Transcript Slide 1

Report on the Professional
Science Master’s National
Initiative
NPSMA National Conference
19 November 2010
Carol B. Lynch
Senior Scholar in Residence and
Director, Professional Master’s Programs
Council of Graduate Schools
Growth In PSM Programs
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Number of
Programs
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40
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PSM Expansion Initiatives –
Systems and States
 North Carolina – Currently, 4 campuses
have 14 PSM programs, with additional in
the planning stages (received NSF SMP
award).
 Cal. State System – 22 programs (6 from
previous CGS/Sloan master’s focused
initiative) with more under development
(received NSF SMP awards).
PSM Expansion Initiatives
 SUNY – 10 PSM programs on 6
campuses (3 in existence from first Sloan
grants), with 23 planned; 16 campuses
involved (received SMP award).
 Florida - 11 PSM programs; planning 18
additional programs as part of regional
economic development.
PSM Expansion Initiatives
 University of Massachusetts – 14 PSMs
– many collaborative – on four of the five
campuses in the UMass system, Boston,
Dartmouth, Lowell and Amherst – more
being planned.
 University of Illinois – 3 PSM programs
at Urbana-Champaign with more planned.
PSM Expansion Initiatives
 Rutgers, the State U. of New Jersey – 6
PSM programs with 8 under development
(received NSF SMP award).
 University of North Texas – 3 PSM
programs were developed at the flagship
campus at Denton.
HBCU Mid-Atlantic PSM
Alliance
 9 Charter Members:
Bowie State, Delaware State, Howard,
Morgan State, Norfolk State, U. District of
Columbia, U. MD Eastern Shore, Virginia
State, American U. (associate member).
 UDC has 2 new PSM programs.
 UMES received NSF SMP award.
 14 PSMs planned (American has 3).
Expansion Initiatives
(planned)
NGA PSM Policy Academy resulted in
initiatives in various stages in 5 states:
NM, AZ, VA, PA, OR.
(UNM received NSF SMP award).
PA State System of Higher Education
planning 8 programs on 6 campuses.
Expansion Initiatives
(planned)
 City University of New York – planning
16 programs on 6 campuses.
 Washington State University – has 1
PSM program, planning 3 more for a total
of all 4 campuses.
 Minnesota State Colleges
CGS/NSF Workshop on the
Role and Status of the
Master’s Degree in STEM
Tony Carnevale, labor economist
 Highest projected job growth (through
2018) will be in STEM fields.
 25% of STEM jobs will require a graduate
degree.
 Master’s level jobs will increase at 17% out-pacing the overall economy.
 Greatest number of jobs (dispersed across
many industries) will be in the life
sciences.
The Roles of Master’s
Education in STEM
 75% of graduate enrollment is at the
Master’s level.
 60% of Master’s enrollments are women.
 There is a trend towards increasing
professionalization of Master’s degrees.
 A clear functional distinction should be
made between the role of a traditional
research Master’s and a professional
Master’s degree.
 Students with research master’s degrees
are more likely to complete PhD degrees
(the degree helps the student to decide on
a goal of a research career and gives PhD
admissions relevant information).
 Professional Master’s prepare students for
careers and should be designed
appropriately.
Master’s Completion Project
 Main Findings:
• Limited data exist on master’s completion and
attrition.
• Differing methodologies preclude meaningful
comparisons.
• Little research on factors contributing to
completion and attrition at the master’s level.
• Reliable data collection is critical!
Master’s Completion Project
 New Project
• Completion and Attrition in STEM Master’s
Programs
• Sloan Foundation-funded
• 27-month project
• Builds on exploratory study
Master’s Completion Project
 Research questions:
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Typology, definitions and templates
Completion and attrition rates
Factors related to student success
Promising practices to improve outcomes
Larger project? Separate out PSM?
Master’s Completion Project
 Research tasks:
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Refine taxonomy and standardize definitions
Determine study parameters
Issue RFP to CGS members
Collect completion and attrition data
Conduct interviews and focus groups
Administer surveys to students
Use data to identify promising practices
Prospects for Federal
Support for PSM Programs
and Students
NSF SMP
 22 awards made
 9 biosciences, 4 environmental sciences,
2 disaster planning/climate science and
solutions, 2 renewable energy, 2
software/wireless systems engineering, 1
regulatory affairs, 1 math modeling
 2:1 research universities : master’s level
 2 HSIs, 1 HBC
NSF Highest Priority
Performance Goal
 Goal: Improve the education and training of an innovative
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM) workforce through evidence-based approaches that
includes collection and analysis of performance data,
program evaluation and other research.
 Measure: By the end of FY 2011, at least six major
National Science Foundation STEM workforce
development programs at the graduate/postdoctoral level
have evaluation and assessment systems providing findings
leading to program re-design or consolidation for more strategic impact
in developing STEM workforce problem solvers, entrepreneurs, or
innovators.
Other agencies with interest:
 Dept. of Education – FIPSE had invitational
priority for PSMs and has funded others as well.
 Dept. of Homeland Security – working with CGS
to interest DHS Centers of Excellence to
develop PSMs.
 Dept. of Energy – submitted request for PSMtype master’s as part of “RE-ENERGYZE”.
 Dept. of Labor – through regional agencies.
 NOAA – interested in providing internships.
Be creative in looking for funding sources!
PSM Recognition Project A Quality Control Initiative
Goals
 Convene two representative stakeholder
groups.
 Establish PSM Guidelines with broad
consensus.
 Recommend a more formal process for
sustainable quality control.
 Establish qualifications and an
organizational structure to manage the
process.
Background
 Rapid increase in programs and
expanding funding possibilities (good
things) greatly increase workload.
 CGS PSM promotion project not
resourced to handle the increased load.
 Increase in diversity of institutions applying
and competition for funds increases
complexity of process and the stakes
involved in PSM affiliation.
Current Process and
Guidelines for a PSM Degree
 Total credits equivalent to a standard master’s degree .
 Majority of program course work in graduate-level
science and/or mathematics courses.
 Professional skills component developed in consultation
with prospective employers.
 Professional skills are usually enhanced by internships
and problem-based projects sponsored by employers.
 Employer advisory board engaged.
 Formal recognition currently granted by CGS (see
application process on www.sciencemasters.com).
Outcomes to date
 Stakeholder Group I - a broadly representative group included
senior university administrators, PSM program directors,
employers from the business and government sectors,
professional society leaders, policymakers, representatives from
CGS, the Sloan Foundation, and the NPSMA.
 Group I developed criteria for PSM “recognition” including a)
core requirements in both technical courses and the professional
skills (i.e. “plus”) courses, b) other essential components of PSM
programs (e.g. the recruitment of employer advisory boards;
internships or employer sponsored projects); and c) a
commitment to annual reporting of enrollment and degree data
and tracking the employment history of graduates.
 Stakeholder Group II, mainly representative of
academicians with less representation from other
sectors was charged to “…recommend a process and
organizational structure that will insure the quality and
recognition of the PSM into the future.”
 Group II further revised the PSM Guidelines,
incorporating information from the public comments.
 Group II also outlined a process and organizational
structure for assessing PSM programs and a financial
scenario to support the recommended process.
Stakeholder II – second meeting
 Further refined plan: “journal review” model with
governing board of interested organizations (e.g.
NPSMA, CGS, AAAS, disciplinary societies as
appropriate).
 Recommended 5 and 10 year reviews.
 Depend on cadre of trained expert volunteer
reviewers.
 Recommended characteristics of certifying
organization: objectivity, legitimacy,
infrastructure, ability to manage reviewers
(recruitment, training, logistics).
Costs and Further Work
 Bare bones maybe $200 K annually.
 Need to determine fee for review and
possible annual “maintenance” fee.
 Need to discuss with potential “hosts” and
consortium members.
 Possible “in kind” contributions would
impact financial plan.
 Goal to “hand off” mid 2012.
For more information: contact
the CGS PSM Project Team

Carol B. Lynch, Senior Scholar and Project Director
([email protected])

Sally Francis, Senior Scholar and Co-Project Director
([email protected])

Eleanor Babco, Senior Consultant
([email protected])

Leontyne Goodwin, Program Manager
([email protected])

Josh Mahler, Program and Operations Associate
([email protected])
www.sciencemasters.com and www.cgsnet.org