The number of enrolled graduate students has increased, according to AU’s Academic Data Reference Book, making it part of a nationwide surge of applicants in a struggling job market.
All across the country, interest in graduate programs and law schools has spiked due to the economic recession. The reference book indicates that from 2002 to spring 2009 the number of AU part- and full-time graduate students, including masters and doctorate, have increased from 3,507 to 3,789 students — about a 9 percent boost.
Curiosity in a graduate degree from the School of Communication has particularly increased among recent college graduates, according to the Director of Graduate Admissions for SOC Sharmeen Ahsan-Bracciale.
While the journalism program is “not at the same level of popularity as it was a few years ago,” there has been a lot of interest in the public communications degree, Ahsan-Bracciale said.
Regarding the School of Public Affairs, the recent election of President Obama has ignited a fresh interest in government work, Ahsan-Bracciale said.
However, from fall 2006 to spring 2009, the Washington College of Law’s number of enrolled students dropped almost 10 percent — from 1,529 to 1,455, according to the reference book.
Although the WCL enrollment numbers have not grown, the number of Americans taking the Law School Admissions Test rose 20 percent this October from October 2008, according to a report in the New York Times.
The recession did have an impact on the decision of Ladan Nekoomaram, a graduate student in SOC, to go back to school, she said. After graduating from DePauw University in 2009, she decided she would go back to school immediately to learn the skills she thought she needed to be a journalist.
“I graduated in a time where the economy was really bad and I figured it would be hard to get a job in a failing industry,” Nekoomaram said. “I figured the best bet for now would be to hold off looking for a job and getting a masters in a town where I want to work.”
The economy acted as a catalyst for her decision, but regardless she would have pursued a master’s degree eventually, she said.
The numbers of applicants are not yet in for the current semester, according to the Director of Graduate Admissions in the School of International Service Amanda Taylor. It is difficult to say whether there has been a dramatic change during the latest semesters, as the application deadline just recently passed, she said.
However, Taylor is not concerned about a shortage of applicants, as AU’s SIS graduate program is the most applied-to in the United States, she said.
“I think I can definitely say we have a strong interest in SIS,” she said.
Although it’s difficult to say whether changes in applicant numbers have varied due to the economy, they were distinctly amplified after 9/11, according to Taylor. Since then, more individuals have wanted to get involved in international service, and graduate degrees have become more crucial to the profession.
Additionally, there have recently been individuals with finance degrees looking to apply themselves in a broader, international level, Taylor observed.
“Our applications look healthy for the fall,” Taylor said.
You can reach this staff writer at srudnick@theeagleonline.com.
