Changing American Graduate Education Policy

Information compiled by the GradSchools.com team - last updated December 2010

The report, Graduate Education: Backbone of American Competitiveness and Innovation, released in April 2007 by the Council of Graduate Schools' Advisory Committee on Graduate Education and American Competitiveness (CGS), focuses on American graduate school programs as the foundation for a highly competitive and innovative workforce that can have a dominating impact on the global economy. 

One of the main assumptions of the report is that, in order for the United States to reach its goals, universities, the government, and private industry must provide the resources and knowledge needed for our workforce to be skilled enough to compete globally. Without this collaboration, the United States' education system and workforce will fall behind those of competing countries. Much of our country's most ground-breaking research is conducted by graduate students, something we cannot afford to lose. 

On the right track

According to the study, many graduate schools in the country are already practicing innovation and collaboration with government and industry groups. The report refers to graduate students as the "knowledge creators and innovators of tomorrow," stating that they are the future leaders. In order to be equipped for the future, graduate students need to have technical knowledge as well as social and cultural skills.

The report cites examples of different ways some universities are forging creative collaborations with outside groups. Some universities have teamed up with industry groups due to a local or regional need. Several research universities have worked in partnership with power companies to identify new, environmentally friendly technologies.

The report suggests that the United States is making a transition from a manufacturing-driven economy to a service-driven economy, and calls for more graduate students to gain the ability to deal with technology and business issues alike. Some major corporations and graduate school programs have been collaborating to address the shift. The report states that there is a new research area and discipline of study called "services science," which is in fact multidisciplinary, focusing on education and research on services, and combines IT, business, management, social sciences and engineering.

The CGS report maintains that research universities have a responsibility to serve U.S. society, and to create "citizen scholars." The report holds that if graduate programs include research that appeals on a social level, American universities will have the ability to attract the best and brightest students from around the world. These students may also be more inclined to get involved in socially relevant research in order to give back to their communities.

The report cites one program in particular, called Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life, which integrates higher education with elements of research, teaching, service and public involvement. The program is successful in highlighting the meaningful work of university students in the fields of social science, art and humanities.

In addition to the citizen scholar concept, the report underscores the importance of entrepreneurship in America, citing companies such as Google for creating innovative products which came from university research that changed the country. The creators of Google began the site as a graduate research project in computer science at Stanford University.

Other new concepts on the horizon cited by the report include strengthening the professional master's degree, particularly in the fields of science and mathematics. The report also describes the several government agencies that have created working partnerships with graduate research programs, as well as some initiatives launched between states and universities. The private sector is also cited as a source of collaboration.

Still much to be done

Despite the many positive ways universities are collaborating with outside groups to enhance graduate school programs, the report cites several ways in which even more beneficial changes can be made. For instance, universities and the private sector need to work better together in order to forge collaborative relationships that are not political or bureaucratic in nature. The private sector is important because it does not possess the financial limitations of states and governments.

The report challenges universities to come up with methods to make people think about a graduate education in a different way, particularly in the sciences. Universities should make it clear to the public that graduate studies can contribute to the public and national good. In turn, the report calls for corporations and the government to respect and value graduate students as "intellectual entrepreneurs."

When it comes to professional master's degrees in the scientific fields, the report states that instead of being seen as simply a step to a doctorate, a master's degree in the sciences should represent an adequate foundation for a meaningful career. The report calls for more support for professional master's degrees in fields that are underdeveloped, such as the sciences and mathematics.

The report states that universities need to reach out to the private sector more than they do, even though the government will continue to be of service in funding research projects. The findings of the report make it clear that collaboration is the key to enhancing the American graduate school program as a whole. It is imperative that we implement the necessary changes to attract the best students available from around the world. The report suggests that if we can be competitive with other countries with our graduate school programs, it will carry over into our competitiveness in the global economy.