Skip to main content

Faculty Take Stock of the Rise in Master's Enrollment

Since 2008, the number of master's degree students at Duke has risen 21 percent. Increasingly, faculty members believe this trend constitutes a problem.

Last semester, as Duke faculty approved six new graduate degree programs, faculty raised concerns that this trend represents a change in Duke's educational philosophy, is overwhelming doctoral and undergraduate programs, and is being driven by a need for money rather than an academic vision.

At Thursday's Academic Council meeting, Graduate School Dean Paula McClain told faculty she shares those concerns, but suggested that a wave of new master's programs approved in the past year aren’t responsible for the bulk of the increase. And she said the Graduate School is taking steps meant to keep master's enrollment in balance with undergraduate and Ph.D. enrollment. 

"Master's degree programs are foundational to Duke University," McClain said, noting that Trinity College offered master's degrees before offering Ph.D.s.  "What is new is the number of students receiving these degrees."

McClain noted that even if newly approved degree programs are fully enrolled, it would add only 65 master's students over the next three years, a small percentage compared to the 4,642 master's students enrolled at Duke during the 2012-13 academic year.

She added that all of the new programs went through multiple layers of faculty review before being approved, and represented new areas of vibrant intellectual activity by Duke faculty members.

"There are processes in place that will ensure these proposals have strong intellectual vision, and that (there) is a market for this degree and they will be able to get jobs for students," McClain said. 

Most of the enrollment growth comes from existing programs, including those in the professional schools, which are not administered by the Graduate School, McClain said. 

In the 2008-09 school year, the university enrolled 3,848 master's students.  Five years later, that number grew by nearly 800 students, a 21 percent increase.  The growth wasn't even across programs; during that period, master's enrollments at the Pratt School of Engineering increased by 86 percent.

Faculty members at the meeting shared stories of struggling to maintain a focus on doctoral students in their programs. They said that kind of growth had systematic implications.  "That's a huge explosion with lots of ramifications," said Paul Baker, professor of earth and ocean sciences. "I don't think it's a good thing."

Some departments, such as computer science and statistics, take on an additional burden because they offer classes often useful to master's students in other programs.

McClain said the Graduate School is continuing to study the issue, but had taken some actions already, including monitoring the number of new master's students in existing programs – something the school has long done for Ph.D. programs.

The school also added guidelines for proposals for new master's degree programs that require an explanation for the potential effects on other academic graduate and undergraduate programs both within and outside the unit.  The school also insists the department provide a range of student services, particularly career services, to ensure that students receive the full benefits of a Duke education.

McClain said master's programs serve important institutional purposes. For underrepresented students, "these master's programs can be a gateway to Ph.D. programs," she said. A significant number of international students are also enrolled in the programs, she added.

The Graduate School will continue to review the issue and report back to the council, and McClain said she welcomed faculty comments. 

"Do I think we ought to have a million of these programs?  No, we have to be concerned about the effect on doctoral programs.  But it is our position these are useful degrees, and we have to achieve a balance among our three populations: doctorate, master's and undergraduate.  That's going to be the trick for us."

In other action, the council agreed to create a new task force on diversity that will strengthen faculty involvement in university's diversity initiatives.  The proposal followed a faculty roundtable discussion on diversity at last month's council meeting.

Council chair Josh Socolar acknowledged the work being done by the provost's office and the Office of Institutional Equity on diversity and said the task force will "amplify their work by adding a faculty voice." While faculty have participated in previous diversity committees, Professor Kerry Haynie noted this will represent the first faculty-initiated effort.

He said the task force will include up to 12 faculty members and will issue a final report in spring 2015.  It comes as the current university diversity plan comes to an end after 10 years.