The University of Memphis has added another notch to its belt-they now have more graduate students than any other public university in the region, including Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
With the job market getting more competitive and more jobs requiring specialized knowledge, many students are staying in school longer. The U of M had 3,632 Master’s degree seeking students in Spring 2014.
This is something many at the U of M are excited about.
“I think it could be comfortably seen as a large institution that has a lot of graduate students,” James Kierulff, the Interim Director for the Graduate Student Services, said. “It’s something that has evolved over time.”
The job market is growing faster than the amount of degree holders can fill it. According to the Tennessee Conference on Graduate Schools, Tennessee needs over 10,000 graduate students to meet that demand, but currently supplies less than 8,000.
While the U of M is the leading public university in graduate student enrollment, Memphis can’t carry the whole state. Tennessee is below the national average in number of students graduating with anything beyond a bachelor's. Tennesseans would need more than 80,000 students with bachelor degrees to continue their education to meet
“There is certainly demand for people with graduate level skills in the workforce,” Kierulff said.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, business has the most undergraduate students nationally.
“We’re seeing a lot of increase for nursing, for business and for teacher-education,” Kierulff said. “I think this will have a greater impact on the community, the region and the greater world.”
If the U of M can continue to draw in graduate students this could greatly improve the resources students have access to. Better funding for research could allow more students to take part in work that would improve their knowledge, both theoretically and in the field. There are already positions available for students thinking of going into a graduate program.
“What I’ve been able to see from my position, I’m seeing students that are being brought-in and are filling positions within grants,” Kierulff said.
According to Jon Bushnell, a PhD. student who received his Master’s from the U of M this was the most suitable institution to continue improving as a scholar.
“The faculty balance their time well between research, teaching and helping graduate students integrate into the culture of the academy,” Bushnell said. “The Professors make plenty of time for graduate students, are very attuned to the pressures of graduates and are quite personable.”
This is a hopeful sign for the University, because students in Memphis are catching-up with the job market and are becoming part of the academic community.
