Why Only a Master's Degree: Its Meaning in a Time of Retrenchment

摘要

Graduate department chairpersons attributed a variety of goals to their master's programs, the most important being the preparation for entry to doctoral programs and as terminal training for advancement in career paths. Emphasis in master's programs vary by field, according to whether or not departments also offer the doctorate, and institutional selectivity. Master's programs in engineering exhibit the clearest employment and community-related orientations, and frequently differ markedly from humanities, social science, and natural science programs. The practitioner orientation of engineering programs holds at both Ph.D. and non-Ph.D.-granting institutions. Thus, engineering programs should feel real concern about the future supply of college level teachers in their fields. Apparently master's programs constitute a step toward the doctorate or to allow teachers to earn higher salaries. Even so, departments at doctorate-granting institutions maintain the tradition of producing scholars and professors in the humanities. The report also discusses departmental policies and practices regarding admissions, program structure, and faculty and resource allocation; recent trends are analyzed in course offerings, requirements, admission, and student quality.