I could be wrong, but I don't think a PhD is as attractive to people who are already residents. (Generally poor ROI, lack of job prospects, etc.)
I could see that being true. Perhaps non-residents value a PhD for family or cultural reasons more than residents do.
This applies to undergraduate degrees, too. Therefore the argument that restricts it to Ph.D degrees is moot.
Furthermore, the 'path to work' is temporary. You still need a a work visa to work once your OPT has expired.
Perhaps. I think that's arguable, though. The only difference it might make is in the initial petition stage. The only situation in which I see holding a Ph.D makes any difference is if, for example, the applicant petitions for residency by claiming they are an "Alien with an extraordinary ability". This is rare enough that I feel it's probably no easier.
>This applies to undergraduate degrees, too. Therefore the argument that restricts it to Ph.D degrees is moot.
You seem to have ignored his second point. Yes, it applies to undergraduate degrees, but undergraduate degrees are attractive to residents as well. An undergraduate degree is helpful for getting a good job, whereas a Ph.D doesn't doesn't do much in that regard.
That's a fair point but I'm not sure the conclusion is necessarily the right one. The US has some of the best universities in the world. It makes sense, if they're unattractive for residents in terms of job prospects, for most of the clientele to be foreign nationals. My point was that it's essentially no easier to get a job (not on OPT) in the US because you were a student in the us. H-1B applicants go through the same process either way, the only difference being that applicants on OPT are already in the country which, I reiterate, doesn't really make the H-1B application any easier.
All of the native-born Americans seemed to be majoring in business and liberal arts. /anecdote
We all thought of it as a typical working-class immigrant progression: the first generation goes to engineering school (while working full time), their kids become doctors and lawyers, and their kids become artists, poets, and slackers.
> I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.
>
> Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.
...
edit: argh, formatting.
But computing Ph Ds are great for 1) the small portion of people who want to become academics in the field, and 2) non-citizens looking for a path to transition into the U.S. economy.
Unfortunately, this is probably another instance where hidebound immigration policy is creating a bubble (in higher ed) while preventing human capital from attaining its highest and best use (in the private economy (at least for four years)).
"The content" of a PhD is largely about stuff that's not yet in any books or papers (let alone tutorials and practice exercises). The role of the PhD student is to write them (after discovering that content).