundbeck
  • HØIBERG
  • Netcompany
  • NIRAS
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Qiagen
  • LEGO
  • Vestas
  • Det Kgl. Bibliotek
  • Statens Serum Institut 
  • Municipalities
  • Danish Technological Institute
  • Silhorko-Eurowater
  • Humio
  • Cordulius
  • Jane Street
  • Planday
  • Concordium
  • Crowd Strike
  • Danish utility Regulator
  • PetroChina
  • Teaching Institutions
  • Sanofil
  • Nordic Seed
  • Hemab Thereapeutics
  • UV Medico
  • ComMIT Biologics
  • Norfald
  • SpiroChem
  • Labochema
  • Eurofins Miljø Denmark
  • DESY
  • Siemens Gamesa
  • TARFAND
  • Kvantify
  • Universitites

PhD graduates from the faculty of Technical Sciences

Frequent job titles outside of academia

  • Data Scientist
  • Consultant
  • Engineer
  • Quantitative Analyst
  • Principal Scientist
  • Product Development Engineer
  • Biostatistician
  • R&D Scientist
  • Project Manager
  • Lecturer
  • Advisor
  • Agronomist
  • Animal Caretaker
  • Veterinarian
  • Analysist
  • Microbiologist
  • Regulatory Affairs Specialist

Companies/organizations/sectors

  • Grundfos
  • Vestas
  • Danske Commodities
  • Teknologisk Institut
  • COWI
  • Environmental Agencies
  • Seges
  • Chr. Hansen
  • Arla Foods 
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Rambøll
  • LEGO
  • Vestas
  • NIRAS
  • ARGINORD
  • Flow Floop
  • Center Dyreklinik
  • Dansk Dyreværn Aarhus
  • Centrica Energy Trading
  • Danish Technological Institute
  • Energinet
  • Hilti
  • Netcompany
  • UV Medico
  • AART
  • HydRegen
  • DRCMR
  • Government Research
  • FUJIFILM
  • Ambient Carbon
  • Landbrug & Fødevarer
  • Universities