LACs seem to hold their own in post-graduate science-related outcomes.
Of the top 50 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions of 2002–11 S&E doctorate recipients, by institutional yield ratio, more than half are LACs. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13323/ (see table #4)
The higher levels of student-faculty engagement at some of these schools may more than compensate for factors such the number of course offerings or the amount of federal research funding they receive. Compare the National Survey of Student Engagement findings for research universities v. baccalaureate/A&S colleges. Among the Barron’s “highly to most competitive” schools, LACs out-perform research universities in 10 out of 10 “engagement indicator statistics”. The discrepancy is greatest in the “Student-Faculty Interaction” indicator. To the extent science is a hands-on, contact sport, the undergraduate science environments at some LACs may in fact be superior to what you’d find at most big research universities.
http://nsse.iub.edu/html/report_builder.cfm