MU sees increase in graduate students and programs
Published Sept. 18, 2007
More and more students are seeking to raise the bar by pursuing a graduate level degree.
Graduate programs can help students find better jobs and bring additional revenue to the university, MU Graduate School officials said.
"You definitely feel the pressure to have an advanced degree when entering the workplace," Graduate Professional Council President Jennifer Holland said. "Just about all of my friends ended up in some kind of program."
She said she felt that this was a testament to the pressure students feel to be as qualified as they can before going into the job market.
"A bachelor's degree doesn't necessarily get it anymore, and graduate degrees provide more options," MU Graduate School spokesman Steven Richardson said.
George Justice, associate dean of the Graduate School, said MU has also seen a significant increase in the number of graduate students in the last 10 years.
"There is greater earning power for a person with a graduate degree and greater opportunities for career and personal life satisfaction," Justice said.
He also said that income for those with a graduate degree is higher than for those with only a bachelor's degree. Richardson said that part of the increase in students pursuing higher degrees also comes from the need to meet advances in technology.
Justice added that the increase in graduate students benefited the undergraduate students as well.
He said graduate students help attract top faculty, as well as upping the research ante of a research university.
Justice said the graduate program was always looking to expand.
"We're not interested in selling out the good name of MU, but we are interested in developing programs that meet student and market needs," he said.
Richardson said the master's programs bring MU revenue, but he said increasing revenue is only part of the larger goal of always maintaining MU's academic integrity.
Richardson said a lot of the university's recruitment efforts have been directed toward its Web site. He said the school tries to make it easy to use and informative.
Holland, a doctoral student, said she first became interested in pursuing a graduate degree when she became involved in an undergraduate research program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She said picking a graduate program was different than picking an undergraduate one. Her professor gave her a list of good professors, and several MU faculty members were on the list.
"Instead of focusing on a university, you focus on the professors you'll be working with," she said.
Justice said students choose MU for a number of reasons, including the strength of the programs.
"We have top-ranked programs across the board," he said. "MU is a place to study with the best peers, the best students and top national faculty."
He also said the city of Columbia and the resources it has to offer were reasons for graduate student interest.
"It's an atmosphere conducive to grad students having a sane life while pursuing their degree," he said.
Richardson said he thought MU's appeal came from the variety of programs offered.
"We're always trying to come up with programs people want to enroll in," he said.
Richardson also described the Graduate School's new graduate certificate program. Although not a traditional graduate degree, it allows students to obtain credentials beyond a bachelor's degree.
He said MU is always looking for more practical graduate degrees that follow the national economic trends.
One such new program in health care is being offered this fall.
"We want to provide skills and background for people to go into those areas," said Richardson.