Ole Miss grad school numbers on the rise

Faced with the current economy upon graduation, many college students are making the decision to continue their education.

The University of Mississippi has seen graduate student enrollment across all programs increase approximately 20 percent since 2000, according to Mary Harrington, director of institutional research and assessment.

Hospitality management senior Kate MacNeil was among the students who made that decision.

“I just feel like with the amount of jobs available now, I want to have that much more of an advantage when I decide to apply for a job, and I believe that grad school is what will give me that advantage,” she said.

The graduate school at Ole Miss, which is made up of several graduate programs, received 2,019 applicants in the 2003-04 school year, and the number increased to 2,902 applicants in 2010-11, according to the University of Mississippi Center for Institutional Research. 

The total number of students enrolled in the university’s graduate school in the 2003-04 year was 551, while in the 2010-11 school year that number has grown to 625 enrolled students, according to the Center for Institutional Research.

Graduate school interim dean Christy Wyandt said that while there are several reasons students choose to go to graduate school, the limited amount of jobs is certainly a reason many decide to continue their education.

“I think generally when the job market is tight, more students consider entering graduate school,” she said. “Going to school is a good alternative to being unemployed or underemployed. Also, I think when students see that jobs are hard to come by, they want to do what they can to increase their marketability for the rest of their careers.”

There are several opportunities enrolling in one of the nearly 100 specialist or graduate programs offered to students when they begin to look for a job, Wyandt said. The graduate school and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning offer workshops of several different varieties focused on professional developments. There are also counselors available through the graduate school dedicated to helping Ole Miss graduate students find work after they complete their degree.

Among the many concentrations offered by the university’s graduate school are the National Center for Physical Acoustics, the National Center for Natural Products Research, the Center for Water and Wetlands Research, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute and the Mississippi Center for Supercomputer Research.

While some fields of study require at least a graduate degree for employment, many students, including MacNeil, have made the decision to get a second degree even though their field of study does not require a post-secondary degree.

“I know that the graduate degree is not required to become a hospitality professional, but most importantly I know it will help me in the future,” MacNeil said.

The total number of graduate students in the United States in 2009 was 2,862,710, according to the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System.

Potential applicants to the graduate school must have their transcripts, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose and a $40 application fee. 

For more information on the University of Mississippi Graduate School, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/gradschool/.