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Enhancing Graduate Education at Texas Tech University: The Path Forward

Learn about the restructuring of TTU's graduate education, recent achievements, national rankings, and goals for the future to enhance academic identity, professionalization, globalization, and diversity.

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Enhancing Graduate Education at Texas Tech University: The Path Forward

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  1. Enhancing Graduate Education at Texas Tech University: The Path Forward President M. Duane Nellis Meeting of the Board of Regents August 7, 2015

  2. Where we’ve been and where we are Restructuring TTU graduate education since 2013 • Vice provost-level position created to enable greater coordination across campus. Dr. Mark Sheridan hired fall 2013 • Graduate marketing director and recruiter added in 2014 • Strategic enrollment management plan developed in fall 2013 and implemented • Transition to new, fully-electronic application platform initiated in fall 2013 • Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships created to facilitate submission of external fellowship applications • Graduate Center created to serve as nexus for professional & career development activities and graduate-specific student services

  3. Where we’ve been and where we are More recent achievements since July 2014 • Applications up 32% for fall 2014 and 5.2% for spring 2015 • Record enrollments for fall 2014 (5,882, up 8.4%) and spring 2015 (5,661, up 5.7%) • International graduate enrollment up 19% (to 1,569) for fall 2014 and up 17% (to 1,538) for spring 2015 • Number of international sponsored graduate students increased by over 50% • Record masters (up 8.5%) and doctoral degrees (up 2.5%) awarded • Two students awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

  4. Where we’ve been and where we are TTU historical growth in the national context • National enrollment trends since 2008: • Between 2008 and 2011, nation-wide graduate enrollment increased approx. 1% per year • More recently, between fall 2012 and fall 2013 nation-wide graduate enrollment decreased 0.2% following a 2.3% decline the previous year • TTU graduate enrollment growth from fall 2008 to fall 2013 was up 16.2% (representing a rate of increase THIRTY TWO times the national average). And this growth has accelerated the last two years.

  5. Where we’ve been and where we are TTU current national rankings • Graduate enrollment ranked 77th in the nation (top 14%) (ahead of all Big 12 peers except UT, ISU, & Kansas) • Doctoral enrollment in STEM fields ranked 74th nationally (top 18%) (ahead of all Big 12 peers except UT, Oklahoma, ISU, & Kansas) • Number of doctoral degrees awarded is ranked 64thnationally (top 16 %)(ahead of all Big 12 peers except UT, ISU, & Kansas)

  6. Where we’ve been and where we are TTU current national rankings—cont’d • 15 graduate programs were ranked in the last National Research Council Study; 8 of these were in the top-half of their field • 18 graduate programs were ranked in the last US News and World Report survey (RCOBA and WCOE were in the top 100; 6 engineering programs were in the top 100); three on-line graduate programs were top ranked (2 in WCOE, 1 in Education) • Many programs have top rankings by accrediting bodies or independent discipline-specific reviewing boards/journals (e.g., Agricultural Communication, Clinical Psychology, Creative Writing, Rawls College of Business, Personal Financial Planning)

  7. Where we’ve been and where we are • Where TTU needs to improve in graduate education as we move forward as a premier national research university • Percent of graduate students in student population (16% vs 20+%) • Percent of graduate students funded (27% vs ~40%) • Graduate student stipends (lag behind on average ~$4000/year)

  8. The path forward • Enhancing the graduate enterprise of TTU revolves around four themes • Elevate academic identity • Enhance professionalization • Expand globalization • Increase diversity and inclusion

  9. Summary of Goals • Increase the number of high-quality graduate programs that align with the nation’s workforce demands and the priorities of TTU by making strategic investments • Increase graduate enrollment to 8000 by 2020 • Increase the quality of applicants (measured by standardized tests, e.g., GRE) • Increase the number of students supported by prestigious national fellowships (e.g., NSF GRF, Fulbright, etc.) • Increase retention, reduce time to degree, and increase success of graduates in the workforce

  10. The path forward • US lag in Ph.D. production threatens competitive advantage

  11. Enhancing Graduate Education at Texas Tech University: The Path Forward President M. Duane Nellis Meeting of the Board of Regents August 7, 2015

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