Revisiting gladwell's hockey players: Influence of relative age effects upon earning the phd

Abstract

We examine the influence of relative age effects (RAE) upon specific factors related to earning a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): age at degree, time to degree, and salary upon completion. Drawing on the 2010 Survey of Earned Doctorates, we find no significant influence of RAE. Specifically, when controlling for discipline-specific variation, we find no influence of RAE on the age of people earning the PhD and no influence on post-graduate salary. However, we estimate a relative salary loss due to redshirting of over $138,000 in lifetime earnings for individuals who earn the PhD. To the extent that earning the PhD is considered an outstanding achievement, our findings support the view that redshirting is unnecessary and costly. (JEL D01, D12, I20, I28, J24, J44)