Enrollments in graduate schools in the United States increased by 2 percent in 2004 to 1.5 million students, according to a recent reoprt that was released by the Council of Graduate Schools.
The report indicates that universities are making significant progress in diversifying the graduate student population, which is a key step for those seeking to diversify faculties. Minority enrollment figures were up generally, and there were notable increases in fields that have historically been among those with the worst track record in attracting minority students. For example, black graduate enrollments in the biological sciences increased by 16 percent and Latino students in the physical sciences were up by 19 percent.
At the same time, additional data, released by the Council of Graduate Schools pointed to continued concern by universities about international enrollments, which fell by 3 percent in 2004. Declines in foreign student enrollments have concerned American academics both because of the educational value such students bring, and because of the way many universities depend on international students. According to the data, half of the graduate students in engineering are not U.S. citizens.
Among fields, health sciences saw the strongest increases in overall graduate student enrollments in 2004, while engineering saw the greatest losses.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
