Strategic Goal 4: Master’s Programs
Work university-wide to develop a vision and strategy to grow master’s programs sustainably and ensure master’s students receive a high-quality experience
Overview
Between 2004 and 2015, Duke’s master’s enrollment grew by 1,200 students (51 percent), rising to 3,750, and that number is projected to increase by another 350 in the next three to five years. Accompanying this increase is a shift in the makeup of the master’s student population, as it comprised 29 percent international students in 2015 versus 17 percent in 2005.
Within The Graduate School, there were more than 700 master’s students in fall 2015, up by more than 80 percent from a decade ago. In fall 2015, master’s students made up about 23 percent of The Graduate School’s enrollment. Also, 55 percent of The Graduate School’s master’s students were international, significantly higher than the percentage in Duke’s overall master’s population.
The Graduate School has already begun efforts to better understand the effect of the rapidly growing master’s population on various aspects of Duke. Going forward, we will continue to gather relevant data, which will be useful in helping university leadership develop a clear philosophy for Duke’s master’s programs. Such a philosophy is critical to the ability of The Graduate School’s master’s programs to grow smartly and sustainably.
The rapid growth of master’s programs and the changes accompanying that growth affect many aspects of the Duke experience, not only for master’s students, but also for Ph.D. and undergraduate students. In 2014 and 2015, The Graduate School and the Master’s Advisory Council conducted a comprehensive study of the growth in master’s programs at Duke. The study was prompted in part by faculty concerns about the effect of the growth on the academic environment and whether new programs were being created as revenue sources. The results of the study were reported to university leadership in spring 2015.
The study found that while revenue was a factor, the creation of new master’s programs at Duke also has been spurred by growing and interesting new fields being driven by faculty initiatives. Duke is below the median among its peers in the number of master’s programs and degrees awarded, but has been adding new programs at a much faster pace. The study found that the effect of the growth in master’s programs on school or department hiring, research, and operations, and campus services were not well understood.
Within The Graduate School, there is increased administrative strain from the rising number of master’s students. This strain comes in part from additional staff time needed for assisting students with financial and academic matters, as well as handling an increased case load involving issues such as mental health, sexual assault, student conflicts, and illness. From 2009 to 2014, such nonacademic incidents grew at a faster rate among master’s students than among Ph.D. students.
Among its recommendations, the report from the study suggested that the growth of master’s programs should be better integrated into the university’s strategic and budget planning. It also recommended developing improved processes to evaluate new and existing programs and to discontinue unnecessary degree programs, as well as offering greater support for student services.
The Graduate Board of Visitors reviewed the study’s findings at its fall 2015 meeting and developed a list of recommendations. That list has been submitted to Provost Sally Kornbluth, and The Graduate School has been discussing the recommendations as part of its efforts to explore ways to address the issues related to the growth of Duke’s master’s programs. Going forward, The Graduate School will collect and analyze relevant data on the university’s capacity to accommodate growth in master’s programs and assist the vice provost for academic affairs in efforts to manage the size and number of master’s programs at Duke.
Beyond the size and number of its master’s programs, TGS also needs to consider the support available to its master’s students. As noted in the university’s new academic strategic plan, master’s students are largely responsible for their own cost of attendance. The scarce availability of institutional support hampers the diversity of Duke’s master’s population and limits students’ career choices after they graduate. Aside from financial support, TGS and Duke also must pay attention to master’s students’ other needs, such as resources to support their professional development and wellbeing.
Objective 4.1: Better integrate master’s programs into university-wide planning
Strategies
A. Assist university leaders in developing an overall philosophy that provides guidance on how master’s programs should fit in the Duke model while making allowances for differences across programs
B. Incorporate that philosophy into TGS operations
C. Explore ways to better account for individual master’s programs’ effect on TGS and the university
D. Collect placement information for graduates of master’s programs
Key Performance Indicators
A. Development of a philosophy for master’s programs’ role at TGS and at Duke
B. Adherence to that philosophy in operations
C. Assessment and implementation of mechanisms to better account for the effect of individual master’s programs on TGS and other areas of the university
D. Implementation of system to collect placement data for master’s graduates
Objective 4.2: Assess the university’s capacity to accommodate growth in The Graduate School’s master’s programs
Strategies
A. Collect and analyze data on how TGS master’s programs consume, provide for, and budget for university-wide services such as housing, library, parking and transportation, CAPS, English language support, career services, and information technology
B. Examine effects of the increasingly international makeup of the TGS master’s student population
C. Continue to assess effect of master’s programs on undergraduate and doctoral programs
Key Performance Indicators
A. Analysis of TGS master’s programs’ effect on university-wide services
B. Report on how the increase in international master’s students affect Duke and The Graduate School
C. Analysis of the effect of master’s programs on undergraduate and doctoral programs
Objective 4.3: Work with the vice provost for academic affairs to manage the size and number of master’s programs
Strategies
A. Create criteria and best practices for starting and growing master’s programs
B. Make sunsetting a program a possible outcome of the review process and establish a process and criteria for sunsetting
Key Performance Indicators
A. Development of criteria and best practices for starting and growing master’s programs
B. Development of process and criteria for sunsetting programs
Objective 4.4: Evaluate support of master’s students, including mental and physical health, financial, and career
Strategies
A. Commit resources toward professional development for master’s students
B. Use a portion the Annual Fund to provide financial support that enhances the experience of master’s students, such as travel or equipment grants
Key Performance Indicators
A. Amount of professional development programming for master’s students
B. Amount of support for master’s students from the school’s Annual Fund