The number of Americans in graduate degree programs dropped a bit last year for the first time since 2003, according to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). Majors that saw the largest reductions were public administration, business and education. However, the number of foreign students enrolling in American grad school programs continued to grow.
A tough economy usually sends more people back into masters and other graduate programs. But CGS speculates that the economic downturn has gone on for so long that people are becoming afraid to leave jobs to go back to school, fearing they may not get another job when they graduate. Continued rises in the cost of graduate school are also making it tougher for people to cover tuition costs.
The ongoing rise of international grad students points to America’s continuing role as a magnet for advanced students worldwide. Other facts to emerge from CGS’ new study of trends from 2009 to 2010:
- The number of Hispanic students in grad school grew 5%, but black student enrollments dropped by 8%.
- New international students in U.S. grad schools increased by 4.7%.
- Women earned 60% of all master’s degrees in the U.S. in 2009 – 2010.
Though the study did not present specific numbers on companies paying for employee’s grad school, CGS speculated the employers have tightened up on educational benefits due to difficult times. One CGS representative called the drop in American grad students a tremendous threat to U.S. prosperity.