Saturday, November 12, 2011

Mentoring Graduate Students

While scanning the literature for another topic, I recently came across two articles on graduate student mentoring published this year. Both focused on faculty mentorship, as much of the work in this area seems to. The first article, looks the significant impact of faculty mentorship on graduate student success an retention, acknowledging the changing demographic of the graduate student body, as well as the role of technology as important considerations for faculty setting out to provide guidance to the next generation of scholars. The second article, looks at faculty's perceived roles and responsibilities in their mentoring relationships with their graduate students.

There is a paucity of literature examining the effects of peer mentoring at the graduate level. There is much to be said for the establishment (whether formally or informally) of ties between fellow graduate students; opportunities for mentoring and even research and writing collaborative relationships can evolve among members of a program cohort, or even across institutions as graduate students network at conferences and meetings of professional associations. Further research would do well to explore this form of mentoring, the role peers may play in the development, success and retention of graduate students, and how to foster such relationships.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

SKills Development

This weekend, I will be taking part in the Canadian Federation of Students- Newfoundland and Labrador's (CFSNL) 2011 skills development symposium as a member of Memorial University's Graduate Student Union (GSU). This event brings elected representatives together from across the province to develop skills that will assist them with the day-to-day operations of their students' unions.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Graduate Programs for Student Services Professionals on the Rise in Canada

An article appeared today on University Affairs about the growth of graduate programs for student services professionals in Canada. In recent years, masters and doctoral programs with specializations in the student services field have been implemented. As the article notes, Memorial University was one of the first to offer such a program, introducing the master's of education in post-secondary studies with a specialization in student services in 1998. Next fall, the University of Toronto will introduce a master's of education degree with a specialization in student affairs and student development. Many graduate programs in student services are offered part-time and online to accommodate working professionals. While such initiatives are fairly new to Canada, "the field is quite old in the U.S." according to Tony Chambers, associate professor of higher education at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Canadian Trends in Graduate Education


The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has released its annual Almanac of Post-Secondary Education in Canada. Highlights with regards to graduate education include the following:

- In 2008, Canadian universities awarded 36,423 Master's and 4,962 Doctorates.

- Women accounted for 56% of Master's program enrollments and 47% at the PhD level in 2008-2009.

- In 2008-2009, International students made up 15% of Master's and 21% of PhD program enrollments.

- In Newfoundland and Labrador, at the Master's level, the majority of Master's degrees awarded in 2008 went to women in all disciplines, with the exception of Architecture, Engineering, and Related Technologies, where they accounted for only 22.2%; and Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences (28.6%). Overall, women accounted for 58.5% of Master's degrees that were awarded in the province.

- at the national level, women lagged behind men in the number of Doctorates awarded in 2008 in most fields, with the exception of the following fields: Business, Management and Public Administration (50.8%); Education (67.8%); Health, Parks, Recreation and Fitness (59.1%); Social and Behavioural Sciences, and Law (60.2%).

The full Almanac can be read here.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Trends in U.S. Graduate Education II

A new report, “Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2000 to 2010”, was released last week by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). According to the press release, enrolment of new graduate students at U.S. schools decreased for the first time since 2003, by 1.1% from 2009 to 2010. This, despite an 8.4% increase in applications; the report states that approximately 42% of all graduate applications were accepted.

Other findings from the report include the following:

- women accounted for 58% of first time graduate students, and 59% of all graduate students, in fall 2010. They also earned two-thirds of graduate certificates, 60% of master’s degrees, and 52% of doctorates awarded in 2009-10. The academic year of 2009-10 academic year marks the second consecutive year women have earned the majority of doctoral degrees in the U.S.

- While approximately three-quarters of all graduate students were enrolled in masters’ degree or graduate certificate programs, total enrolment increased faster at the doctoral level (3.3%) than at the master’s degree and graduate certificate level (0.5%) between fall 2009 and 2010. First-time graduate enrolment increased 1.5% at the doctoral level, but fell 1.6% at the master’s degree and graduate certificate level.

- More than half of all graduate students in fall 2010 were enrolled in programs in education, business, or health sciences.

The full report can be read here.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The PhD Movie


The PhD Movie, based on PhD Comics, is being screened tonight at Memorial University. The trailer, along with a screening schedule, can be found here.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Canadian and Local Trends at the Highest Levels of Tertiary Education

A new report has been released by the Canadian Education Statistics Council, entitled Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective 2011. With regards to graduate education, here are some highlights:

- Graduation rates at the tertiary-type A level (bachelor and masters degrees; other university degrees or certificates above a bachelor's degree but below a doctorate) for first-time graduates were higher for women in all Canadian provinces in 2008. The Canadian average was 45.8% for women and 28.3% for men. The earnings of women with any kind of tertiary education were still only 63% of men's however, an increase of only 2% since 1998.

- International students accounted for 1/5 (20.2%) of enrollment in advanced research programmes (doctorates and post-doctorates) in Canada in 2008. In Newfoundland and Labrador, international students accounted for 30% of those enrolled in these programmes.

-At the highest levels of tertiary education (Type-A and advanced research), Canada exceeded the international figure (25% versus 21%) for completion.

-While Newfoundland and Labrador exceeded the Canadian average (40.3% versus 36.9%)for completion of tertiary-type A education as a first-time graduate, the province had the lowest employment rates of those aged 25-64 years at all levels of educational attainment.

Monday, August 1, 2011

A Profile of Graduate and First-Professional Students in the U.S.

A new report was recently released by the U.S. department of education; prepared by the National Center for Education Statistics. The report draws on data from the 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and takes a look at the enrolment characteristics of graduate and first-professional students, when they started their programs, how they combined school and work; the costs of attending, and the sources used to pay for their education, including amounts provided. Highlighted key findings from the report include the following:

* About 65% of all graduate/first-professional students were enrolled in master’s degree programs (31% in education). 15% were enrolled in doctoral programs (60% in a PhD program); 9% were in first-professional programs (51% were in law).

* Students in MBA programs and master’s or doctoral programs in education were more likely to have delayed enrolment in graduate education after completing their undergraduate degrees, to work full time, and to be enrolled part time, compared to medical, health science and law students who tended to be enrolled full time and within two years of earning a Bachelor’s degree, and not work full time,

* Average total costs of full time, full year attendance ranged from $28,400 for a Master’s degree program at a public institution to $52,500 for a first-professional program at a private non-profit institution.

* 91% of doctoral students received some type of financial aid. Doctoral students (except for those in education) were most likely to receive grants and the least likely to take out loans; borrowing was more common amongst first-professional students than master’s or doctoral students. Education doctoral students received financial aid less commonly than other doctoral students; relied solely on loans more commonly than Ph.D. students in other fields.

The full report can be found here:

Monday, July 25, 2011

An Overeducated Populace

Recently, The New York Times devoted a special issue to graduate school. Among the advice columns and opinion pieces, an article titled “The Master’s as the New Bachelor’s” takes a look at credential inflation and the difficult task facing new university graduates of marketing their degree to potential, often disinterested employers. According to Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, a master’s level education is quickly becoming the entry degree in many professions. Partly responsible for this trend is the fact that increasing numbers of graduates are returning to school at the graduate level, a common reason for this was the recent economic downturn. The high numbers of job applicants with multiple degrees is leaving employers with little choice but to use education as a way of sorting through applications, and those with graduate degrees come out on top. Rising in popularity in the U.S. is the professional science mater’s degree, which combines job specific training with business skills, and demonstrates a shifting focus towards professionalizing degrees and “learning for the real world”. This trend is spreading beyond the master’s degree to the Ph.D. level, and humanities departments are being urged to get on board. People are frequently heard joking that soon one will need a Ph.D. for the most mundane of jobs, but at what point will universities and society at large determine that enough is enough?

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Funding Issues for International PhD Students at Canadian Universities

According to Western News, six philosophy Ph.D. students at the University of Western Ontario have recently raised concerns about funding for students who take more than four years to complete the degree. Western guarantees funding for all doctoral students for four years, or five for those who have been admitted directly from a n undergraduate program. This benchmark is based on criteria set by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities’ (MTCU). As a result of recent federal policy changes, international student applicants who formerly qualified for the Federal Skilled Worker program will not longer be eligible. These changes restrict international students from applying for permanent residency status while on a study permit, and those students who do not complete their degree within four years risk being deported. Previously, PhD students who qualified for permanent residency status could pay domestic tuition fees, which at Western are less than half of what international students pay. It is being argued that this is not only an international issue. Both Canadian and international students sometimes require more than four years to complete the Ph.D. But while Canadian students are eligible for government funding programs such as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), international students are not. The Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Arts at Western notes that there has been an issue of slow completion that the university is working to improve. Nonetheless, Western, along with other Canadian universities, has brought its concerns about the policy revisions to the federal government.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Funding Awarded to Study STEM Master's Completion

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Association, has selected five U.S. universities to take part in a study on completion and attrition in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) master's programs. Each institution will receive $30,000 for their participation. Further information can be found here.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Student Diversity in Higher Education: Conflicting Realities

This week I am in Amsterdam for the European Access Network's 20th Anniversary Conference. I am looking forward to the paper sessions; in particular a presentation about widening assess and opportunities for graduate students, and plenary panel speaker Dr. Michael Nettles of Educational Testing Services in the U.S.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Advice for Grad Students

Today's Career Advice column at Inside Higher Ed offers the following recommendations to graduate students:

1. Always prepare for the worst.

2. Nobody cares about you.

3. You must know why your work is important.

4. Psychological problems are the biggest barrier.

5. Avoid taking lectures. They're usually inefficient.

6. Manage your advisors.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Congress 2011

I am currently in Fredericton, New Brunswick attending Congress, the annual gathering of scholars affiliated with the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. I presented yesterday for the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education on behalf of my research team that included Dr. Dale Kirby, Dr. Dennis Sharpe, and fellow graduate research assistants, Nicholas Morine, Jonathan Ricketts and Monique Bourgeois. The title of my talk was "Matriculating Eastward: An Examination of Factors Influencing the Inter-Provincial Migration of Maritime Students to Newfoundland and Labrador." There is a good graduate student presence here and I have attended a number of interesting talks on doctoral student transitions and development.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to Dale Kirby and Morgan Gardner, who have won the Canadian Educational Researchers' Association's R. W. B. Jackson Award for their paper, entitled "The schooling they need: Voicing student perspectives on their fourth year in senior high school". I am accepting the award today on their behalf.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Graduate Awards

Today I will be attending Memorial University's School of Graduate Studies' Graduate Awards Ceremony. This annual event honours graduate student recipients of scholarships, fellowships, and other awards. I will be receiving the Dr. Austin J. Harte Memorial Graduate Scholarship.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Student Retention

Today I will be presenting with my research colleagues at First Year in Focus: Maximizing Student Retention- Everyones Responsibility, McGraw Hill Ryerson's 38th National Teaching and Learning Conference, hosted by Memorial University's and College of the North Atlantic. The title of our talk is "Participation and Retention of High School Online Learners in Post-Secondary Education." Dr. Vincent Tinto of Syracuse University, who has written extensively on student persistence at the undergraduate and doctoral levels, will be speaking on student success. More info can be found here.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Graduate Student Teaching and Skills Development

This week I am traveling to the University of Toronto for a conference entitled, "Navigating your PATH: Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student Development." This is the first national conference focusing on teaching assistant and skills development in graduate students to take place in Canada. More information can be found here.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Graduate Student Costs of Living

The Graduate Student's Union (GSU) and TAUMUN at Memorial University are currently conducting a survey to determine the costs of living for graduate students who live and study in St. John's, Newfoundland. Information on and a link to the survey can be found here.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Graduate Enrolment Growth in Ontario and Canada

A new report has been released by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, "Expanding Opportunities for Graduate Studies: The Recent Experience of Ontario."
This report sheds light on graduate program enrolment trends in Ontario and how these compare to patterns established at the national level, and can be read here.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Steps Forward in Graduate Education

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has released a new document entitled "Steps Taken on the Path Forward", which reviews the impact of "The Path Forward: The Future of Graduate Education in the United States", a report released in April 2010 that addresses issues and challenges of graduate education. The Path Forward was developed by the Commission on the Future of Graduate Education, a joint initiative of the CGS and Educational Testing Services (ETS) and drew a connection between the country's "need for a highly trained workforce to drive innovation and competitiveness" and the strengthening of the current graduate education system. That system is struggling, much like the Canadian system, with changing demographics, poor degree completion rates, and competition in the higher education sector. Two initiatives were proposed to support graduate education: a COMPETES doctoral traineeship program that would provide financial support to students in areas "of national need"; and a grant program to provide partial funding for the creation of new, and revision of existing, master's degree programs.

This new document outlines outcomes and impacts of the report to three stakeholders: higher education, policymakers, and business leaders. Perspectives were shared at the CGS Legislative Forum. According to the news release, the report has been responsible for a number of advances, such as the following:
• Influenced critical decision processes by helping to shape institutional strategic plans and goals for graduate
education programs;
• Changed institutional priorities by highlighting the importance of graduate education, the report resulted in
making graduate fellowships the top priority for one institution’s fundraising;
• Created new communication channels, such as catalyzing new online discussions between deans and faculty about
graduate education issues and development of a video aimed at clarifying career pathways for students;
• Shaped evaluation metrics and affirming the commitment of graduate deans to developing and using outcome
measures and offering more information to prospective and current students;
• Introduced new programs, particularly professional development programs for graduate students.

While the Canadian system of higher education is quite different from that of its neighbours to the south, it is not immune to the problems identified in these reports; what is concerning is that these current and potential issues are not generating the same sort of discussions that they should be.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Canadian Graduate School Enrolments Continue to Rise, but Women Still Lag Behind at Doctoral Level

A recent article in The Gateway, the official student newspaper at the University of Manitoba, discusses gender equality at the highest levels of education, noting the fact that women still lag behind men in doctoral enrolments. At U of M, women outnumber men in doctoral programs in a number of disciplines, including medicine and architecture. It is a very different picture if we look at engineering and the hard sciences, however, where women are least represented. The article makes reference to a recent report released by Statistics Canada, which examines trends in doctoral program enrolment, earned doctorates, and university faculty, with a focus on gender.

According to that report, women accounted for 58% of undergraduate and 56% of master’s program enrolments in 2008/2009, while accounting for 47% of doctoral enrolments. Women also accounted for 44% of doctoral degrees granted in 2008. Female doctoral graduates represented the majority of earned doctorates in four fields: education; social and behavioural sciences, and law; health, parks, recreation and fitness; business, management and public administration. Women are least represented in architecture, engineering and related technologies; and mathematics, computer and information sciences, accounting for less than 30% of earned doctorates in each of these two fields.

According to data made available from Statistics Canada that is complied yearly and included in the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Almanac of Post-Secondary Education in Canada, women accounted for 50.2% of full-time doctoral enrolments in the 2005-2006 academic year; this is the only time that women have outnumbered men in enrolments at this level. Full-time doctoral enrolments have risen by roughly three-quarters in the last ten years, but the enrolment of women in doctoral programs has only risen by a little less than 3% over this period; in fact enrolment has decreased in the last three years by 3% from the 50.2% accounted for in 2005 to 47% reported in 2008. Meanwhile, women’s full-time master’s program enrolments have exceeded the enrolment of men for quite some time; have steadily risen by a little over 3% since 1998.

Monday, March 21, 2011

So an E-Thesis It Will Be

By the time I get ready to defend my own doctoral thesis in a few years (if all goes according to plan!), the e-thesis will be mandatory at all Canadian universities, and e-defenses will be common here on Memorial’s campus. The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is leading the way in utilizing technology to the fullest degree, changing theses from paper-based to electronic; increasing the number of e-defenses. The switch to e-theses will cut down on printing and shipping costs, and also get research into the public domain a lot faster, according to C. Dean Barnes, programs coordinator with SGS. E-thesis development is to start in the fall of this year, and go live in winter 2012. By 2014, e-theses will be mandatory at all Canadian universities. It is also expected that by May 2011, the majority of oral defenses will be conducted via webcast, with examiners off campus being able to e-attend as opposed to being flown in from out-of-province. More information on these initiatives can be found here.

Sociologists Find Fault with NRC’s Doctoral Rankings

According to an article on today’s Inside Higher Ed, sociologists are not happy with the National Research Council’s (NRC) doctoral rankings. Six months ago, the NRC released it’s much-anticipated and much delayed doctoral rankings report (see an earlier post here), but critique quickly followed suit. Much of the criticism pertained to the methodology and/or the data. Now the American Sociological Association (ASA) has released an analysis of the assessment. Among a number of concerns that were raised, fault was found with issues such as the exclusion of books and book citations as methods for evaluating faculty productivity in the social sciences, disregard for the quality of journal article publications, the lack of distinction between single-authored and co-authored papers, and the judging of admissions quality by GRE scores alone, ignoring verbal scores, which are a significant measure for American sociology departments. There is a concern that these rankings could have a negative influence on people’s perceptions of departments ranked lower than their actual quality and may lead to pressure to change programs to improve their rankings. The ASA’s report can be found here.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Doctoral Student Satisfaction

A recent article, entitled "Doctoral Student Satisfaction: An Examination of Disciplinary, Enrollment, and Institutional Differences", published in the journal, Research in Higher Education, examines data from the 2000 National Doctoral Program Survey (NDPS) to gain insight into the differences in satisfaction levels of doctoral students across academic disciplines and institutional types. Interestingly, no significant differences were found in the overall satisfaction of students across disciplines or institutional types (research extensive and intensive universities). Students were less satisfied with the support they received to pursue careers outside of academia, as well as the amount of information (or lack thereof) they received at the start of their program on time-to-degree and post-graduation placement assistance. Education and humanities students in particular were less satisfied than expected with regards to issues related to financial resources, support, and information; students at research intensive universities were less satisfied than expected with training preparation or guidance for academic careers. Not surprisingly, former students were generally less satisfied with their advisor and doctoral experience; students who had been formerly enrolled in humanities, physical science, social sciences, and life sciences programs were even more dissatisfied.

The findings of this study emphasizes the importance of institutional and departmental support for doctoral students, the need for graduate program assessments, further research into the factors that contribute to doctoral student attrition, and the experiences of students enrolled at less prestigious institutions.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Aldrich Interdisciplinary Conference

Next week (Feb.21-23) the Graduate Student's Union of Memorial University will be holding the Aldrich Interdisciplinary Conference. Presentations will be centered around the following themes: socio-economic impact of research, pedagogy, and sustainability. For the first time, this year's conference will be open to student and faculty at a national level. More information about the conference can be found here.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Ph.D. Placement Statistics

There has been some recent discussion at Princeton University about Ph.D. statistics. This editorial published in The Daily Princetonian, commented on the need for graduate schools at research universities to release information on the placement of their Ph.D. graduates into academic positions to potential graduate students. Unfortunately, few schools release these statistics, although it is argued that these statistics help students to consider their options with regards to a career path- an important decision considering the job market today. The fact of the matter is that while most Ph.D. students in the social sciences and humanities are encouraged to enter academia, few will find opportunities for employment upon graduation. This reality, and the disillusionment that accompanies it, is evidenced by websites about dropping out of graduate school, such as SellOutYourSoul.com, and Leavingacademia.com. The editorial further notes that a recent report released by the National Research Council, discussed in an earlier blog, did not include data on graduate placement because of the difficulty encountered in trying to obtain it from institutions. A recent column, written in response to the earlier editiorial, says that schools should strive to provide more than just placement stats; information on completion and time-to-degree in Ph.D. programs should also be made available.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Socializing Doctoral Students for Professional Careers

A recent column in the Chronicle of Higher Education claims that Ph.D. programs are neglecting graduate student’s professional development, and the author, English professor, Leonard Cassuto, calls for the incorporation of seminars that address this topic into graduate program coursework to educate students about the culture of the profession. A part of this education involves preparing graduates for careers outside of academia.

From the column:

It amounts to this: Graduate school is professional school, but most Ph.D programs badly neglect graduate students' professional development. We spend years of their training ignoring that development, and then, only at the last moment when students are about to hit the job market, do we attend to their immediate professional needs. By neglecting their career goals, we allow their desires to coalesce from their immediate surroundings—the research university—and to harden over time.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Canadian Doctoral Graduates, Class of 2005: Where are they now?

A report was recently released by Statistics Canada, entitled, “Expectations and Labour Market Outcomes of Doctoral Graduates from Canadian Universities.” Data for the report was drawn from two sources- the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), and the National Graduates Survey (NGS). In summary, two concerns are raised about doctorates in Canada: the number being produced; how doctorate holders (graduates) are employed in this country. With regards to the first concern, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports that Canada lags behind other developed countries in the production of doctoral degrees. In 2005, about 4,200 candidates earned a doctorate degree in Canada- approximately one tenth the number awarded in the United States in the same year (43,400). While differences in population size and number of institutions are not accounted for, this is still concerning.

A related concern that is noted in the report is where graduates live and work after completing the doctorate. Slightly more than a quarter of 2005 doctorate graduates (about 27%) moved out of Canada upon completion of their degree and many still resided in the United States two years after graduation. However, 24% of those who moved to the United States after graduation in 2005 had returned to Canada by 2007, and many others were still planning to return. Slightly more than one out of ten 2005 doctoral graduates (12%) were living in the United States in 2007. About seven out of ten graduates who lived in the United States in 2007 (69%) moved for work-related reasons. The majority of those who moved (9 out of 10) had a job awaiting them. However, more than eight out of ten graduates living in the United States in 2007 (83%) intended to return to Canada.

Of those graduates of Canadian universities who are employed in this country, fewer are employed by the private sector than in other countries. Employment rates were found to vary according to field of study; graduates from the humanities reported the highest unemployment rate at 16%. The median income for doctoral graduates in 2007, two years after graduation, was $65,000. While women accounted for 46% of doctoral graduates in the class of 2005; an increase of 11 percentage points compared to their proportion in the class of 1995, across all fields of study, men were paid a median income of $65,000 compared to $61,000 for women. Approximately one in five graduates(19%) said they were overqualified, compared to 30% who reported that less than a doctoral degree was needed to obtain the job they were in. The majority of graduates (56%) were employed in educational services; with most working in a university (87%).

It would be interesting to know what current attrition rates are. What is needed is a longitudinal study examining the total number of students enrolled in first year doctoral studies in a given year, following up at several points to determine the number who complete, average time-to-degree, as well as the number that do not complete. Differnces between institutions and disciplines could be analyzed; comparisons made with American data.