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

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: 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: 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 PSM- type 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

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  Sally Francis, Senior Scholar and Co-Project Director  Eleanor Babco, Senior Consultant  Leontyne Goodwin, Program Manager  Josh Mahler, Program and Operations Associate and