National and Global Trends in Graduate Education

1
National and Global Trends in Graduate Education

• ASEE Workshop on Graduate Education and Research
  Trends
• Les Sims
• Senior Scholar in Residence, CGS
• (Graduate Dean Emeritus, University of Iowa)
• lsims_at_cgs.nche.edu

2
Dimensions of the Graduate Education Enterprise

• 2000-2001
• 1,700 institutions
• 1.9 million students
• Over ½ million degrees annually
• 468,000 masters degrees
• 45,000 doctoral degrees
• CGS institutions enroll 2/3 of students, grant
  75 of masters degrees, and nearly all doctorate
  degrees

3
Graduate Enrollment Trends
Thousands
Source CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment
4
Graduate Enrollmentby Ethnicity
Source CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment
5
Degrees Awardedrelative to 1985-86
6
U.S. Engineering Degrees as a of Total
7
Growth in S E Ph.D. Degrees(Three-year
averages US Citizens and Permanent Residents)
1999 Degrees Native Amer 117 Hispanic
658 African-Amer 715 TOTAL 17,428 White
13,656
8
S E Graduate Enrollmentby race/ethnicity(U.S.
Citizens and Permanent Residents)
9
International Student Enrollment
Thousands
Source IIE, Open Doors
10
U.S. Science and Engineering Doctorate Degrees
Earned by International Students
11
Doctoral SE Degreesby World Region
U.S. Ph.D. Deg
Europe
Citizens/Perm Res
Asia
12
Engineering Doctorate Degrees
13
Graduate Enrollment Projections
Source NCES, Middle Alternative Projections to
2012
14
Projections graduate degrees
Thousands
Thousands
Source NCES, Projections to 2012
15
Projected International GRE Test Takers, FY03-04
Source CGS Discussion List - ETS 1/16/04
Estimate
16
InternationalGraduate Applications Fall 2003 -
Fall 2004ACE, AAU, CGS, NAFSA, AIE, NASULGC
Survey
All Grad Applications
PRC Grad Applications
UG Applications
17
Graduate Programs Trends and Changes

• Certificates growing rapidly (both stand alone
  and as degree add-ons)
• Content related to career needs
• Preparing Future Faculty
• Preparing Future Professionals
• Professional Masters Degrees
• Composition diversity challenges
  ethnic/racial, gender, other enrollment

18
Graduate Programs Research Content

• Content diverse, global, interdisciplinary
• Career considerations publicize jobs of recent
  graduates early career information continuous
  career planning
• Skills development communications,
  presentation, interpersonal/teamwork,
  technical/computer, project management
• Environment employer expectations,
  roles/responsibilities, experiential/interns

19
Graduate Education IssuesGraduate Stipends and
Funding

• NSF fellowships stipends 27,500 (F2003)
  30,000 (F2004) and . . .
• NIH, other agencies will follow suit.
• Funding for masters education is miniscule
  compared to that for Ph.D.
• Tuition continues to rise at well above CPI
  remissions/waivers needed.
• Reauthorization if HEA an opportunity to
  increase priority of graduate education.

20
Graduate Education IssuesInternational issues
post-9/11

• SEVIS
• International Visitors
• Restrictions on research areas/materials
• Bologña Accord EU Higher Education
• 3 2 proposed as common structure
• 3 yrs equivalent to U.S. B.S. (?)
• 2 yrs equivalent of US M.S. (?)

21
Graduate Education IssuesCompletion/Attrition
and ttd

• Doctoral completion rate (50 lore) varies
  widely most agree is too low.
• Attrition rates still significant in years 2, 3,
  4, of doctoral programs.
• Time to degree continues to increase.
• Similar problems, less extent, in masters
  programs.

22
Graduate Education IssuesDiversity/Participation
/access

• Participation of underrepresented groups
  increasing, but slowly still low.
• Strategies need to reflect new realities of court
  decisions, public policy.
• Curricula should reflect cultural, historical,
  societal, global diversity.

23
Graduate Education IssuesResponsible Conduct of
Research

• Ethical issues
• Human/Animal research subjects informed consent
• Intellectual property issues
• Industry/university interactions
• Commercialization of research results

24
Graduate Education IssuesMismatch
education/employers

• PFF balanced instruction in T,R,S, skills,
  faculty roles/responsibilities.
• PFP balanced instruction in R, skills,
  teamwork, non-academic work environments, project
  management.
• Professional Masters core MS, skills,
  teamwork, non-academic internship business
  principles.