More Students Head to Grad School

But student interest is not just limited to traditional programs like business and law. More students are choosing to pursue graduate programs in a wide variety of fields, such as the humanities.

Applications to the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law jumped 37 percent for the 2001-02 school year and by 15 percent for the Duke University School of Law.

N.C. State University's graduate programs saw a 21 percent increase in applicants after a 17 percent jump last year.

"N.C. State is seeing increases in applications to the Colleges of Engineering and Technology, but (we've) also seen increases in the humanities and arts and sciences," said Duane Larick, assistant dean of N.C. State's graduate school.

Duke also is experiencing an increase in graduate school applications in all programs, said Bertie Belvin, associate dean of enrollment for graduate admissions at Duke.

She said the university had a 21 percent increase in graduate school applications for 2001-02 compared to the 2000-01 school year. "Graduate and professional admissions are usually cyclical," Belvin said. "There will be a dip every five years and then an increase. There tends to be a high correlation between employment and graduate school applications."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, unemployment for October 2002 is 5.7 percent, compared to 4.8 for October 2001.

Belvin said she thinks increased applications are a direct reflection of a diminishing job market. "When there's a downturn, people lose jobs, and they think this is a good time to go to graduate school."

But growing interest in graduate programs also means competition for admission to top programs will become more aggressive than in previous years.

Officials say graduate schools are not accommodating for increased applications. "(Graduate admissions) didn't increase the number of students admitted; we just became more selective and kept student population the same," Belvin said.

Many career counseling services also are advising students to clearly identify their future objectives before making decisions because of the increased selectivity of graduate admissions.

"Students should base their decision on going to graduate school based on long term goals," Larick said.

But Vergie Taylor, assistant director of career planning at UNC-CH Career Services, said students with a clear goal should not shy away from entering the workforce immediately.

"If students are interested in going straight to work, they should go for it," she said. "Some students assume they won't get a job in their field, but that's not necessarily true."

Taylor added that it is important for graduating seniors to use career services to accommodate for the faltering job market whether their plans include graduate school or work.

"(Students) should use every avenue possible," she said. "There are more options open than they realize."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.