Growth of non-tenure-track/GSE positions has outpaced growth of tenure positions: Number of academic employees, by faculty status, Fall 2005 and Fall 2015
Position | Fall 2005 | Fall 2015 | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|
Tenured/tenure-track faculty | 448,509 | 470,126 | 4.8% |
Tenured faculty | 312,600 | 335,973 | 7.5% |
Tenure-track faculty | 135,909 | 134,153 | -1.3% |
Non-tenure-track faculty | 753,531 | 915,476 | 21.5% |
Graduate student employees (GSEs) | 317,525 | 370,710 | 16.7% |
Note: As a point of reference, total nonfarm employment growth between October 2005 and October 2015 was 5.9 percent (BLS 2017a).
Source: Authors’ analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data, retrieved December 22, 2017, using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)