April 24, 2008

New Report Trumpets Value of Advanced Degrees

Universities may be labeled “ivory towers,” but many people find a master’s degree or a doctorate an important steppingstone to career advancement in the wider world as well. But how does all of that advanced education translate into the betterment of society at large? And, more important, do legislators, policy makers, and the average citizen know how much graduate education matters?

A new report released today by the Council of Graduate Schools argues that those advanced degrees not only make a tangible difference in people’s lives, but provide American society with a vital knowledge base, economic capital, and social cohesion.

The report, “Graduate Education and the Public Good,” cites knock-on effects from graduate education that extend past technological advances in medicine and other disciplines to include higher average salaries (which yield greater tax revenue) and replenishment of the nation’s teaching corps.

Furthermore, the report observes, “the new global competition for talent places increasing importance on maintaining a world-class graduate higher-education system.” —Richard Byrne

Comments

1. Since far too many people are pushed (or push themselves) into college, not to mention graduate school, without proper preparation or a clear understanding of why they are there, there’s always the possibility that dropouts from grad school are coming to their senses and seeking gainful employment without further devastating opportunity costs and crippling loan debts.

   In other words, part of the grad-school dropout rate is not a “crisis” at all. But which part?

   — Gypsy Boots    Apr 24, 02:31 PM    #

2. The reason that graduate school still makes a difference is because if the candidate doesn’t get up in the morning and display the initiative to work independently, she or he doesn’t get the degree. That is, and should remain, the candidate’s problem.

   That used to be the case with undergraduate degrees and high school diplomas.Now that we’ve decided to simply graduate as many people as we can at those two levels and call that “retention”, both have lost both their meaning as well as their credibility.

   Doing the same thing at the graduate level will generate some impressive outcomes on paper, but if the war against any kind of Darwinism at that level produces the same effects as it has at those lower levels, graduate education will become just as meaningless.

   — KDR    Apr 25, 07:30 AM    #

3. Amazing comment by gypsy boot. Education is and always be a vehicle to self-actualization from a professional standpoint. Why not maximize your potential and be all you can be?

   — Drgraduate    Apr 25, 08:07 AM    #

4. Drgraduate:

   Why? Because despite what this study may imply, an advanced degree is just not always necessary for gainful employment or for advancement. Far more important is the ability to produce positive results. The graduate degree is important for only three reasons: 1) personal pride in accomplishment, 2) credential requirements for particular types of jobs, such as teaching at the university level, or 3) you may actually learn something in a graduate program that you can apply to the job to help you become more productive. In my 32 years of experience, 16 in academia and 16 outside of academia, the first two are usually the primary reasons people get the masters or Ph.D.

   — FB    Apr 25, 10:20 AM    #

5. This is also why about 70 percent of diploma-mill degrees are thought to be doctorates, and very few are bachelor’s or associate degrees. Because census data is self-reported, it is likely that a large portion of the “doctorate-holders” in the U.S. are using fake or substandard degrees. Surveys that don’t list the degree provider lump all degrees together, real and fake. Because many employers don’t check the source, it is the piece of paper that becomes the credential, not the learning.

   — Alan Contreras    Apr 25, 11:33 AM    #

6. FB is probably right about why most seek advanced degrees, but I would argue that a fourth reason should be added. Pursuing an advanced degree involves gaining new knowledge and developing reasoning skills-education is both an end in itself and a process of discovery. Although career and material benefits are important, there is an intrinsic value in learning that can lead to the kind of self-actualization Drgraduate mentions.

   — TS    Apr 25, 12:15 PM    #

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