Cutbacks In Enrollment Redefine Graduate Education And Faculty Jobs

Fewer Students Mean Big Changes For Some Graduate Programs.

Fewer Students Mean Big Changes For Some Graduate Programs.


By Robin Wilson, The Chronicle Of Higher Education

Over The Past Decade, The University Of Maryland's Department Of Art History And Archaeology Has Admitted Up To A Dozen Graduate Students Each Year. But When Caroline J. Dubinsky And Jessica Williams Arrived On The College Park Campus Last Fall, They Were The Department's Only Two New Ph.D. Students.
 like Many Graduate Programs In The Arts And Humanities, Maryland's Department Is Slimming Down: Since 2005 Its Graduate-Student Population Has Fallen By A Third, To A Total Of Just 42.
 some Of That Is The Result Of An Extra Push To Get Longtime Graduate Students To Finish Up And Get Out The Door. But Universities Are Also Purposefully Shrinking Graduate Programs Because They Are Reluctant To Continue Flooding The Already Swamped Academic Job Market With More Ph.D.'s, And Because Institutional Budget Problems Have Reduced Fellowship Money For Students.
 "We Are Trying To Right-Size, Given Resources And The Job Market," Says Elizabeth Bergmann Loizeaux, Associate Dean Of Maryland's College Of Arts And Humanities. "For Most Programs In The College, That Has Meant Smaller Graduate Programs." Since 2009, Graduate Enrollment In The College Has Shrunk By 10 Percent.

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