BOULDER, Colo.—The University of Colorado is working to boost enrollment of graduate students so that they make up 20 percent of the student body in Boulder, up from 15 percent.
Provost Phil DiStefano said CU’s peer institutions typically have student-body populations that are 20 to 22 percent graduate students, although CU tends to have a higher percentage of postdoctorate students than its peers.
“Our role and mission is a comprehensive graduate research institution,” DiStefano said. “That’s what a flagship is known for: the research that we do.”
The university is also looking to offer more professional master’s degree programs, DiStefano said.
“Flagship 2030,” CU’s long-term planning document, calls on the Boulder campus to beef up recruiting efforts and incentives to attract more graduate applicants.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one-sixth of the fastest growing occupations over the next decade require a master’s or doctoral degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In some instances, graduate students pay higher tuition than undergraduates.
Panels are working this summer to prepare recommendations for the chancellor and his cabinet on how to implement ideas in the planning document.
Some early ideas for luring more graduate students include expanding options for earning CU degrees and allowing some concurrent bachelor’s and doctoral degree programs. CU is also exploring opening a Center for Global Education, Research and Advanced Studies to bring the world’s brightest thinkers to visit, work and study at CU.
John Stevenson, associate dean of the Graduate School, sent an e-mail to faculty and staff asking that they promote the university during their travels overseas this summer.
The weakening American dollar could make CU more appealing to students from the European Union and Asia, where currencies are gaining strength, said Larry Bell, director of international education at CU.
“The value of a U.S. degree is the most significant factor, and that has remained high,” Bell said. “It becomes an even better value if the cost of attendance is lower.”
Meanwhile the Leeds School of Business is suggesting to potential applicants’ that a doctorate in finance, accounting and marketing could yield lucrative returns. Some students received an e-mail that said first-year compensation in those fields can exceed $200,000.
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Information from: Daily Camera,
