Robert Augustine of Eastern Illinois University to Serve as Chair of CGS Board
(12/13/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Board of Directors has announced its officers for the 2013 term. The new board was seated at the 52nd Annual Meeting, December 5, 2012 in Washington, DC. Dr. Robert Augustine, Dean of the Graduate School, Research and International Programs at Eastern Illinois University (EIU), became the 2013 CGS Board Chair. Dr. Augustine has served as the graduate dean at EIU since 2000.

Winners of 2012 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards Announced (12/13/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious honor for doctoral dissertations, were presented to Björn B. Brandenburg and Junjie Chen at an awards ceremony during the CGS 52nd Annual Meeting.

Monica Popescu Wins 2012 Arlt Award in the Humanities (12/13/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has awarded the 2012 Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities to Dr. Monica Popescu, Associate Professor of English at McGill University. The Arlt Award is given annually to a young scholar-teacher who has written a book deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to scholarship in the humanities.

University of Illinois at Chicago Wins ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education (12/13/2012)
The fourth annual “ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion” was presented to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) during the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The award is sponsored by CGS and Educational Testing Service (ETS).

CGS and TIAA‐CREF Join Forces to Enhance Student Financial Literacy (11/27/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), a nonprofit organization devoted to graduate education and research, and TIAA‐CREF, a leading financial services provider, have announced a project to enhance the financial literacy of graduate and undergraduate students. Through the endeavor with TIAA‐CREF, CGS will make awards to colleges and universities across the country to develop innovative financial literacy programs that can be tailored to students with a range of financial circumstances and educational goals.

Media Alert: CGS Invites Media Participation at 52nd Annual Meeting (11/16/2012)
Higher education leaders and other stakeholders will convene to discuss new trends and important questions in graduate education. The conference theme, “Creativity and Innovation in Graduate Education” will inspire discussion across six plenaries and a diverse range of concurrent sessions.
 

First-Time Enrollment of International Graduate Students Up 8 Percent (11/8/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools reported an 8 percent increase in the first-time enrollment of international students from 2011 to 2012, matching the 8 percent increase between 2010 and 2011, and representing the third straight year of growth in first-time enrollments. Total enrollment of international graduate students among responding institutions reached 197,000 in 2012.

CGS Announces Awards to Support the Assessment of Student Learning by Future Faculty (10/31/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has announced awards to seven universities to develop new approaches for enhancing graduate student skills and understanding in the assessment of undergraduate learning. Supported through grants to CGS from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Teagle Foundation, the awardees will integrate learning assessment into programs that prepare graduate students for faculty careers.

Graduate Schools See Growth in Applications and Degrees, But Enroll Fewer New Students in 2011 (9/28/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported that U.S. graduate schools saw a 1.7% dip in enrollments of first-time graduate students between fall 2010 and fall 2011, marking the second consecutive year of slight decreases. Across the board, graduate school enrollments remain ahead of where they were a decade ago, but the latest figures reverse increases for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years, when enrollments grew 4.5% and 5.5% respectively. These findings are the result of the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, an annual survey that has been conducted since 1986.

Employment Levels Remain High for Professional Science Master's Degree Holders (9/18/2012)
Recent graduates of Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree programs are reporting strong rates of employment, according to the second annual PSM Student Outcomes Survey released by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The report tracks initial hiring trends and perceived satisfaction among 2010-11 and 2011-12 graduates of PSM degree programs.

CGS Announces Awards to Support Research Ethics Education in International STEM Collaborations (9/14/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has made awards to five universities to integrate research ethics education into international collaborations in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) fields. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF # 1135345), the project seeks to enhance the preparation of future scientists and engineers for the ethical challenges that often arise in global research.

University Leaders Issue Statement on Preparing Graduate Students for Global Careers (9/6/2012)
Higher education leaders from 15 countries have agreed on a set of principles to guide the preparation of graduate students for the demands of the global workforce and economy. The statement was released following the Sixth Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit, “From Brain Drain to Brain Circulation: Graduate Education for Global Career Pathways,” jointly hosted by the U.S.-based Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Technische Universität München.

Media Alert for the 2013 CGS International Summit, From Brain Drain to Brain Circulation: Graduate Education for Global Career Pathways (8/28/2012)
From September 4-6, 2012, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Technische Universität München (TUM) will convene the Sixth Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education. The summit will address pressing questions for national economies and education systems.

Report Highlights Needs in Graduate Education for Research Integrity, Offers Best Practice Models for Institutions (8/27/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools has released a new report highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to graduate education in research integrity. The report, Research and Scholarly Integrity in Graduate Education, provides recommendations for U.S. universities based on best practice research as well as data collected through a multi-year CGS initiative, The Project for Scholarly Integrity (PSI), supported by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.

International Graduate Admissions Increase 9%: Admissions Offers Rise for China, the Middle East, and Brazil (8/27/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools reported that offers of admission from U.S. graduate schools to prospective international students increased 9% from 2011 to 2012, following an increase of 9% last year. The new data marks the 3rd consecutive year of growth in international graduate admissions.

Research Universities and the Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions Vital to Our Nation’s Prosperity and Security (6/14/2012)
CGS President, Debra W. Stewart, issued the following statement on the National Research Council’s June 2012 report, Research Universities and the Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions Vital to Our Nation’s Prosperity and Security.

U.S. Must Close Gap Between Graduate Schools, Employers to Stay Competitive, Spur Innovation (4/19/2012)
By 2020, 2.6 million new or replacement jobs will require an advanced degree. Yet a new report warns that the nation will not be able to tap graduate students with high-level knowledge and skills unless university, business, nonprofit and government sectors team more closely — and innovatively — than they do now. The report, Pathways Through Graduate School and Into Careers, calls for such changes in graduate education’s link to the workforce.

CGS Launches Project to Prepare Future Faculty to Assess Undergraduate Learning (4/10/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has been awarded grants from the Alfred P. Sloan and Teagle Foundations for a new initiative to address the need for greater faculty expertise and engagement in the assessment of undergraduate student learning. CGS will collaborate with five U.S. universities to develop model projects for integrating learning assessment for the improvement of teaching into programs that prepare graduate students for faculty careers.

International Graduate Applications Rise for Seventh Consecutive Year; China, Mexico, and Brazil show largest gains (4/3/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is reporting that the number of applications from prospective international students to U.S. graduate schools increased 9% in 2012, following an 11% gain in 2011 and matching the 9% growth seen in 2010.

Selection of Institutional Partners made for Doctoral Initiative on Minority Attrition and Completion (3/15/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has selected 20 proposals representing 21 universities to participate in a study to examine completion and attrition among underrepresented minorities in STEM doctoral programs.

Richard W. Linton Announced as CGS/NSF Dean-in-Residence (2/21/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF), has announced the appointment of the 2012-2013 CGS/NSF Dean-in-Residence, Richard W. Linton.

CGS responds to the Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget (2/15/2012)
We commend President Obama for the administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget which invests in education, research and innovation. The proposed budget reflects a strong commitment to the understanding that American competitiveness in a global economy depends on developing human talent.

Council of Graduate Schools Applauds President’s Call for Investment in Basic Research and Expanding Access to Education (1/25/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) strongly supports President Obama’s call for policies to increase job opportunities, support basic research, reform immigration, and expand access to education. In his 2012 State of the Union message, the president indicated his support for strategic investments to spur economic recovery while also streamlining government.

Keck Graduate Institute selected to administer PSM Affiliation process (1/25/2012)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced that the Keck Graduate Institute has been selected to administer the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Affiliation process.

Professional Science Master’s programs see strong growth in 2011 (1/18/2012)
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.

View 2011 Press Releases

Contact:
Julia Kent
(202) 223-3791
jkent@cgs.nche.edu

Three New Members to Join Board in 2015

Washington, DC – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Board of Directors has announced its officers for the 2015 term. CGS is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors drawn from member institutions. Board members serve for set terms.

Dr. Barbara Knuth, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at Cornell University, as the 2015 Board Chair was announced at the conclusion of the 2014 CGS Annual Meeting. Serving in her role at Cornell since 2010, Knuth has enhanced her university’s professional development program for graduate students to focus on supporting students to work effectively with their graduate committees and to foster transferable skills relevant to academic and non-academic career paths. Since she became dean, all graduate degree programs have articulated specific learning outcomes and have implemented assessment plans focused on program improvement. Knuth joined the Cornell faculty in 1986 as an assistant professor of natural resource policy. She holds a bachelor of philosophy degree in interdisciplinary studies, a bachelor’s in zoology, and a master’s in environmental science, all from Miami University, and a PhD in fisheries and wildlife sciences from Virginia Tech.   

“In her role as graduate dean, Dr. Knuth has been at the forefront of the pressing issues graduate schools are facing today,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “Her expertise and leadership will help CGS chart ambitious goals for meeting the evolving needs of our member institutions.”

The new Chair-elect is Mark J. T. Smith, Dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University. Dr. Smith will serve in this role in 2015 and will become the board chair at the conclusion of the 2015 Annual Meeting. A member of the faculty in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Smith was appointed graduate dean in 2009. His scholarly interests are in the area of digital signal processing. He is a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and is a former IEEE Distinguished Lecturer. He has authored many technical papers, six international standards publications, three textbooks, and two edited books, the most recent of which is the 2014 edited book GPS for Graduate School—Students Share Their Stories.

Beginning three-year terms on the board on January 1 are Maria Di Stefano, Associate Provost and Dean, Graduate Studies at Truman State University; Janet Rutledge, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Christopher Sindt, Vice Provost, Graduate and Professional Studies at Saint Mary’s University of California.

James Wimbush, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs and Dean of the University Graduate School at Indiana University, will remain on CGS’s Executive Committee for one year as immediate past chair.

“I am honored to have worked with Dr. Wimbush during his term as CGS Board Chair,” Ortega said. “He has contributed greatly to the success of graduate students at his institution and to the enterprise of graduate education worldwide.”

Julia Kent, Council of Graduate Schools                                            

(202) 461-3874                                                          

jkent@cgs.nche.edu                

Beth Dempsey, ProQuest

(248) 349-7810

beth.dempsey@proquest.com

Awards recognize outstanding research by graduates in the fields of Political Science and Physics

Washington, DC – The Council of Graduate Schools / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious honors for doctoral dissertations, were presented to Joshua Kertzer and Matthew Reed at an awards ceremony during the Council’s 54th Annual Meeting. Both awardees completed their PhDs in 2013— Dr. Kertzer at The Ohio State University, in Political Science, and Dr. Reed at Yale University, in Physics.

Bestowed annually since 1982, the awards recognize recent doctoral recipients who have already made unusually significant and original contributions to their fields. ProQuest, an international leader in dissertation archiving, discovery and access, sponsors the awards and an independent committee from the Council of Graduate Schools selects the winners. Two awards are given each year, rotating among four general areas of scholarship. The winners receive a certificate, a $2,000 honorarium, and funds for travel to the awards ceremony.

“ProQuest has devoted decades to preserving and building paths to the discovery of dissertations because we believe they play a pivotal role in advancing knowledge,” said Niels Dam, ProQuest Vice-President, Dissertations Product Management. “The dissertations by Dr. Kertzer and Dr. Reed are excellent examples of the fresh perspectives that are explored and the new foundations set in graduate works. They make us proud to sponsor this important award.”​

“Once again, the Distinguished Dissertation Awards demonstrate how young scholars are having a dramatic impact on their fields,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “It’s a testament to the vitality of graduate education when new knowledge contributed by recently minted PhDs can raise the level of understanding in their fields of study.”

The 2014 Award in the Social Sciences was presented to Dr. Kertzer for his dissertation, “Resolve in International Politics.” The project examines the concept of resolve, one of the most commonly used, but insufficiently understood, independent variables in International Relations. Arguing that resolve is “an interaction between situational stakes and dispositional traits,” Dr. Kertzer uses a range of different methods to “explain why certain types of actors are more sensitive to the costs of fighting, while others are more sensitive to the costs of backing down.” He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at Harvard University.

[From left: Marlene Coles, ProQuest; Suzanne T. Ortega, CGS; Joshua Kertzer, winner, 2014 ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award]

Dr. Reed received the 2014 Award in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering for his dissertation, “Entanglement and Quantum Error Correction with Superconducting Qubits.”  His project “reports on work demonstrating the fundamental capabilities of a quantum computer using superconducting quantum bits.” The most significant result reported on his dissertation is “the first demonstration of quantum error correction in a solid-state device.” Understanding how to correct such errors is an important requirement for building a quantum computer. Dr. Reed is currently Research Scientist at HRL Laboratories.

[Matthew Reed, winner, 2014 ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award]

More information about the CGS / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award is available at www.proquest.com/go/scholars or at www.cgsnet.org.

Contacts:
Julia Kent, CGS
(202) 461-3874
jkent@cgs.nche.edu     

Tom Ewing, ETS     
(609) 683-2058
tewing@ets.org  

Washington, DC – The sixth annual ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion was presented to Duke University during the 54th Annual Meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The award is sponsored by CGS and Educational Testing Service (ETS). Dr. Paula McClain, Dean of The Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education, accepted the award on Duke’s behalf.

The award recognizes promising, innovative proposals to enhance student success and degree completion at the master’s or doctoral level while promoting inclusiveness. The winning institution is selected on the strength of its proposal to meet the award’s goals and to serve as a model for other schools. The winner receives a two-year, $20,000 matching grant.

Duke’s proposal will create Duke OPTIONS (Online Professional Development Tool for Individual OpportuNitieS), a tool that will help doctoral students explore a wide range of careers and create a professional development plan to acquire the skills, experience, credentials, and connections they need while they are in graduate school.

“Our students are telling us that in addition to their advisors, they need more sources of assistance in navigating career options,” Dr. McClain said. “At Duke, we provide many professional development opportunities, and this tool will help students create roadmaps for their career paths and goals and connect them to the right opportunities at the right time.”

[Paula McClain accepts on behalf of Duke University the 2014 ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion]

The selection committee noted that Duke OPTIONS is worthy of recognition for the way it will empower students to set their own professional development agendas throughout their doctoral studies. Also, because prospective applicants will have access to Duke OPTIONS, the tool will gather data on how professional development opportunities can be used to achieve recruiting and admissions goals. Perhaps most exciting of all is the potential Duke OPTIONS has to reveal the effect of professional development on persistence and degree completion.  

Following the two-year funding period, Duke OPTIONS will be sustained as a permanent program thanks to commitments by the Duke administration and the Graduate School.

“The graduate education community benefits tremendously from the practices showcased by this award competition,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “On behalf of our members, I thank Duke University for sharing their creative expertise with graduate institutions everywhere. And of course, I thank ETS, whose support makes possible this novel way to promote best practices among the graduate community.”

“Doctoral degrees are taking graduates to all corners of the workforce today,” said David G. Payne, Vice President and COO of ETS’s Higher Education Division. “As graduate schools redefine professional development to better reflect the broad range of careers PhDs are choosing, Duke’s project is well-poised to become a model for other institutions. We are especially excited to see the project’s focus on the full life-cycle of doctoral study, the transparency it adds for prospective applicants, and its potential to improve degree completion—especially among underrepresented minority students. ETS is delighted to support Duke in creating this innovative program for the benefit of doctoral students.”

Contact: 
Julia Kent
(202) 223-3791

Washington, DC – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has awarded the 2014 Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities to Dr. Michael Titelbaum, Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The awards ceremony was held during the CGS 54th Annual Meeting.

The Arlt Award is given annually to a young scholar-teacher who has written a book deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to scholarship in the humanities. Dr. Titelbaum becomes the award’s 44th recipient for his book, Quitting Certainties (Oxford University Press, 2013). He received his PhD in Philosophy from University of California-Berkeley in 2008.

Dr. Titelbaum’s book presents a new approach for tackling a fundamental problem of epistemology. As a philosopher carefully rationalizes what s/he knows, it becomes necessary to accept that things can be ‘known’ with varying degrees of certainty. And over time, as new evidence is discovered and considered, the philosopher can update the degree of certainty with which they know what they know. The current standard theory of how individuals should change their degrees of belief over time (Subjective Bayesianism) has a few holes: it can’t account for situations where individuals have forgotten information; or in which the degree of certainty was based on self-locating claims. In the book, Titelbaum introduces his Certainty-Loss Framework as a way to reinterpret Bayesian methodology and alter the theory’s updating rules.

[From left: Suzanne T. Ortega, CGS President; Michael Titelbaum, winner, 2014 Arlt Award; John McCarthy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at University of Massachusetts Amherst and member of the 2014 Arlt Award Selection Committee.]

Quitting Certainties was selected to receive the Arlt Award based on the impact the book has seen since its publication. Nominators praised Titelbaum for the way his Certainty-Loss Framework is making possible a deeper examination of commitment, consistency, and the nature of information.   

Created in 1971, the Arlt Award honors the first president of CGS. The winner must have earned a doctorate within the past seven years from, and currently be teaching at, a North American university. Nominations are made by CGS member institutions and are reviewed by a panel of scholars in the field of competition, which rotates annually among seven disciplines within the humanities. This year’s field was Linguistics and Philosophy. The winner receives a $1,000 honorarium, a certificate, and travel to the awards ceremony.

Shifts Emerge in Student Demographics, Fields of Study

Contact:
Julia Kent
jkent@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791

Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today reported that first-time enrollment of international students at U.S. graduate institutions has grown for the fifth consecutive year. Between 2013 and 2014, first-time enrollment of international graduate students increased by 8%, while total graduate enrollment also increased by 8%. The findings are based on the 2014 CGS International Graduate Enrollment Survey, Phase III: Final Offers of Admission and Enrollment.

The new data indicate that U.S. graduate programs continue to be a destination of choice for many of the world’s prospective graduate students, despite increasing global competition to attract top talent. This trend is consistent with a growth in applications from prospective international students, which has grown each year over the past nine years.

CGS President Suzanne Ortega noted that the growth trends may also reflect the fact that U.S. graduate institutions have become more strategic about recruiting international students to their campuses. “Given the growing international competition for top students, U.S. institutions have been developing new ways of communicating with prospective students and offering students who matriculate stronger support services after they arrive. Universities understand that they can’t afford to lose the contributions of these talented students to research and innovation on their campuses.”

Despite the general upward trend of first-time enrollments of international graduate students, survey findings also indicate emerging shifts in students’ countries of origin and fields of study. For example, first-time enrollment of students from India increased 27%, marking the second year in a row of double-digit growth in first-time enrollments of students from that country. The increase in Indian enrollment offset a 1% dip in first-time enrollments of students from China in 2014, the first decline measured since the survey was initiated in 2004. This change in Chinese first-time enrollment concerns a relatively large number of students, since Chinese students constitute 33 percent of the total enrollment of international graduate students in the U.S.

The survey report also provides a glimpse of shifts in interest in various fields of study. Fields that have historically drawn a high proportion of graduate students, physical & earth sciences and engineering, showed the highest growth in first-time enrollment for 2014, at 20% and 11% respectively. On the other hand, arts and humanities programs, not traditionally associated with international graduate students, have shown modest but steady gains in first-time enrollment, increasing by 3% for 2014, and following gains of 9% for 2012-2013, 5% for 2011-2012, and 5% for 2010-2011. A 2% increase in first-time enrollment in business marks a slowing down of growth documented earlier in this field, which had seen an increase in first-time enrollment of 6% for 2012-2013, 15% for 2011-2012, and 9% for 2010-2011.

Trends by country/region of origin

Substantial variations in growth were found among the sending countries and regions analyzed in the study:

• First-time enrollment of students from India increased 27% in 2014, following a 40% increase in first-time enrollment in 2013.
• First-time enrollment of Chinese students decreased 1% in 2014.
• First-time enrollment of students from Brazil increased 91% in 2014, following a 17% increase in 2013 and a 14% increase in 2012. It should be noted that these increases concern a relatively small number of students.
• First-time graduate enrollment of students from South Korea and Taiwan declined 7% and 8% respectively in 2014.
• Changes in first-time graduate enrollment of students from the Middle East were the largest among the three regions followed (8%), a trend that has been consistent for the past three years.

Trends by broad field of study

First-time enrollment of international graduate students increased in all but one of the fields for which the survey collects data. Survey data showed a 1% decrease in first-time enrollment of international students in education, although it is important to note that the number of international students pursuing graduate studies in this field is relatively small compared with other fields. The largest gains in enrollment occurred in physical and earth sciences (20%) and engineering (11%), followed by life sciences (7%), arts and humanities (3%), ‘other’ fields (2%), business (2%), and social sciences and psychology (2%). Changes in first-time enrollment by field are shown in the table below.

*Includes Mathematics and Computer Sciences

International first-time graduate enrollment increased at both public institutions and private, not-for-profit institutions in 2014. At public institutions, international first-time graduate enrollment increased 9% in 2014 following an 11% gain in 2013, while at private not-for-profit institutions, international first-time graduate enrollment increased 6% in 2014 following an 8% increase in 2013.

About the report

Findings from the 2014 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Phase III: Final Offers of Admission and Enrollment is based on the third phase of a three-part annual survey of international graduate student applications, admissions, and enrollment among U.S. member institutions. The survey had a response rate of 62%, including 80 of the 100 institutions that award the largest number of graduate degrees to international students. The report is posted at http://www.cgsnet.org/benchmarking/international-graduate-admissions-survey. Overall, the 308 institutions responding to the Phase III survey conferred 67% of the approximately 109,000 graduate degrees awarded to international students in the United States in 2011/12.

Warrenton, VA — Over fifty experts in graduate education met last week to investigate the challenges of understanding the career pathways of PhD holders. Currently little is known about the full range of careers held by doctoral recipients. Since many PhD holders do not ultimately take university positions, there is a corresponding lack of information about the contributions of this population to the U.S. workforce.

The workshop, which met on September 29-30, represents a key component of the project Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement, a Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) initiative funded by the Alfred P. Sloan and Andrew W. Mellon foundations. Participants in the workshop included graduate deans; researchers from major studies on career tracking; representatives of disciplinary societies, including prominent faculty in different fields; graduate students; and other experts.

CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega explained, “A better understanding of doctoral careers will allow programs to develop curricula and professional development opportunities that better prepare graduate students for the full range of careers they are likely to follow.” She added, “Better transparency about where PhDs ultimately pursue work will also empower current and prospective PhD students to make informed choices with respect to graduate education.”

Over the course of the two-day workshop, there were many calls for continued analysis of the gaps in the current research, as the next step toward developing a common set of definitions, processes, and procedures that would allow universities to improve their graduate programs and better inform key stakeholders.

This fall CGS will analyze the results of the workshop, and outline next steps for future work in this area, for a report that will be shared widely with the higher education community.

Enrollment of U.S. citizens fell 0.9%, while enrollment of temporary residents rose 11.5%

Contact:
Nate Thompson
nthompson@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791
 

Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today reported a 1.0% increase in first-time enrollment between fall 2012 and fall 2013. More than 459,000 students enrolled for the first time in graduate certificate, education specialist, master’s, or doctoral programs for the fall 2013 term, according to institutions responding to the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, an annual survey that has been conducted since 1986.

Despite the gains in first-time enrollment, total graduate enrollment fell 0.2% between fall 2012 and fall 2013 following a 2.3% decline in the previous year. Total graduate enrollment was about 1.7 million students in fall 2013.

The data show diverging trends by residency status. While first-time enrollment of U.S. citizens and permanent residents shrank by 0.9%, the increase of 11.5% in first-time enrollment of temporary residents was enough to push the overall rate of change into positive territory. Temporary residents represented one-in-five new graduate students at U.S. programs in fall 2013.

CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega pointed out that graduate enrollments are increasingly important to U.S. economic competitiveness. “People with graduate degrees are driving growth and innovation in our economy, and graduate-level skills are in higher demand every year. However, enrollments are not keeping pace with the projected growth in jobs requiring advanced degrees. We can’t put more qualified American workers into these high-level jobs until we create more opportunities for them to earn graduate degrees. To meet the needs of our economy, we must invest in graduate education and better support the students who enroll in master’s and PhD programs with more grants and fellowships to reduce their reliance on loans.”         

Ortega added that the strong growth in enrollments of international students was an encouraging trend. “International students are making vital contributions to graduate education and research. Welcoming more of the world’s top talent will help our economy, especially if we allow more international graduates to stay and work in the U.S. after completing their degrees.”  

First-time enrollment for Hispanic/Latino students rose 5.7%. Such growth is important, as Hispanic/Latino students have long been underrepresented in graduate programs. However, other underrepresented groups lost some of the ground gained in previous years, as first-time enrollment fell 4.9% for American Indians/Alaska Natives and 0.1% for Blacks/African Americans between fall 2012 and fall 2013. Meanwhile, first-time enrollment of White students fell 2.1%. For Asian/Pacific Islander students, first-time enrollment grew 0.7%.

Other report findings include: 

Trends by field

• The largest one-year changes in graduate applications between fall 2012 and fall 2013 occurred in mathematics and computer sciences (11.2%), health sciences (11.0%), and physical and earth sciences (-6.3%).
• Applications to graduate programs in business fell 0.9% between fall 2012 and fall 2013.
• First-time enrollment in education programs decreased 2.2% for fall 2013.
• The largest fields by total enrollment were education and business, respectively accounting for 19% and 16% of total graduate enrollment at responding institutions in fall 2013.

Trends by degree level

• About 73% of all graduate students in fall 2013 were enrolled in programs leading to a master’s degree or a graduate certificate, according to survey respondents.
• Responding institutions awarded approximately 71,000 doctoral degrees, 522,000 master’s degrees, and 34,000 graduate certificates in 2012-13.
• Between fall 2012 and fall 2013, first-time enrollment decreased by 4.0% at the doctoral-level and increased by 2.0% at the master’s-level.

Student demographics

• About 57% of all first-time graduate students in fall 2013 were women, according to survey respondents.
• According to survey respondents, women earned nearly two-thirds (66.2%) of the graduate certificates, 59.2% of the master’s degrees, and 52.2% of the doctorates. Academic year 2012-13 marked the fifth straight year women earned a majority of doctoral degrees.
• In fall 2013, 54% of all temporary resident graduate students were enrolled in biological and agricultural sciences, engineering, mathematics and computer sciences, physical and earth sciences. In contrast, only 16.0% of U.S. citizens/permanent residents were enrolled in these fields.

About the report

Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2003 to 2013 presents the findings of an annual survey of U.S. graduate schools, co-sponsored by CGS and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board. It is the only annual national survey that covers enrollment in all fields of graduate study and is the only source of national data on graduate applications. The report includes responses from 655 institutions, which collectively confer about 74% of the master’s degrees and 93% of the doctorates awarded each year. The survey report presents statistics on graduate applications and enrollment for fall 2013, degrees conferred in 2012-13, and trend data for one-, five- and ten-year periods.

Contacts

Maureen Terese McCarthy, CGS: (202) 223-3791 / mmccarthy@cgs.nche.edu
Sandy Woolfrey-Fahey: (709) 864 4873 / sandywf@mun.ca

St. John’s, Canada (September 10, 2014) — Leaders of graduate institutions from 14 countries today agreed on a set of principles supporting interdisciplinary learning in graduate education.

The statement was released at the conclusion of the Eighth Annual Global Summit on Graduate Education, “Interdisciplinary Learning in Graduate Education and Research,” co-hosted by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Global Summit is an annual event designed to promote international best practices in master’s and doctoral education.

This year’s theme was chosen by an international steering committee to recognize that complex questions in a global society cannot be answered using a single method or approach. Master’s and doctoral students will be called upon to approach these questions as researchers, and graduate institutions are challenged to prepare them to conduct research and collaborate beyond the bounds of one academic discipline.

Summit participants shared examples and background on the national and international context for interdisciplinary learning in their countries and institutions.

Session topics addressed the organizational and administrative challenges to supporting interdisciplinary methods, including:

• creating institutional cultures that value interdisciplinary learning;
• structures for interdisciplinary research and collaboration within science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the humanities, as well as across broad fields;
• assessment of learning outcomes;
• innovations in program design, including tuition allocation, credit requirements, advising of interdisciplinary students, and informal and extracurricular opportunities for interdisciplinary learning; and,
• new models for funding interdisciplinary programs, including partnerships with public, private, and non-profit funders.  

Dr. Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic) pro tempore and dean of Graduate Studies at Memorial University, commented that, “We tend to agree on the importance of interdisciplinarity as a concept, but practicing interdisciplinary teaching, research, and learning presents real challenges for graduate schools and administrators. This week we established a set of principles to guide graduate communities when considering how best to incorporate interdisciplinary learning and research as core values in their academic programs.”  

CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega noted, “The questions that will advance human knowledge often lie at the boundaries of current disciplines, so interdisciplinary knowledge and ways of thinking are central to today’s master’s and doctoral education. It is essential that graduate students learn to communicate across disciplines in the full variety of contexts they will encounter throughout their careers.”

Participants in the summit included deans and other leaders of graduate schools and representatives of national and international associations devoted to graduate education. Along with Canada and the United States, the countries represented were: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China (PRC and Hong Kong), Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

The consensus statement is below.

Principles for Supporting Interdisciplinarity
in (Post)graduate[1] Education and Research

Interdisciplinarity is an important feature of (post)graduate education. Established academic disciplines inform and are informed by interdisciplinary scholarship. With a firm basis in principles of interdisciplinarity, students will be poised to succeed as the researchers, teachers, and leaders of the future. Diverse understandings exist, however, as to the definitions, practices, and purposes of interdisciplinarity—and these definitions themselves, along with the borders of academic disciplines, continue to change. Practices of interdisciplinarity vary, and may include extracurricular offerings and events, interdisciplinary programs or degrees, incentives for interdepartmental collaboration or co-mentoring, and problem-based research teams and curricula.

Many stakeholders stand to gain from an increased commitment to interdisciplinarity, including university administrators, academic staff, students, and faculty, as well as regions, nations, and societies at large. Documenting the impact of interdisciplinary research and programs is important for accountability to these stakeholders, as well as for facilitating assessment and improvement of any offerings. Interdisciplinarity is not, however, an end in and of itself. Interdisciplinarity in graduate education and research must answer specific, identifiable needs.

Representing 14 countries, the participants in the 2014 Strategic Leaders Global Summit recommend that (post)graduate institutions consider the following principles when making decisions about interdisciplinarity in (post)graduate education and research.

1. Articulate the added value of interdisciplinary approaches and initiatives within institutional contexts.
2. Communicate and advocate for the value of interdisciplinary research and learning to the broader community. Education efforts should include not only the broad value of interdisciplinary research and learning, but also the specific relevance and benefits to each stakeholder group.
3. Identify and develop the skills (post)graduate students will need engage effectively in interdisciplinary research collaborations or research projects throughout their careers.
4. Provide opportunities and spaces for (post)graduate students and faculty to meet colleagues in other disciplines, work on interdisciplinary research teams or on interdisciplinary research projects.
5. Build administrative bridges to encourage interdisciplinary research and learning. Where existing structures inhibit cross-disciplinary collaborations, find ways to remove barriers and provide incentives.
6. Value interdisciplinary mentoring or research in faculty tenure and promotion procedures.
7. Encourage funding agencies to support interdisciplinary research projects and training.

The Eighth Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education.

Co-hosted by the Council of Graduate Schools and Memorial University Newfoundland

14 countries to be represented

Press Contacts

If you wish to attend the press conference or conduct interviews with summit leaders prior to the event, please contact:

Maureen McCarthy, CGS: (202) 223-3791 / mmccarthy@cgs.nche.edu

Meaghan Whelan, MUN: (709) 864-2455 / mcwhelan@mun.ca

September 7 – September 10, 2014

Newfoundland, Canada

Overview

From September 7 to September 10, 2014, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) will convene the eighth annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education. The summit will address pressing questions about preparing the next generation of research professionals to learn and collaborate beyond the bounds of one discipline:

• What are the advantages of mixing academic cultures and methods among STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences? How can degree programs be designed, administered, and evaluated for student success?
• How can institutions overcome barriers such as a lack of funding or administrative support, and the difficulties of publishing research across disciplines?
• How can graduate schools build and sustain partnerships with public, private, and non-profit funders to create interdisciplinary research and learning opportunities for students?

Event Details

The event will take place at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, in St. John’s, and at Fishers’ Loft in Port Rexton, Newfoundland. The session open to media guests will be from 11:00 a.m. to noon Wednesday, September 10, at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland. This year’s summit will assemble 31 leaders in graduate education who represent a diverse range of national graduate education systems. Presentations will be made by speakers from 14 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China (PRC and Hong Kong), Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Attached is a list of participant names, institutions, and countries.

Topic

An international steering committee conferred on the 2014 summit theme, “Interdisciplinary Learning in Graduate Education and Research.” In choosing this theme, the steering committee recognizes that complex questions in our global society cannot be answered using single methods or approaches. Master’s and doctoral students will be called upon to approach these questions, and summit participants will consider how best to train students to meet these challenges.

Summit panellists were asked to explore interdisciplinarity in master’s and doctoral education with regard to their own local contexts. The presentations to be shared at the event discuss how interdisciplinary learning and research might be integrated into graduate programs in order to train tomorrow’s global leaders.

Outcomes and Press Release

CGS and MUN will share the summit outcomes and resulting consensus statement at a media forum on September 10 at 11:00 a.m., Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, in St. John’s, which will be attended by CGS President Suzanne Ortega and Dean of the MUN School of Graduate Studies and incoming Provost and Vice President (Academic) pro tempore, Noreen Golfman, and other summit speakers as available.

Journalists are invited to conduct interviews with the leaders of the sponsoring institutions. Arrangements may also be made to interview summit leaders from specific countries. Speakers will be available to discuss the consensus statement and answer questions about topics relevant to their countries and institutions.

Background

The Strategic Leaders Global Summit is the only annual international forum for leaders in graduate education. Past summits have explored topics including program quality, dual-degree programs, graduate career outcomes, and the global mobility of graduate talent.

Participants

Professor Vahan Agopyan, University of São Paulo, Brazil

Dr. Marie Audette, Université Laval, Canada

Dr. Robert Augustine, Eastern Illinois University, United States

Dr. Sue Berners-Price, Griffith University, Australia

Professor Verena Blechinger-Talcott, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Professor Hans-Joachim Bungartz, Technische Universität München, Germany

Dr. Chen Shiyi, Peking University, China

Professor Denise Cuthbert, RMIT University, Australia

Dr. John (Jay) Doering, University of Manitoba, Canada

Dr. Noreen Golfman, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Professor Roger Horn, Deakin University, Australia

Professor Lucy Johnston, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Dr. Mohan Kankanhalli, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Dr. Barbara Knuth, Cornell University, United States

Dr. Melita Kovacevic, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Dr. Nancy Marcus, Florida State University, United States

Dr. Liviu Matei, Central European University, Hungary

Dr. Maureen McCarthy, Council of Graduate Schools, United States

Dr. Shireen Motala, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Dr. Suzanne Ortega, Council of Graduate Schools, United States

Professor Laura Poole-Warren, University of New South Wales, Australia

Dr. Nirmala Rao, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China)

Mr. Rafael Sidi, Senior Vice President, ProQuest

Dr. Mark J.T. Smith, Purdue University, United States

Professor Zaidatun Tasir, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Dr. Tao Tao, Xiamen University, China

Dr. Stefanie Thorne, University Campus Suffolk, United Kingdom

Dr. Jiaping Wang, Zhejiang University, China

Dr. Lesley Wilson, European University Association, Belgium

Dr. James C. Wimbush, Indiana University, United States

Dr. Lisa Young, University of Calgary, Canada