Background
The University of New Mexico offers several
types and levels of post-baccalaureate degrees. These are offered
within graduate degree programs and first professional degree programs
(professional degree programs) (NCES criteria). These post-baccalaureate
degree programs can be further delineated as follows (Conrad, Haworth &
Millar, 1993; LaPidus, 1997):
1. Graduate certificate programs
2. Master’s programs
a. Practice-oriented master’s programs
b. Traditional master’s programs
3. Doctoral programs
4. First professional degree programs (MD, JD, PharmD)
Although graduate and professional
degree programs differ in many ways, they all share the common characteristic
of demanding a deeper and broader understanding of a body of knowledge
in a recognized discipline or profession than what is expected in baccalaureate
programs. Graduate degree programs (traditional master’s programs
and especially doctoral programs) prepare students to make original contributions
to their fields through research and other creative activities of a high
order and to enter the professoriate. Students in first professional
degree programs (and in practice-oriented master’s programs) undergo rigorous
preparation in the doctrine, skills, and professional tenets in a field
with the objective being professional practice. In contrast, then,
to the broad-based baccalaureate degree, graduate and professional degrees
are specialized.
The University of New Mexico currently offers PhDs in 36 fields and master’s degrees in over 60 fields. UNM and its programs are accredited by 23 separate accrediting bodies. It is a charter member of the Council of Graduate Schools and the Western Association of Graduate Schools.
While graduate programs are administratively organized within colleges and schools, all master’s and doctoral programs at UNM (with the exception of the MBA degree) are considered part of Graduate Studies (College 13), with the Dean of Graduate Studies as its head. Students in graduate degree programs (including MBA students) adhere to the regulations and policies set forth by the Faculty Senate Graduate Committee (FSGC), which is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the quality of graduate education at the University. The FSGC has representation from all colleges/schools with programs in Graduate Studies (plus Anderson Schools of Management).
The first professional degree programs
at UNM include the JD, MD, and PharmD (NCES criteria). These degrees
are offered within their respective colleges or schools, and adhere to
regulations and policies set forth by the faculty in the respective colleges
or schools.
1. Traditional Graduate Programs
A. Geographic Assets and Strengths
As a consequence of its location, UNM
has a number of assets that serve to enhance traditional master’s and doctoral
education: 1) location in a desirable and affordable place to live;
2) proximity to world-class research and development organizations—Los
Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL),
Lovelace, Kirtland AFB); 3) location in the Southwestern USA, affording
numerous research opportunities related to: multiculturalism, immigration,
indigenous peoples, rapid growth and urbanization, water supply/ allocation/quality
issues, climate change, earth science and biology; and 4) proximity to
Latin America, and all the research opportunities inherent therein.
UNM has managed to build upon the aforementioned aspects to craft world-class programs and facilities in a variety of areas. Prominent among these are:
1) Life SciencesB. Recruitment
2) High-Performance Computing
3) Anthropology/Archaeology
4) Latin American Studies
5) Engineering and materials research
6) Southwestern studies (MA, PhD, library collection)
Recent declines in graduate enrollments have caused consternation among some at UNM. However, these declines may not necessarily be a disadvantage; for example, some disciplines are examining whether they are producing too many graduates, especially at the PhD level (recall the prediction that the U.S. would experience a shortage of scientists and engineers in the 1990’s; this never materialized). Individual departments may be consciously reducing the number of admittees because of the oversupply issue, desire to improve student quality and the lack of additional resources provided by UNM to accommodate more graduate students.
Recruiting chores are handled mainly by departments; the OGS has a limited role, serving primarily to promote graduate education in general at UNM and to provide visibility at select conferences and meetings. Individual departments may have recruiting plans (displays at professional society meetings, enhanced www sites, etc.). To enhance recruitment at the departmental level, the following should be implemented: 1) an increase in TA salaries; 2) better tracking of applications and inquiries; 3) better coordination with International Admissions; 4) targeting of top UNM undergraduates; 5) help in developing www sites; and 6) targeting of international students (foreign language recruitment literature, www sites).
C. Mentoring
Mentoring is an essential factor for ensuring
graduate student success, especially at the doctoral level. Mentoring
overlaps key aspects of graduate education, including such disparate matters
as: financial planning, course selection, advisor selection, research
topic identification, and career potential assessment. Mentoring
becomes effective only when it is applied as the “flip side” or corollary
to effective graduate recruitment. Indeed, it is a decisive component
for recruitment and retention of students traditionally underrepresented
in graduate education—minorities and women. Mentoring also underscores
the need for faculty mentors from underrepresented groups.
UNM is now participating in the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program, a program designated to develop new approaches to preparing doctoral students for careers in the professoriate. UNM also belongs to the New Mexico Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NM-AGEP), which also includes NMSU and NMT. Over the next five years, NM-AGEP seeks to triple the number of math, science and engineering graduate minority students pursuing doctoral degrees and entering the professoriate. Funds will be available to enhance the stipends to students who enter the AGEP program.
Mentoring is generally left to individual departments and faculty. Efforts to formalize the mentoring process and offer guidance to faculty who wish it should be developed.
The OGS can take a more active role to enhance departmental recruiting by advocating increased TA salaries, stipends and fellowships and by seeking funds for personal visits by prospective students. Online applications will soon be available for domestic graduate students, and it is anticipated that graduate applications will increase as the process becomes more accessible to potential students.
D. Future Opportunities
Future directions in traditional graduate
education should be driven by societal and student needs with emphases
on interdisciplinary programs that build upon existing strengths.
This will require an efficient information system that is capable of handling
individual needs of students.
Interdisciplinary programs (including professional programs) at both the master’s and doctoral levels should be nourished. These programs are excellent ways to combine the best aspects of existing programs to create new programs without jeopardizing the quality of the original ones and without incurring much, if any, added expense. In addition, societal problems are becoming increasingly complex, and educating future researchers to work in multidisciplinary teams is essential. Interdisciplinary programs should be encouraged, but not mandated, from above; the best programs are those that arise from faculty who have overlapping interests and seek to build upon that foundation.
UNM already has some strong interdisciplinary programs. The Freshwater Sciences Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program, funded by NSF, spans four departments (Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences and their University of Alabama counterparts) at two universities. In the College of Arts and Sciences, American Studies is noteworthy in its status as an established, yet flexible, interdisciplinary department. Its faculty and students routinely work with a variety of departments, colleges and colleagues. Such collaborations are initiated from a coherent interdisciplinary base that is not ad hoc or adjunct to other disciplines. As a result, American Studies is able to forge strong ties with other departments in Arts and Sciences, as well as with the College of Fine Arts, School of Architecture and Planning and the School of Law. A program that bridges the gap between professional and traditional graduate programs is the Master of Water Resources (MWR) degree, which involves geography, economics, biology, civil engineering and earth and planetary sciences, as well as law, planning, and public administration.
Areas that could be targeted are listed
below:
Micro- and nanotechnology. This
would build upon current strength in engineering and materials research
and would benefit from UNM’s proximity to SNL and LANL. As with the
above, legal and social aspects would be important here and should be components
of such a program.
Biotechnology and bioengineering. This would build upon existing expertise in life sciences and engineering. Law and the social sciences would be elements as well, because of the legal, social and ethical aspects.
Environmental science and environmental studies. This is currently an area that a number of institutions do well. However, UNM, with its excellent programs in the life sciences, high performance computing, GIS (Earth Data Analysis Center), the Health Sciences Center, the School of Law and strong supporting programs in earth sciences, environmental economics, water resources, and engineering, could assemble trenchant programs in these general areas. Collaboration with SNL and LANL would be an added bonus. The social sciences would also be important components here, because of the cultural and societal implications surrounding environmental issues. Latin American aspects and border environmental issues, both growing concerns, could be very strong elements of interdisciplinary environmental programs.
An additional area in which UNM has strength, albeit uncoordinated, is indigenous students. UNM is strategically placed to develop a world-renowned interdisciplinary indigenous studies program.
Other programs could combine aspects of both professional and graduate education in a slightly different manner from the MWR degree; witness the Science Master’s Outreach Initiative of the Sloan Foundation, which is funding professional M.S. degrees at five universities (www.ScienceMasters.com). These two-year programs are designed for people seeking non-research, science-based careers. Some individuals have called for a revitalization or reinvention of the Master’s degree; the Sloan Science Master’s Initiative is one such answer.
E. Extended University
The Extended University can play a significant
role in graduate education. Few research graduate degrees are offered
via distance learning, for obvious reasons. However, “reconfigured”
master’s degrees or certificates may be amenable to the distance learning
format. Programs could be created in which the student spends a limited
amount of time on campus and the remainder of his/her time as a “place-based
student.”
2. Professional Graduate Programs
A. Geographic Assets and Strengths
UNM’s geographical location is also a
major advantage for its professional degree programs. UNM proximity
to native cultures, both locally and in Latin America, provides its law
school, medical school, and PharmD program with opportunities for education
and research dealing with indigenous peoples. Although individual
units have concentrated on native culture, the University as a whole has
not done so. Coordinated, multidisciplinary activities have not been
implemented.
Generally, UNM has strengths in all its professional degree programs. The medical and law schools have gained national prominence for their missions to provide access for all New Mexicans and for their clinical programs. The medical school has been recognized for its primary care curriculum and its general innovation in curriculum development. The law school is the leader nationally in Indian Law curriculum and programs.
B. Recruitment and Mentoring
Students interested in professional degree
programs tend to be more concerned with the overall curriculum of the program,
the reputation of the program, and the costs of pursuing the degree.
Most are residents of New Mexico. Competition within the region for
students is increasing, and the ability of the particular professional
programs to enhance their programs and to offer larger financial aid is
extremely limited. The university should become more familiar with
the tuition and financial aid programs offered by our neighboring states
(especially Texas and Arizona) and develop procedures that allow us to
compete for New Mexico residents who are being lured to institutions in
those states. Professional degree students tend not to have a graduate
or teaching assistantships and must pay tuition themselves. To the
extent other universities are offering financial assistance and fellowships
to professional students, UNM is not competitive.
C. Future Opportunities
Although graduate and professional education
have different objectives, there is no question that each can strengthen
the other. For example, medical education and practice are enhanced
by research, not just in the life sciences, but in the physical and social
sciences and even engineering. Conversely, problems identified by
medical practitioners and other health professionals can form bases for
research in other fields (the Hantavirus Research Program of the Department
of Biology is an example). New discoveries may require revision of
legal concepts; research by physicists may lead to applications that can
benefit practicing engineers. This interplay is one of the hallmarks
of a good research university; it should be nurtured and encouraged, but
never dictated. In the area of technology, the law school, Anderson
Schools, and Computer Science could join together in developing interdisciplinary
programs in areas like e-commerce. Moreover, the professional schools,
and graduate programs should coordinate their efforts in native and indigenous
studies and make UNM the leader in this area.
Professional degree programs at UNM have
some different needs from programs that offer master’s and doctoral degrees.
Professional degree programs historically have had little financial assistance
available to students whose academic programs usually demand full-time
study. Assistance in the form of fellowships and assistantships could
enhance these program’s ability to stay competitive with their peers for
top students.
SUMMARY