Graduate schools see increase in applications

A recent report found a significant increase in applications to graduate schools, confirming a trend many had been expecting.

Applications to U.S. graduate schools grew 8.3 percent from fall 2008 to fall 2009, according to the report by Council of Graduate Schools and the Graduate Record Examinations Board. Between fall 2007 and fall 2008, applications grew 4.8 percent.

The report’s results could be a combination of the hurting economy and a higher standard as more receive secondary education, said Helen Tauchen, an economics professor at UNC.

“Students don’t have very good options elsewhere when the economy looks bad,” Tauchen said. “This isn’t the first time this has happened. The Depression had also spiked an interest in higher education as it started to look attractive compared to the alternatives.”

Enrollment of new students at U.S. graduate schools grew 5.5 percent from 2008 to 2009, compared to 4.5 percent the previous year, according to the report.

And total enrollment grew 4.7 percent in 2009 after increasing 3 percent in 2008.

The report found that growth in both first-time and total graduate enrollment in 2009 was higher for men than women, reversing a long-term trend. First-time enrollment for men increased 6.7 percent, compared to 4.7 percent for women.

Tauchen said the increase in applications has been reflected at UNC as more graduates have been seeking further education.

“Students could also be looking for a short-come solution. They plan on spending one to two years in grad school then returning to further their careers,” Tauchen said.

“Throughout time more students receive degrees and higher education, and advanced skills become a positive addition to society.”

Students with advanced degrees are taking jobs they haven’t in the past, which creates a crowding-out effect for society, she said.

But the report did not address the relation between having a graduate degree and getting a job, said spokesman for the council Stuart Heiser.

The most popular fields were business, engineering and social and behavioral sciences. But the fastest one-year growth occurred in health sciences, up 14.6 percent.

Junior psychology major Jordan White said he had always planned to go to graduate school, but has recently been trying to decide whether he wants to work first.

“Neither the economic situation in the United States nor my own status has had much of an effect on my post-graduate plans,” he said in an e-mail.

“If anything, it may have motivated me more to go and seek a higher degree as it is now becoming a requirement for securing a job.”

Contact the State and National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.