Contact:
Belle Woods
bwoods@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791

Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2012) – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) released the results of its second annual Professional Science Master’s Enrollment and Degrees Survey documenting applications,  enrollments, and degrees awarded in Professional Science Master’s (PSM) programs.  The PSM is an innovative graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics, while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers.

“PSM programs, with their direct link to meeting workforce demand, saw strong growth in applications and enrollments in 2011,” said Debra Stewart, CGS president.  She added, “We know from student outcomes data that PSM graduates are highly successful in finding employment in their field.  The partnerships between universities and employers exemplified by PSM programs can serve as a model for collaboration across sectors.”

This new report includes data on applications received and accepted for fall 2011, as well as enrollment data for fall 2011 and degrees awarded during the 2010-11 academic year, from 95% of all PSM programs worldwide.  Additionally, the report offers comparisons to data from 2010, documenting growth in applications, admissions, and enrollment.  Key findings include:

Applications:

• Over 6,300 applications were received for fall 2011 admission and 44% were accepted.
• PSM programs in mathematics and statistics received more applications than programs in other fields of study, constituting 35% of all applications received.

First-Time Enrollment:

• Nearly 1,700 students enrolled in PSM programs in 2011.
• 54% of first-time enrollees were men, and 46% were women.
• About two-thirds of all first-time PSM students were enrolled full-time while the remainder were part-time students.
• 24% of first-time enrollees in U.S.-based PSM programs were temporary residents (i.e., international students).
• Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, 16% of first-time enrollees were underrepresented minorities (Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian/Alaska Native).

Total Enrollment:

• Total enrollment in PSM programs approached 5,500 students in 2011.
• Total enrollment increased by 15.4% overall between 2010 and 2011 and by 7.5% at the PSM programs that responded to both the 2010 and the 2011 surveys.
• Men comprised 56% of all PSM students and women made up 44%.
• 14% of total PSM students enrolled in U.S.-based institutions were temporary residents.
• Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, 27% of enrollees in the fall of 2011 were underrepresented minorities.
• Total PSM enrollment in fall 2011 was dominated by four fields of study:  computational sciences (28%), biology/biotechnology (25%), environmental sciences (17%), and mathematics and statistics (12%).

Degrees awarded:

• Nearly 1,600 PSM degrees were awarded in 2011.
• 57% of PSM degrees awarded by respondents in academic year 2010/11 were awarded to men and 43% to women.
• One in five graduates of U.S.-based PSM programs were international students.
• Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, 19% of PSM graduates in 2010/11 were underrepresented minorities.
• About one-third of PSM degrees awarded in 2010/11 were in biology/biotechnology.
• Men earned the majority of the PSM degrees granted in physics and geological sciences, computational sciences, and mathematics and statistics.
• Women earned the majority of the degrees granted in “other” fields, medical-related sciences, and biology/biotechnology.

The report is available in pdf format at sciencemasters.com.