university of kentucky graduate school...programs are popular, particularly as master’s programs....

University of Kentucky Graduate School Lexington, Kentucky

Report of Innovative Approaches to Graduate Education and Marketplace Characteristics

prepared by

Chuck Reed Senior Vice President for Client Services

[email protected]

Grant De Roo Research Consultant

[email protected]

January 10, 2017

University of Kentucky Graduate School 2

© 2017 Stamats, Inc.

Contents

Introduction and Report Structure ............................................. 3

Innovations in Graduate Education ............................................ 3

Introduction ................................................................................................. 3

Section 1: Trends in Technology .................................................................... 4

Section 2: Financial Aid Innovations .............................................................. 9

Section 3: Graduate Plus Programs .............................................................. 12

Section 4: Initiatives to Engage a Diverse Graduate Pool ............................... 13

Section 5: Innovations in Advising and Mentoring ........................................ 17

Section 6: Linking Graduate Education to Job-Related Skills .......................... 19

Section 7: Alumni Engagement and Tracking ................................................ 22

Section 8: Leadership and Graduate Education ............................................ 23

Section 9: Global Perspectives in Graduate Education .................................. 24

Marketplace Characteristics and Trends ................................... 26

Executive Summary .................................................................................... 26

Introduction ............................................................................................... 27

Context Setting .......................................................................................... 28

Comparison Between Kentucky and US ....................................................... 31

Comparison Between Master’s and PhD ...................................................... 48



Introduction and Report Structure It is our pleasure to present this report of current innovations in graduate education and marketplace

trends to the University of Kentucky (UK or the university) Graduate School. This report is distinct in its

dual focus on two seemingly disparate, but often related, topics:

An aggregate of existing research and data collection on innovative approaches to delivering graduate education among like institutions; and

Characteristics and trends in labor market demand for professionals holding a graduate degree.

Although research on each topic was conducted independently, continuities emerged such that it was

determined to be most logical for the report to be consolidated into one comprehensive document.

Thus, the following report is a story told in two parts with the shared purpose of identifying

changes/innovations in graduate education and the labor market that have implications for how

graduate education is delivered at the University of Kentucky.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy reviewing these findings and consider the extent to which they may

be relevant and applicable at UK. We look forward to discussing the report with you in greater depth

and using these findings as a partial framework for our discussions with faculty and administrators on

campus.

Innovations in Graduate Education

Introduction

It has become common among those affiliated with postsecondary education to quip about the slow pace of change that often characterizes (and sometimes plagues) efforts to innovate in higher education. And to an extent, such resistance is expected. After all, relatively few industries/categories can boast a history as long or as deep as higher education.

Nevertheless, it is critical at all times to maintain a pulse on innovations in the field that may enhance its delivery while still preserving and valuing the most essential components of education.

The intent of this report, therefore, is to present and discuss innovative approaches to delivering graduate education that may be applicable and relevant for the University of Kentucky. It is not expected (and, indeed, not advised) that UK would pursue all of these innovative approaches to delivery; however, it is important to consider the extent to which each approach may be viable in order to ensure that UK is continuing to deliver graduate education in an effective way that serves the needs of both the institution and its students.

Although higher education may be slow to change, the demands of it are not. Indeed, the data show that the role of graduate education is becoming increasingly important. According to the Council of Graduate Education, between 2010 and 2020, approximately 2.6 million new and replacement jobs are



expected to require an advanced degree, with a projected increase of 22 percent for jobs requiring a master’s degree and about 20 percent for jobs requiring a doctorate or professional degree. As advanced education levels continue to be associated with lower unemployment rates and higher salaries, we expect that demand for graduate education will continue to increase in the coming years as students seek to position themselves for professional success and satisfaction. If supply is to effectively meet demand, colleges and universities must pursue new means and approaches to delivering graduate education in the manner(s) expected by the market.

It is with this context in mind that this report aims to provide an overview of the significant innovations within graduate education to assist in strategic planning at the UK Graduate School. Each section begins with an overview of key innovations within that content area. These summaries put into context recent developments and best practices. Each introductory section blends both academic and non-academic information with recent reports by organizations focusing on graduate education.

Each section concludes with a program spotlight. These spotlights provide a tangible example of implementation at a public or private four-year research and/or flagship university. The future look at public or private four-year research and/or flagship institutions is purposeful and an effort to illustrate to the administration at the University of Kentucky programs being implemented at peer institutions. The selection of these spotlights was done after extensive review of institutional websites, industry reports, supporting documents, and popular news articles. Links and additional information for further research are provided at the conclusion of each spotlight section.

Section 1: Trends in Technology

As a method of educating and a platform for global branding, online education bears little resemblance to what it was just a few years ago. Institutional strategies for engaging with the latest developments in online learning have also evolved. Specifically, changing trends in educational technology have been the driving force behind a variety of new delivery methods, increased access to courses (e.g., MOOCs), and different methods of employing technology in teaching (such as “flipped classroom” teaching, “gamified” courses, and adaptive learning). The online medium of education is growing at a robust rate. A 2015 report from the Babson Survey Research Group, made available by the Online Learning Consortium, found that 70.7 percent of active institutions currently offer at least some distance offerings, and both four- and two-year public institutions offer online courses at high rates. It is slightly less common for private institutions to have distance offerings. According to Peterson’s Distance Learning Database, there are currently 3,991 online certificates and degree programs offered by 417 different institutions. Over 70 percent of the total online graduate degrees are offered at the master’s level, with relatively few doctoral or other graduate degree programs offered through distance learning. These programs are offered in a variety of subject fields. Similar to offerings at the undergraduate level, health professions and business and marketing degree programs are popular, particularly as master’s programs. Even more popular are master’s degrees and graduate certificates in education. Graduate programs in the field of education make up nearly 30 percent of the total number of online graduate programs. Collectively, these fields are most highly demanded by working professionals who not only pursue graduate education for career advancement,



but are also more likely to seek online offerings to accommodate other demands such as work and family. The executive education model—supplementing online education with sporadic face-to-face meetings—has been well established within higher education. This approach still provides the most viable option for increasing access to graduate programs. However, the following section provides an overview of emerging themes within online graduate education.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Over the last two years, massive open online courses, or MOOCs, have presented a new option for those interested in online learning. These courses are typically free, and not for credit. Some MOOCs have enrolled over 100,000 students, and they potentially suggest a new platform through which to deliver education on a large scale. Third-party MOOC providers such as Coursera have partnered with a growing number of institutions, while international companies and individual institutions have also developed these types of programs. While MOOCs provide an attractive option to increase program exposure and enrollment, there are many challenges associated with MOOCs. Two of the main concerns are:

Higher education leaders have failed to develop a systematic way to integrate MOOCs within for-credit educational options.

Student retention and completion remains a large concern. A recent study by Duke University suggests that only a small percentage of the students who signed up for a MOOC actually complete the course.

Despite the challenges, this increase in universities offering MOOCs has, unsurprisingly, led to an increasing variety in the types of courses available. While a large number of MOOCs continued to be offered in STEM fields—especially in computer-science-related subjects—a growing number of humanities, business, and social science courses are also being offered.

MicroMasters In an effort to address the two challenges with MOOCs noted above, several leading universities have developed MicroMasters offerings that can be completed in a similar fashion but hold the promise of a real (and recognized) credential. MicroMasters programs function very similarly to MOOCs in that courses are completed online in an asynchronous fashion according to the student’s ability to complete on his or her schedule. There are a variety of fields and specialties for students to pursue. For instance, the MOOC provider EdX currently lists 20 MicroMasters offerings. MOOC courses are bundled according to a specific discipline, and students complete a handful of courses (e.g., five classes over two years) in much the same way that a traditional master’s student completes foundational courses in a subject area in a first semester or year. At the conclusion of these courses, students are awarded a graduate certificate in their subject area that is recognized by several large employers such as GE, IBM, Volvo, and Walmart.



The key distinction between MOOCs and MicroMasters programs, however, is the option granted to students who complete a MicroMasters program: at the conclusion of the MicroMasters course series, students have the option of enrolling at the sponsoring university in a full master’s degree program for which a student’s previously earned MicroMasters credit would transfer. Thus, a student can develop a proficiency in a certain area through a collection of MOOCs and then pursue a full master’s degree program that recognizes and grants credit for the classes already completed. MicroMasters programs have been offered with impressive success by universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Micro-Targeted Online Programs (MTOPs) In response to some of the challenges associated with MOOCs and credit integration, institutions have

been developing Micro-Targeted Online Programs (MTOPs). These MTOPs are narrowly focused, possess

specialized curriculum, and provide student-demanded programs that enroll a select number of

students. Associated with an academic degree-granting department or school, these programs provide

professional networking and credit accumulation for working and/or employment-seeking students.

According to a recent Inside Higher Ed article, MTOPs share seven characteristics:

An online (or blended) program with 50 or fewer students per year Narrowly focused, with a specialized curriculum and student demand profile A program that leads to an accredited degree Built on the expertise and specialization of a department, rather than individual faculty members Designed to build strong relationships between students and faculty Self-sustaining revenue model Not limited to elite institutions, but is dependent on great academic departments

The University of Kentucky already possess one of the most cited MTOPs; the School Technology

Leadership program within the College of Education has been cited as a program of excellence utilizing

the principles of micro-targeted online programs. Given the expertise on campus, leveraging unique

areas of specification within other programs may represent an opportunity for administrators at the

University of Kentucky.

Spotlight: University of Georgia’s Climb in the Rankings Since 2013, the University of Georgia (UGA) has seen its position within the US News and World Report

online education rankings increase significantly. In 2012, UGA’s online bachelor’s programs ranked 90,

and by 2016, that rank had increased to 5. UGA’s online graduate education programs have also risen

from 22 (in 2012) to 3 (in 2016).

Online programs at the University of Georgia are administered through UGA's Office of Online Learning,

a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. The online degree programs incorporate new

and innovative teaching methods implemented through the pairing of faculty with staff who are

formally trained in instructional design and distance education.



Over the past three years, UGA Online has conducted market assessments using data from IPEDS degree

completion data, Bureau of Labor Statistics employment outlook data, and numerous industry-specific

employment reports to quantify and analyze the markets for MEd in human resources and

organizational development and MEd in adult education degree programs. The result—UGA has more

than doubled its number of online degree and certificate programs, bringing the total to 29.

For more information on UGA's online programs, visit: http://online.uga.edu.

New(er) Technology Trends: Flipped Classrooms: “Flipping” the classroom refers to a “pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed,” and in‐classroom experiences are reconstructed to rely less on passive learning and more on active engagement (Educause, 2012). The concept behind flipped classrooms, again, has much to do with accessibility and convenience, as it allows students to consume the core elements of a course whenever, regardless of time or place. Therefore, professors can re‐allot classroom time and make room for other activities, such as experiential or collaborative learning opportunities, as opposed to passive learning through lectures. In-class problems and activities that promote active learning may involve small group problems, discussions, open-ended problems, peer instruction, and reflection time. The flipped model has gained some high‐profile supporters, particularly in the United States. Among the more high-profile institutions using the flipped classroom model is Stanford University, which is currently working in conjunction with Khan Academy to deliver medical education. At Stanford, course lectures have been moved online in the form of videos and other digital content, and in‐person sessions become optional interactive sessions. By moving content out of the classroom, the hope is that students will both progress faster and be able to narrow in on a specialization more quickly. In addition, the flipped model engages students more effectively—it pays attention to why students miss classes in the first place, and allows them to swap lectures for something practically oriented during their classroom time. Several other top-tier universities have also adopted a flipped classroom approach to various subjects, including engineering at Boston University, chemistry and biology at Duke University, and economics at Vanderbilt University. At Boston University, a computational fluid dynamics course was flipped to turn classroom lectures into a mixed cohort of graduate students and seniors. Classroom periods offered an opportunity for students to interact and compare software solutions and notes on individual progress. Adaptive Learning: Adaptive learning platforms are another emerging technology in higher education. According to Dreambox Learning, adaptive learning is “a computer-based and/or online educational system that modifies the presentation of material in response to student performance.” The most successful systems are able to “capture fine-grained data and use learning analytics to enable human tailoring of responses.” Advocates of adaptive learning have suggested that the modification and personalization of learning materials may serve as a support to students, thereby bolstering retention and graduation rates. Particularly innovative work related to adaptive learning has come from a partnership between Fujitsu and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In mid‐2013, the two organizations jointly announced the creation of a new adaptive e-learning platform, stemming from an asynchronous learning concept. Named

http://online.uga.edu/



“Guided Learning Pathways,” the platform aims to address challenges in online learning, such as the lack of customizability for individual learners’ needs and finding the proper fit between students and appropriate learning materials. These technologies break up atomized elements (“nuggets”) of student learning based on students’ online interactions, similar to the way companies such as Google, Facebook, or Netflix use algorithms to estimate user preferences. Examples of learning nuggets, according to the two organizations, are online homework problems, video snippets, animations, simulations, web-based lab experiments, short educational games, or short texts. Therefore, the platform is able to “eliminate the Industrial Age ‘course’ and tailor each individual’s education to suit their interests.” Gamification: A number of changes to learning management in the last decade go beyond Web 2.0 integration. One example is the trend of introducing game‐based learning platforms and “social learning” models. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) explains that gamification platforms and models involve much more “engaged” e-learning and borrow from concepts and experiences seen in video and computer gaming. This concept is based on the idea that students in the current generation have undergone a different neurological development than previous generations, due to growing up in a technology‐centric learning environment (Tham et. al, 2012). Studies (Tham et. al, 2012) have identified several areas where gaming has a positive impact on learning more generally: Engaging learners in learning environments Increasing motivation Intensifying retention of information Improving problem‐solving skills

As a model of learning in an online graduate education environment, game‐based or gamified learning involves a much more significant level of interaction from students than more passive activities such as message boards (Trybus, n.d.). According to a recent report by Academic Partnerships (2012), the following institutions and programs utilize games or game-based assessment as a part of their graduate programs: Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi: In a game called Pulse!!, students can guide a 3D avatar through

the medical setting to practice some of the most critical patient-care skills. University of South Carolina, Moore School of Business: Students at the University of South Carolina

use marketing and operations simulations in their MBA courses. Florida State University College of Medicine: Geriatrics students play ElderQuest, and nurse the Gray

Sage, a wizard with a number of health issues, back to his full power. University of Washington: The Foster School of Business piloted enterprise simulations that incorporate

business lessons from local companies like Starbucks and Nike. Duke University Medical Center: The Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center at Duke’s teaching

hospital is employing gaming as a key part of teaching students to interact with patients and improve their performance on the job.



University of Connecticut: Graduate student Karen Zook, with the help of Roger Travis, is bringing Latin back to life through a game called Operation Lapis.

Bristol University: Paul Howard-Jones, a professor of neuroscience has developed his own “TWIG” (Teaching with Immersive Gaming) method.

Harvard Medical School: Dr. Bryan Bergeron, a researcher in health science and technology, has developed several healthcare-related games that are used by Harvard’s students and other medical schools across the country.

University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business: Wharton’s Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab has fostered the development of more than 30 games for supplementing business education courses for MBA students at the school.

University of Minnesota Medical School: Researchers noted the positive effects of a video trivia game on the psychopharmacology knowledge of 29 third-year medical students.

Section 2: Financial Aid Innovations

The academic literature on the impact of financial aid and/or financial aid innovations are almost

entirely focused on the undergraduate population. The literature on financial support for graduate

students is limited. Other than the 2009 Council of Graduate Schools report, little research has been

done on the sources of funding and awarding patterns. The Council of Graduate Schools found that 73.5

percent and 85.9 percent of all master’s and doctoral students, respectively, received some form of aid.

In addition, findings showed that that financial aid for African American and Hispanic students continued

to fall short of the aid received by white and Asian American students.

For the most recently reported year (2015–16), federally supplied loans represented 61 percent of all

aid provided to graduate students. Graduate student federal borrowing increased from $22.7 billion in

2005–06 (in 2015 dollars) to $38.6 billion in 2010–11, but declined to $35.8 billion in 2015–16. In 2005–

06, 42 percent of federal loans to graduate students were subsidized and 55 percent were unsubsidized

Stafford Loans. In 2015–16, 75 percent of federal loans to graduate students were unsubsidized Stafford

and 25 percent were Grad PLUS Loans.

Although institutional grants and assistantships are viewed as the traditional mechanism for doctoral

education, they represented only 35 percent of all financial aid provided to graduate students in the

most recent year. Employer and private grants constituted 30 percent of the grant aid supporting

graduate students in 2015–16. Federal grants accounted for only 3 percent of graduate student aid in

2015–16, but increased from $401 million (in 2015 dollars) in 2005–06 to $1.5 billion in 2015–16 due in

part to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.



Total Graduate Student Aid by Source and Type (in Billions), 2015–16

Source of Aid Amount (billions)

Federal Loans (63%) $35.8

Institutional Grants (21%) $11.7

Private and Employer Grants (10%) $5.7

Federal Education Tax Credits & Deductions (3%) $1.8

Federal Grants (3%) $1.5

State Grants (<1%) $0.2

Federal Work-Study (<1%) $0.2

Source: 2016 Trends in Student Aid, The College Board. Notes: Percentages represent each type of aid as a percentage of the total. Loans reported here include only federal loans to students and parents. Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

Trends in Graduate Student Financial Aid per FTE (over selected years; constant 2016 dollars)

FTE Enrollment

Avg. Total Aid

Avg. Grant Aid

Avg. Federal Loans

Avg. Total Loans

Avg. Tax Benefits

Work-Study

1991 1,183,147 $12,623.72 $5,126.70 $7,428.02 $7,428.02 $0.00 $69.00

1996 1,332,232 $20,341.92 $6,298.62 $13,936.79 $15,460.01 $0.00 $106.50

2001 1,443,411 $22,777.52 $8,125.45 $13,756.62 $15,469.17 $768.97 $126.49

2006 1,741,554 $23,889.29 $7,506.04 $15,466.42 $18,233.88 $822.28 $94.55

2011 2,066,284 $29,149.11 $7,950.57 $19,916.07 $20,548.01 $1,220.34 $62.14

2016 2,048,919 $27,746.67 $9,301.70 $17,464.97 $18,211.29 $889.54 $90.46

Source: 2016 Trends in Student Aid, The College Board

Between 1991 and 2016, enrollment in graduate programs increased by 73 percent. During the same

period, average grant aid per FTE increased at a nearly proportional rate (81 percent). However, both

federal and total loans increased nearly twice as much as both enrollments and grant aid during this

time.

Despite increases in grant-based aid, financial constraints have led to greater reliance on loans as a

means of offsetting the cost of graduate education. However, there remains a consensus that grant aid,

rather than loan-based financial aid, provides influential motivation for enrollment and leads to greater

student satisfaction and lower student debt upon program completion.



A recent report by the Council of Graduate Schools found that financial support and mentoring are the

key elements for not only overall student success, but also success of underrepresented graduate

students. Assistantships have the potential of meeting both of these needs.

As a final note, it is important to recall that all graduate students are considered independent for federal

financial aid purposes; their eligibility for need-based aid depends only on their own income and assets

(and those of their spouses if married). The elimination of subsidized Stafford Loans for graduate

students in 2012–13 eliminated virtually all need-based federal aid for graduate students.

Spotlight: Rutgers University “SUPER Grad” Fellowship Summer Pipeline to Excellence at Rutgers Graduate (SUPER Grad) is a diversity fellowship program that

awards competitive first‐year graduate funding to outstanding alumni of Rutgers’ summer

undergraduate research programs. Alumni of the RiSE (Research in Science and Engineering) at Rutgers

program and partner summer programs are automatically eligible for consideration if a Rutgers

graduate program admits them. The program began in the 2015–16 academic year and provides multi-

year graduate fellowships, valued at up to $100,000, for the most outstanding alumni of RiSE and

partnering summer programs.

The program is aimed at the recruitment and retention of high-achieving undergraduates within the

science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) fields. Fellowship funding is provided by the

Chancellor's Office as an initiative of the New Brunswick Strategic Plan, with matching funding from

Rutgers’ School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Arts & Sciences, School of

Engineering, Graduate School-NB, and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

More information about SUPER Grad can be found at http://odi.rutgers.edu/supergrad.

Spotlight: Oregon State University’s Diversity Advancement Pipeline Fellowship In a response to declining admissions, the Provost Office at Oregon State University (OSU) created the

Faculty Diversity Initiatives (FDI) Program to enhance the culture of racial and ethnic diversity at OSU

and to promote positive changes to the academic climate of the university. This program is intended to

create support opportunities that enhance campus efforts to recruit and retain meritorious domestic

graduate students from divergent and/or nontraditional backgrounds who have an expressed interest in

a career in university teaching and/or research. The fellowship, in combination with its mentoring

component, is designed to provide a financial foundation sufficient to support academic success and

degree completion.

In order to qualify for the fellowship, applicants must have the required academic record (i.e., GPA, GRE, and/or publications) as well as two of the following: previously participated in a TRIO Program (Educational Opportunity Center, Talent Search, Student

Support Services, Upward Bound, McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program) previously participated in a College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP)

http://odi.rutgers.edu/supergrad



previously attended a minority-serving institution primary language is other than English documented financial need (based upon FAFSA application process) with consideration of low-income

status first generation to attend a university previously participated in a summer research opportunity program for underserved undergraduates demonstrated engagement with communities that are underrepresented in higher education and an

ability to bring this experience to the learning environment interest in using the diversity of human experience as an educational resource in teaching and research

Fellowships provide a 12-month stipend of $30,000, a $1,600 fee-relief subsidy payment, and an accompanying tuition scholarship. As a condition of the awarding the fellowship, academic programs presenting nominations must agree to provide a 0.49 FTE graduate assistantship (stipend, tuition remission, and subsidized health insurance) for at least two years after the Diversity Advancement Pipeline Fellowship is awarded—matching funds requirement. Fellowships awarded for the purpose of retaining graduate students will require the nominating program to show evidence of at least two prior years of equivalent support (stipend, tuition remission, and standardized health insurance coverage), or a combination of one prior and one subsequent year of support.

Section 3: Graduate Plus Programs

Several approaches have been developed to facilitate enrollment to graduate programs from among a

university’s undergraduate population. Most common among these are 3+2 (or sometimes 4+1)

programs, which are intended to provide an accelerated path to earning both a baccalaureate and a

master’s degree. Both the baccalaureate and master’s degree requirements are completed in five years

by means of shared coursework. These accelerated degree pathways have captured the attention of

policymakers in recent years as an innovative approach to improving graduate school affordability,

addressing workforce needs, and increasing degree completion.

In 2012, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) identified four models

utilized by states and institutions to structure accelerated degree pathways.

Prior Learning Credit Model: Includes dual credit and prior learning as part of the degree pathway Competency-Based Model: Assesses student knowledge and skills versus the use of a seat-time model Compression Model: Condenses a degree program into a shortened program of study with the

integration of summer and inter-term courses. Course Reduction Model: Reduces the number of credits required for either a baccalaureate or master’s

degree. In addition to creating formalized accelerated pathways between baccalaureate and master’s degrees, institutional leaders have also created targeted recruitment programs aimed at educating both undergraduates and high school students on the benefits (and often necessity) of graduate education. Below are two examples of similar efforts at targeted recruitment.



Spotlight: Emory University’s Emory Pipeline Collaborative (EPiC) Originally created by two medical students, the Emory Pipeline program is an attempt to introduce

undergraduates to the benefits of graduate education as well as to create interest in public health

careers among high school students. The Emory Pipeline program is centered on a partnership with

three local high schools. Each year, the program selects 24 graduate students from among the

university’s medical school, School of Public Health, and graduate school to serve as teachers of younger

students. The program also selects 25 Emory sophomore undergraduates and 25 high school students.

After the selection, the leadership team works to pair the high school students with undergraduate

mentors and to create learning small groups of two graduate student teachers, five undergraduate

mentors, and their five mentees.

The goals of Emory Pipeline is to Improve high school student knowledge of basic science and medical concepts; Prepare students for college and graduate school through mentorship and hands-on exposure to health-

related concepts; and Develop leaders who are sensitive to the socio-contextual determinants of health and proficient in

mentorship and scientific communication.

More information about EPiC can be found at http://www.emorypipeline.org.

Spotlight: University of Colorado Boulder Each year, during a one-week school break at the University of Colorado Boulder, 20 undergraduate students, paired with 20 graduate student mentors, conduct engineering research. The goal of this program is to increase retention in engineering as well as to increase the pipeline of students, particularly underrepresented students, interested in pursuing graduate degrees in engineering. All students are selected through an application process, and all students are paid a stipend. In addition to conducting research, undergraduate students are required to attend professional development events, including seminars on research etiquette, future research opportunities, and the graduate school application process. This one-week research program increases access to research and graduate school for a diverse group of undergraduates and improves professional development skills for their graduate student mentors.

Section 4: Initiatives to Engage a Diverse Graduate Pool

Recruitment in Graduate Education An exploration of how issues related to race and diversity can manifest and influence the graduate

recruitment process requires an examination of previous literature on this topic. The majority of the

literature on higher education recruitment in the United States focuses on undergraduate students.

Much of the extant literature on graduate student recruitment can be grouped into three categories:

outreach, admissions, and yield.

http://www.emorypipeline.org/



Outreach There are a small number of scholarly works that focus exclusively on diversity and outreach at the

graduate level. Best practices are typically based on anecdotal evidence and/or single institutional case

studies. However, both practitioners and scholars have suggested that institutional leaders develop the

following capabilities and competencies to increase their ability to reach a diverse student population:

Integrate an innovative undergraduate curriculum that begins to socialize undergraduates to graduate school expectations and creates a pipeline for feeder or articulation programs.

Create campus-wide conversations about expectations surrounding graduate education. Provide students, both current undergraduates and undergraduates from other campuses, with the

opportunity to engage in summer research experiences with current graduate students and faculty members.

Develop partnerships with minority serving institutions (MSI) to create feeder programs between linked undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

More generally, a 2012 survey of graduate students conducted by Noel‐Levitz provides additional

insights into effective strategies to reach the broader graduate student population.

The authors noted that one effective strategy involved engagement of faculty members with admitted

students after they receive notification of their admission. This practice is consistently recognized as an

effective yield tactic, as it continues engagement with the prospective students throughout the

applicant/admission process and spurs forward-thinking behavior about the student’s plans for graduate

education and post-graduation careers. Results revealed that assistantships, phone contacts, and search

engine optimization are thought to be highly effective strategies among graduate student recruiters at

public institutions.

Emerging Outreach Trends Social Media: One prevalent strategy in graduate student marketing is the use of social media. Many sources including news reports and university toolkits promote deliberate and thoughtful social media



campaigns as a highly engaging and influential means of increasing graduate student enrollment. According to an article in the Journal Sentinel, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin newspaper, the University of Wisconsin–Madison attributed part of its enrollment growth to active engagement with the university’s social media. According to officials from the University of Wisconsin, the university experienced 90 percent growth in Twitter followers, a 57 percent increase in Facebook "likes," and a 38 percent increase in YouTube viewership between 2012 and 2013 alone (Herzog, 2013). In 2012, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) conducted a survey of its member institutions about social media usage. A large majority (80 percent) of graduate admissions offices reported using social media in their recruiting efforts. Facebook and Twitter are the most preferred platforms, but other media such as YouTube and Instagram can be effective for highlighting programs with strong visuals such as those in the fine arts. Universities often customize social media posts according to the distinct characteristics of the university’s community, academic focuses, or culture. Naturally, however, consistencies between institutions persist. For instance, universities consistently post news updates (85 percent of surveyed institutions), event postings (84 percent), open messaging (64 percent), and profiles of students (48 percent) and alumni (44 percent).

Holistic Admissions to Increase Diversity As the demand for graduate degrees increases, so does the need to develop systematic ways to evaluate applicants. Over the past decade, graduate admissions officers have increasingly used quantitative measures of student merit (i.e., GPA, standardized test scores, etc.) as the foundation for the admissions process. Recently, scholars have demonstrated that the increasing reliance on quantitative measures causes a disadvantage to, as well as leads to underrepresentation of, non-traditional and older students. As a mechanism to increase the diversity of the incoming graduate student body, institutions are adopting a holistic applicant review process. Holistic review, or the consideration of a broad range of candidate qualities including “noncognitive” or personal attributes, is a growing strategy for widening the evidence base that graduate programs consider when evaluating a candidate for admission. Holistic review is widely viewed as a potential strategy for improving the diversity of higher education. Additionally, there is a growing body of evidence that holistic admissions processes are associated with improved student outcomes. However, much of this evidence comes from outside the context of graduate education. One of the primary barriers to the implementation of the holistic application review is limited faculty and staff time. According to a Council of Graduate Schools survey, over 58 percent of faculty and staff who responded reported using quantitative measures within the graduate admissions process solely because they do not have the time to consider applications holistically.

Spotlight: Vanderbilt University’s Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) The Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) at Vanderbilt University was created to increase the number of underrepresented minority-student PhD degrees awarded in biomedical research. The IMSD began in 2000 through joint funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and university general funds. The administration of the IMSD program differs from traditional graduate programs in several ways:



holistic evaluation of applicants, with emphasis on research experience one- or two-year program with extensive academic support and mentoring to develop student skills and

self-confidence summer lab exposure prior to beginning coursework opportunities in translational medicine development of student leadership skills

The Vanderbilt IMSD program currently serves approximately 50 students in all phases of their graduate training, with an extremely low attrition rate of less than 5 percent. For more information about Vanderbilt’s IMSD, visit: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/imsd/.

Yield Historically, both practitioners and scholars have focused almost exclusively on the graduate application and admissions process. Few scholars have addressed issues concerning yield or the factors that encourage matriculation into specific academic programs once students are accepted. Recently, scholars have identified that graduate students’ age and increased likelihood of having a spouse may influence how graduate students choose an institution. These are in addition to the yield forces that impact undergraduates: financial aid, net cost of attendance, and institution/program reputation. However, demographics are not always destiny, and research has shown that there are certain actions that universities can take to enhance yield. For instance, while much has been done in the undergraduate arena around engaging admitted students throughout the decision and matriculation process, relatively little has been done in the graduate space. It is not uncommon to hear from some graduate students that they did not hear from the university they were admitted to until the week before fall enrollment. The same anecdotes (though some may be apocryphal) have been told on the institutional side about graduate students who are admitted in the spring and arrive on campus in the fall with no communication having been passed between the two parties in the meantime. Communicating with admitted and matriculating graduate students after admission decisions have been posted is an effective means of engaging them throughout their decision process and reminding them of the reasons they applied to the University of Kentucky in the first place. It must be noted, however, that effective yield communication must be significantly different than admissions materials that students would have received previously in order to be effective. Yield materials should emphasize the graduate student’s experience at the University of Kentucky so that admitted students have a better appreciation for the reality they can expect throughout their graduate education. At the same time, yield efforts should employ graduate faculty and administrative staff to communicate with admitted graduate students and answer tier questions about courses, research opportunities, and life in Lexington. Furthermore, discussing opportunities for conducting research is an effective way to intellectually engage admitted students and encourage them to begin thinking about their academic futures at the University of Kentucky.

https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/imsd/



Spotlight: University of Georgia’s Future Scholars Visitation Program The Graduate School’s approach to student recruitment is generally data‐driven. Each fall, the school administers a two‐question survey to all incoming students, which intends to capture influential information sources during the application process and important factors in students’ decision to ultimately attend UGA. To support the recruitment of underrepresented students, UGA hosts the Future Scholars Visitation Program (FSVP) in the fall of each year. The FSVP invites high‐achieving, underrepresented students to campus for three days to meet with administrators, faculty, and current graduate students. The FSVP also features various workshops about the admissions process, research, and funding opportunities. Participating students receive partial travel expenses, free lodging, meals, and an application fee waiver. UGA also has a recruitment resource specifically tailored to increase minority STEM doctoral student enrollment. In an effort to assist academic departments in their ability to yield the most academically qualified applicants, the Dean of the Graduate School provides a Fund for Student Recruitment. This fund allows departments to provide travel and lodging arrangements for accepted students. Information about UGA’s Future Scholars Visitation Program can be found at http://grad.uga.edu/index.php/diversity/future-students/future-scholars-visitation-program/.

Spotlight: University of Oklahoma’s Graduate Student Life Team The graduate student recruitment organizational structure at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is largely decentralized. The Graduate College is composed of 17 staff members who primarily focus on current students, acting as academic counselors, financial coordinators, and managerial associates. The Office of Graduate Admissions is a separate office with shared reporting functions. Academic units play a large role in program-based recruitment of students. Given the decentralized nature of recruitment at OU, the Graduate School plays a significant role in supporting graduate student life. The Graduate Student Life Team is comprised of six staff members who “connect, equip, and encourage graduate students at the University of Oklahoma.” This team of professionals works out of the Graduate Student Life Center, which contains recreational space, reclining chairs and couches, a large television, and other technologies. The Student Life Center also includes several study areas and a large conference room, as well as a portable multimedia center. The Graduate School sponsors a series of events such as Graduate Student Welcome and Appreciation Weeks as well as other student-driven events. OU also has selected a group of graduate students to act as Graduate College Student Ambassadors. On a day‐to‐day basis, Ambassadors lead tours for prospective graduate students, which can include their desired academic departments. More information on the University of Oklahoma’s Graduate Student Life Team can be found here: http://www.ou.edu/content/gradweb/gsl/team.html.

Section 5: Innovations in Advising and Mentoring

The idea of mentorship is not new. Early within higher education’s history the professor-student mentor relationship resembled an extreme apprenticeship model. However, changes to landscape of twentieth-

http://grad.uga.edu/index.php/diversity/future-students/future-scholars-visitation-program/

http://www.ou.edu/content/gradweb/gsl/team.html



century graduate education has rendered the apprenticeship mentorship model obsolete. The differences in graduate student composition, the blurred boundaries between disciplines, and advances in both the resources and methods available for study and research fuel these necessary changes. According to the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School’s How to Mentor Graduate Students,

effective mentoring should include teaching research methods, providing regular feedback that

recognizes contributions and insights and offers constructive criticism, teaching the “ways” of the

academic research and teaching enterprise, and promoting students’ careers by providing appropriate

opportunities. Additionally, good graduate school mentors should be careful listeners, actively promote

and appreciate diversity, possess and consistently exemplify high ethical standards, recognize the

contributions of students in publications and intellectual property, and have a strong record of research

accomplishments.

Scholars have become increasingly interested in the role of mentorship as an important predictor of student success. The growth of academic literature on the topic is a testament to its importance and increased interested. The findings of several papers have shown that there are benefits to effective mentoring for not only students, but also for mentors and the broader academic discipline, as effective mentoring leads to productive research efforts and improves the reputation of graduate education.

Spotlight: Graduate Mentoring Institute at the University of Virginia At its core, the Graduate Mentoring Institute (GMI) at the University of Virginia is an interdisciplinary, inter-ethnic mentoring program. Through the GMI, first-year graduate and professional students develop significant relationships with UVA faculty members, centered on the integration of diversity into scholarship and community engagement. Mentors and mentees engage in social and professional development activities throughout the academic year to develop a community of scholars and a professional network. The University of Virginia states that the goals of the GMI are to: Facilitate a positive social and academic transition into graduate studies for students who are

traditionally underrepresented in their respective disciplines at the University of Virginia Contribute to setting a foundation for their success throughout graduate studies Create communities of mutual learning and respect within and between diverse and interdisciplinary

cohorts Promote innovation and improved quality of life for all by increasing the successful matriculation,

advancement, and graduation of scholars and professionals from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in advanced studies

The GMI is housed within the UVA’s Diversity Programs and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs. More information about this program can be found at https://graddiversity.virginia.edu/mentoring-institute.

https://graddiversity.virginia.edu/mentoring-institute



Spotlight: University of California, Berkeley’s SMART Program Administered by the Graduate Division at UC Berkeley, Student Mentoring and Research Teams (SMART) is a program that enables doctoral students to create mentored research opportunities for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley. The program provides summer funding for both graduate and undergraduate participants and opportunities to share research results on campus and at national conferences. This program is designed to broaden the professional development of doctoral students and to foster research skills and paths to advanced studies for undergraduates. Graduate mentors, working under the guidance of a faculty adviser, will each receive a stipend ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Each undergraduate mentee will receive a stipend in the amount of $3,500 for approximately 200 hours of work. In addition, graduate students receive training in mentoring through a spring seminar, Mentoring in Higher Education (GSPDP 301), offered by the Graduate Division. For more information about UC Berkeley’s SMART Program, visit http://smart.berkeley.edu.

Section 6: Linking Graduate Education to Job-Related Skills

Competency-Based Education Competency-based education (CBE), broadly defined as a form of higher education in which credit is provided on the basis of student learning rather than credit or clock hours, has begun to catch the attention of federal and state policymakers, foundations, and colleges. Among the model’s promising features are its potential to lower college costs and serve adult students in need of support. Competency-based education has the potential to streamline the path to a college degree for a significant number of students, including both working adults who can apply their skills and experiences to earn credit for what they already know and students who prefer self-paced learning over the traditional time-based model of earning credits. Currently, 34 colleges have CBE programs (approximately 40 percent are graduate-based programs), with at least 18 more colleges working to develop programs. Nearly all of these colleges are less-selective institutions located across the country. Data from colleges that are primarily or entirely competency-based show that the students who enroll in these institutions tend to be older than traditional undergraduate students and the racial and ethnic diversity is broadly similar to national averages. While it is not the opinion of these authors that competency-based education is necessarily appropriate for a rigorous research-driven university such as the University of Kentucky, it is worth discussing in the context of meeting the needs of particular student segments in Kentucky. For instance, some traditionally rigorous and well-respected universities have begun CBE programs for military-affiliated students to grant credit for military service activities that directly correspond with academic outcomes. Programmatic examples include disciplines such as Management Information Science, Computer Systems Engineering, and Supply Chain Management.

http://smart.berkeley.edu/



Given the challenges and inconsistencies of a military service member’s schedule, CBE programs that grant credits for knowledge areas in which military students are already proficient is an effective way to ensure that these students persist to degree completion while also meeting a community need. This particular example was chosen considering the sizable military populations located at Forts Campbell and Knox as well as the Blue Grass Army Depot Base located in close proximity to Lexington.

Spotlight: Emerging CBE Graduate Program Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University’s College for America are two high-profile examples of competency-based education schools. Students enrolled in these formal programs work closely with those in support roles (e.g., academic coaches, coordinators, advisors, mentors) to build and establish their knowledge and skills. Courses are designed with specific learning outcomes or goals, and students are assessed through a combination of tests, projects, presentations, and other activities, but without the traditional structure of lectures and class time.

Embedded Internships and Practicums Work-based learning experience benefits students as they explore career options and make decisions about their future goals. Adding this component to online programs increases logistical challenges but, with careful coordination, can add value to the learning environment. Internships, practicum courses, service learning, and co-op experiences are part of many online degree curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These are usually credit-bearing and may require a final report from students as well as documented supervision from faculty or worksite coordinators. This approach adds a hands-on, in-the-workplace component to what may otherwise be a completely online degree. Online class assignments can bring this component to existing courses through student interview assignments, self-guided field trips, and job-shadowing opportunities. At residential colleges and universities, work-based learning opportunities are typically structured as summer semester courses or opportunities.

Spotlight: University of Michigan’s Mellon Public Humanities Fellowship Program The express goal of the University of Michigan’s Mellon Public Humanities Fellowship Program is to

provide students with career exploration opportunities designed to increase career clarity and

significantly expand students’ skill sets. Set within the Mellon Public Humanities programs at the

University of Michigan, these Mellon Fellowships provide humanities doctoral students with summer

stipends (ranging between $3,360 and $4,500) to support a career-based immersion activity. Summer

fellowship sites include museums and archives, computing and the humanities, university development,

and non-profit foundations.

Examples of Fellowship Sites and Projects: Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Arab American National Museum Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Digital Library Federation (DLF) at the Council on Library & Information Resources (CLIR) Michigan Humanities Council



Michigan Publishing: Digital Publishing Product Development Michigan Publishing: Editorial & Marketing Analysis Michigan State University MATRIX Center for Digital Humanities & Social Sciences National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Office of Challenge Grants University of Michigan Detroit Center University of Michigan Library University of Michigan Museum of Art: Academic Outreach and Teaching University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School Development and Alumni Relations

More information about the Mellon Public Humanities Fellowship Program can be found at

http://www.rackham.umich.edu/publichumanities/fellowships/.

The University of Michigan also offers Mellon Immersive Experiences. These experiences offer

humanities doctoral students one to several days to learn more about the workplaces, projects,

research, and other opportunities involved in a specific career context. Students may identify an

immersive site of their own choosing, or they may select from a list of organizations willing to host

immersive experiences. This is particularly useful for doctoral students considering careers outside of

academia.

Employer-Based Curriculum The employability of recent graduates has become an increasingly important accountability measure for

institutions of higher education. A recent survey conducted by the Association of American Colleges and

Universities (AACU) asked groups of employers and college students a series of similar questions about

career preparation. The findings for this survey articulated a disconnect between employer and student

perceptions. Specifically, the survey results found that employers are concerned about new graduates

having a range of skills in areas like communication and teamwork. Students consistently rank

themselves as prepared in areas where employers did not.

Much of the empirical research on and practical connections between not-for-profit university curricula

and employer-based desires is located within the United Kingdom. The vast majority of US-based

systematic employer influence is found within the struggling for-profit higher education industry.

However, within the US, employers have begun to influence the curriculum for graduate professional

programs. This is particularly prominent in the areas of the business and law. For example, while the

growth in MBA and JD degree completions has slowed, demand for specialized counterpart degrees has

expanded. From 2009 to 2013, US enrollments in specialized non-JD degrees at law schools grew by 21

percent while enrollments in traditional JD programs fell by almost 3 percent. A similar trend has

occurred in the market for master’s degrees in specialty business areas, but demand for MBAs has

remained steady in recent years. These specialized degrees have grown out of the employer-based

recommendations for targeted skill development prior to graduate or post-graduation training

opportunities.

http://www.rackham.umich.edu/publichumanities/fellowships/



In addition to employer-based curriculum, postsecondary institutions have begun to link corporate

training and degree programming. One of the most effective ways to use corporate training to drive

enrollment in credit-bearing courses is to map the training to degree programs. Using corporate training

as a pipeline to credit-bearing courses requires some forethought. Best practices in developing

corporate training begins by looking for current degree programs that share skillset commonalities with

specific occupations or job functions and then embedding current courses into specified corporate

training models. Some employers have argued that there is a declining emphasis being placed on

degrees and an increasing emphasis on the employee’s ability to pivot, adjust, and quickly learn new

skills. Using the corporate training programs may provide opportunities to not only engage with the

local workforce, but to also indirectly promote the university’s degree programs.

Section 7: Alumni Engagement and Tracking

Postsecondary institutions often wish to track alumni career outcomes to gauge the success of past

placement efforts and to improve current placement initiatives. Without a systematic database of

degree completion, employment, and labor market outcomes, institutions turn to surveys, third parties,

and social media data mining. One difficulty remains, however, with most of the data that institutions

collect: it is self‐reported. Self‐reported data is often non‐verifiable and can be incomplete or inaccurate.

Notably, surveys and social network data mining both rely on self‐reported data. Institutions have few

alternative options if they want to find non‐self‐reported data on their alumni. In spite of shortcomings,

self-reported data from alumni remain one of the best means of communicating positive outcomes to

prospective students and should be collected as extensively as possible in order to share a

comprehensive review of outcomes and build a more robust alumni network.

Alumni Surveys: Surveys remain the most common method of alumni tracking. Institutions often

administer surveys to graduating students at the end of their last academic year and in the first few

months or years after they graduate. Among other things, such surveys track the percentage of students

who have found employment as well as the kind and quality of employment. Surveys are administered

most commonly through email but also over the telephone and on paper. Some institutions use a

combination of the three methods to produce a higher response rate.

Private Social Network: Institutions and alumni associates create private social networks where alumni

can connect, network, and report on their career progress. These networks have varying degrees of

success, however, and often compete with mainstream social networks for alumni attention. For

example, Texas A&M and Elon University both created university-wide private social networks that

mirrored a Facebook platform. Each site created opportunities for alumni and current students to

connect, post and review resumes, and access institutional news. Texas A&M’s site (AggieNetwork)

remains active, while Elon’s site was deactivated within three years.

While institution-wide private social networks have had mixed results, school-based networks have

experienced higher levels of engagement. Stanford Law School had great success with its private social



network, SLS Connect. The network differentiated itself from other sites by hosting valuable content for

both students and alumni, including legal wikis on which alumni can collaborate. These wikis included

overviews of different practices and skill sets.

Section 8: Leadership and Graduate Education

The development of leaders has long been at the core of graduate education. Despite being central to

graduate education curriculum, the impact of the leadership skills within graduate education is a vastly

under-researched area. Despite the lack of the empirical work on the role of leadership, practitioners

have begun to embed leadership—and more broadly 21st century “soft” skills—into graduate-level

curricula. At the doctoral level, a key question that graduate education practitioners have begun to ask

is, to what extent can a dissertation experience contribute to the development of leadership skills in

graduate students? Given that many graduates of master’s or doctoral programs will enter into positions

where they supervise and lead staff members early in their career (quite possibly right after graduation),

the attainment of leadership skills is particularly important for graduate students. This is consistent with

labor market data (presented later in this report) that shows that several key management qualities are

among the most highly-demanded skills for professionals with either a master’s or PhD degree. For

instance, skills such as project management, budgeting, relationship-building, team-building, and others

demonstrate that leadership qualities are an essential component of likely professional outcomes for

graduate students.

Spotlight: Institutions in North Carolina The two public research universities within the state of North Carolina have both purposefully integrated components within their graduate programs. The Graduate Leadership Development Series (GLDS) at North Carolina State University works with graduate students to help them develop a range of leadership skills, including communication, self-awareness, professional adaptability, interdisciplinary teamwork, and critical thinking. Participation in team projects and presentations, reaction, and peer feedback enable students to demonstrate a “readiness for increasing responsibility and promotion” as soon as they enter the workplace. At the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC), the Graduate School has created the Leadership Development Scholars Program to support student-designed specific projects that will contribute to the professional development of their peers. Supported projects include student-facilitated or organized workshops on a specific transferable skill, development of online resources, student-organized panel discussions on an area of leadership, peer-support mechanisms focused on teaching development, etc. More information about the NC State program is available at https://www.ncsu.edu/grad/preparing-future-leaders/career-skills/glds.html. For more information on the UNC Leadership Development Scholars program, visit http://gradprofdev.web.unc.edu/leadership-development-scholars-program.

https://www.ncsu.edu/grad/preparing-future-leaders/career-skills/glds.html

https://www.ncsu.edu/grad/preparing-future-leaders/career-skills/glds.html

http://gradprofdev.web.unc.edu/leadership-development-scholars-program



Spotlight: Colman Leadership Program at Cornell University Cornell University hosts two leadership certificate programs within the university’s professional development program. The Colman Leadership Program for PhD students in engineering and other related STEM fields was established in 2012 and annually includes up to 30 PhD students from all graduate fields. The intensive four-day program provides students with practical skills and knowledge that will support their development as leaders in graduate school and beyond. The program includes readings and discussions, interactive group activities, case studies, student presentations, and professionally conducted workshops. The skills covered include negotiation and conflict resolution, teamwork and inclusive collaboration, self-awareness, interpersonal and group dynamics, and appreciating diversity in all contexts. Cornell also offers a 10-module Postdoc Leadership Program. For more information about Cornell’s Colman leadership programs, see http://gradschool.cornell.edu/inclusion/inclusion-initiatives/colman-leadership-program.

Section 9: Global Perspectives in Graduate Education

The integration of international components within graduate education has been the topic of

conversation, and debate, within many graduate school communities. A recent survey of graduate deans

found that 29 percent of responding US universities had graduate-level collaborative programs with

international institutions of higher education and 56 percent of the largest 100 universities had at least

one collaborative international program. The expansion of international experiences within graduate

education programs has been aided tremendously by the growth of online education, distance-learning,

and communication. Scholars have begun to have discussions of benefits, challenges, and best practices

for international engagements involving graduate education.

A recent report by the Council for Graduate Schools identifies many educational benefits to graduate

students for involvement in international programs, such as enhanced research skills; expanded

research networks; access to specialized equipment and expertise; exposure to different academic,

pedagogical, and scientific styles; and improved career prospects. Such experiences can train students to

become “globally-cognizant” scholars who are defined as those who have an appreciation of their

discipline in a broader cultural and socio-economic context; build a meaningful understanding of

different regions of the world; and construct deep local relationships that constitute a basis for lifelong

interactions with other institutions, countries, and cultures. In addition, the added value of immersion in

another culture often significantly benefits the personal development of the student, in particular self-

confidence, leadership, working in multinational teams, and communication.

Spotlight: Graduate Certificates at the University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) has recently established an interdisciplinary global prospective certificate program available to all graduate programs. The Global & International Studies (GIST) certificate is a 12-unit/4-course certificate designed for KU graduate students from other disciplines and working professionals in the Kansas City area. The graduate-level certificate coursework is offered primarily at

http://gradschool.cornell.edu/inclusion/inclusion-initiatives/colman-leadership-program



the Edwards Campus in Overland Park and allows students to gain expertise in globalization and international issues in approximately one year (or less) of study. The certificate requires the completion of one core course, an elective in a regional area, an elective in a topical area of focus, and one general internationally focused elective. Students will work with the graduate advisor and graduate director to choose appropriate electives. The GIST Certification programs offer region focuses in: Africa East Asia Latin America Middle East Russia and Eastern Europe Western Europe

For more information about GIST, please visit http://global.ku.edu/graduate-certificate

Spotlight: Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy As part of the Northwestern University’s efforts to endow its graduate students with a more global perspective, the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) operates an Office of Global Initiatives that serves all students and faculty by facilitating global connections. Recognizing that global ties can spark innovation, increase understanding of critical issues, and magnify the school's effectiveness through extended collaboration, Northwestern has sought to establish relationships between scholars at the university’s campus in the Chicago area and scholars abroad. Financial awards and stipends are distributed through the Office of Global Initiatives to support international conference presentations by faculty and students and encourage other forms of international collaboration. Recently, the School of Education and Social Policy’s two master's programs in Learning and Organizational Change and Higher Education Administration and Policy developed new globally focused courses to prepare their graduates as 21st-century leaders. Northwestern promotes that graduates of these programs are making an outstanding impact on the world as more and more alumni take on global roles. For more information, visit https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/news-center/news/2015/08/graduate-programs-global-initiatives-msloc-mshe.html.

http://global.ku.edu/graduate-certificate

https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/news-center/news/2015/08/graduate-programs-global-initiatives-msloc-mshe.html

https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/news-center/news/2015/08/graduate-programs-global-initiatives-msloc-mshe.html



Marketplace Characteristics and Trends

Executive Summary

In many respects, the findings presented in this report are consistent with the trends and innovations

discussed previously and support the need to adapt graduate education in order to meet the needs of

an evolving workforce.

Importantly, the results of this research do not represent a laundry list of change items. Rather, it is the

intent of this report to identify the specific ways in which graduate education may be oriented and

delivered in order to more closely align graduates’ outcomes with labor market demand and to prepare

graduates of the University of Kentucky Graduate School for professional success.

Specifically, the first section of this report compares degree conferment trends between UK and peer

institutions. The findings show that doctoral degrees constitute an uncommonly high percentage of

graduate degrees awarded relative to other public universities. This indicates that there may be

opportunities for growth in master’s degree offerings that will be explored in further depth in qualitative

interviews with faculty and administrators as well as a secondary review of new program opportunities.

Additionally, the findings of this analysis also revealed that professional doctoral degrees comprise a

slightly disproportionate share of all graduate degrees at the University of Kentucky relative to peer

institutions. Considering that the Kentucky labor market for doctoral degree holders is concentrated in

medicine, business, and law to a greater extent than in the US as a whole, we conclude that this is the

correct approach and that the current balance of professional and academic doctoral degree programs

is appropriate for Kentucky’s labor market needs.

The second section of this report identifies the specific ways in which the Kentucky labor market for

professionals with a graduate degree is distinct from the national market. These findings show that

medical and financial services constitute a high share of the labor market for graduate degree holders

relative to the corresponding shares at the national level. This means that graduate programs in related

fields at the University of Kentucky ought to be oriented in such a way that graduates are prepared to

enter these industries that exhibit high demand.

Additionally, the skills expected of professionals with a graduate degree in Kentucky emphasize

managerial skills to a larger extent than the national market. This finding suggests that it is particularly

important for both master’s and PhD programs to endow their students with critical leadership and

management skills through course activities and co-curricular opportunities.

The third section of this report profiles the dynamics of the labor market that are specific to outcomes

for those who earn a master’s degree and those who earn a PhD degree, respectively. As expected,

master’s degree holders are more likely to need sound leadership and managerial qualities while PhD

holders are expected to be proficient in research and teaching. Surprisingly, however, professionals with

PhD’s are also expected to be effective managers, which further emphasizes the need for graduate

degree programs to provide leadership training and leadership opportunities to all graduate students

across disciplines and degree levels.



One of the most significant findings of this analysis is the breadth of possible outcomes for graduates of

PhD programs. While academia constitutes approximately one-third of the job market for professionals

holding a PhD (and represents the largest/most likely industry), nearly two-thirds of all job postings for

professionals with a PhD were found in industries outside of education. Indeed, the list of top employers

posting job openings for PhD holders is replete with national (and multinational) corporations, which

affirms the previous discussion in this report regarding the wide range of professional opportunities

available to PhD students.

While professional fields are not necessarily a likely outcome for graduates of all disciplines offered

through the University of Kentucky Graduate School, it is important to share with PhD students the

breadth of opportunities afforded to them beyond academia. Doing so would require not only process

changes at the university, but also cultural social changes, as many professors, administrators, and

students affiliated with PhD programs hold the traditional expectation that doctoral programs are

intended to prepare future researchers and academicians. While this is still largely true and represents a

hoped-for outcome among many PhD students, those who pursue a professional/practical application

for their degree should not be denigrated as having betrayed research and teaching. Rather, as the

application of a PhD to professional fields increases, so too must the professional guidance and

mentorship offered by the university be expanded to accommodate such interests and professional

pursuits. Doing so will ensure that PhD students proceed with their studies in a way that leads to their

desired outcomes and that the university will be recognized as offering its graduate students the

academic and professional guidance necessary to lead its students to success (however it may be

defined).

Collectively, the findings of this report imply several tactics and approaches to graduate education that

may be appropriate for the University of Kentucky Graduate School in orienting graduate degree

programs in ways that align degree outcomes with labor market demands.

Introduction

As was discussed previously, it is critical for all institutions of higher education to maintain an accurate

understanding of the labor market needs in the surrounding community. As such, it was determined

that a detailed labor market data review for the state of Kentucky would be valuable for the University

of Kentucky Graduate School insofar as it informs the areas of greatest professional need and the

distinct employment factors that distinguish Kentucky from the US as a whole.

This analysis was conducted using Labor Insight, hosted by Burning Glass Technologies. Labor Insight

uses a web crawling tool that combs through over 40,000 job postings daily from dozens of online

sources to collect labor market needs and data regarding factors such as education and experience,

salary, specialized skills, and many more. Stamats has used Labor Insight with considerable success in

gathering a comprehensive understanding of labor market needs within a university’s primary service

area as well as the specific skills and qualifications required that can better inform the ways an

institution approaches its curriculum and the co-curricular opportunities it affords to its students. In

many respects, our understanding of innovations in graduate education is driven by demands of the

incoming market, the students. This analysis, however, provides valuable information on the ways in



which the UK Graduate School can more accurately meet the needs of the market that students enter

after UK, the labor market.

There are several approaches to better understanding the labor market dynamics of Kentucky and their

implications for the UK Graduate School. In this analysis we have adopted three approaches:

1. Comparing labor market data between Kentucky and the US: This analysis provides insight into

which industries, occupations, skills, etc., are distinctly required by the Kentucky market for

professionals with a graduate degree relative to the country as a whole. We can infer from these

findings the focuses, skills, and industries that graduates of the UK Graduate School should be

considering and prepared for as they enter the job market.

2. Comparing labor market data between positions requiring a master’s degree and those

requiring a PhD: This analysis provides insight into the labor market characteristics for UK’s

master’s programs and PhD programs, separately. The various differences in occupations, skills,

locations, etc., should inform how UK’s graduate programs are oriented for master’s and

doctoral programs, respectively, in order to effectively prepare graduates to meet the needs of

the labor market.

3. Compiling labor market data for segments, or groupings, of UK Graduate School offerings: This

analysis provides insight into which industries, occupations, employers, and regions are the

most likely outcomes for alumni of graduate degree programs in each of the 15 categories into

which graduate programs were sorted. (This analysis to be provided separately in accompanying

spreadsheets for ease of use and review)

Context Setting

Prior to an analysis of labor market demand, however, it is useful to consider the UK Graduate School’s

degree proportionality between master’s and PhD programs in the context of how it compares with

other public universities and public flagship universities. Recognizing that labor market demand is

significantly larger for professionals with a master’s degree than for professionals with a PhD (as will be

shown in this analysis), it is valuable to assess degree conferment data to determine how the University

of Kentucky compares to peer institutions in terms of producing graduates with master’s and PhD

degrees.

To do so, degree conferment data were compiled for all public universities in the US for the most recent

five-year period for which data are available (2011–2015). Data were compiled for the total number of

master’s and doctoral degrees awarded in each year (data for doctoral degrees were parsed into

academic and professional degrees).

The following tables show the proportion of total graduate degrees comprised of master’s and doctoral

degrees, respectively, for all public universities, public flagship universities, and the University of

Kentucky.

Master’s Degrees:



2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 5-Year Avg.

All Public Universities (Weighted Avg.)

78.4% 78.3% 77.8% 77.5% 77.5% 77.9%

All Flagship Universities (Weighted Avg.)

69.4% 69.7% 69.0% 68.9% 69.0% 69.2%

University of Kentucky 62.5% 58.1% 60.1% 59.2% 60.9% 60.2%

Difference (UK minus All Publics)

-15.8% -20.2% -17.8% -18.3% -16.6% -17.7%

Difference (UK minus Flagships)

-6.9% -11.6% -8.9% -9.6% -8.1% -9.0%

The degree conferment data show that, on average, approximately 78 percent of all graduate degrees

awarded by public universities in the US are master’s degrees. Among flagship universities, this

proportion is lower at approximately 69 percent. At the University of Kentucky, however, master’s

degrees account for an even lower share of total graduate degrees at approximately 60 percent. This

indicates that, relative to peer institutions, the University of Kentucky has a lower ratio between

master’s degrees and doctoral degrees. In fact, the University of Kentucky has the fourth-lowest ratio

among all flagship universities (following only the University of Montana, University of Iowa, and

University of Wisconsin–Madison).

Doctoral Degrees (All):

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 5-Year Avg.


21.6% 21.7% 22.2% 22.5% 22.5% 22.1%


30.6% 30.3% 31.0% 31.1% 31.0% 30.8%



15.8% 20.2% 17.8% 18.3% 16.6% 17.7%


6.9% 11.6% 8.9% 9.6% 8.1% 9.0%

Recognizing that master’s degrees comprise a comparatively low proportion of all graduate degrees at

the University of Kentucky (relative to other public universities), the reverse is true of the proportion of

doctoral degrees. As the table above shows, it is typical among all public universities for doctoral

degrees (both academic and professional) to account for approximately 22 percent of all graduate

degrees. Among flagship universities, this proportion is higher at 31 percent, which is to be expected

considering the number of medical schools associated with flagship universities and the variety of PhD



programs offered. At the University of Kentucky, approximately 40 percent of all graduate degrees

awarded by the university are doctoral degrees.

PhD Degrees:

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 5-Year Avg.


10.1% 10.2% 10.5% 10.7% 10.9% 10.5%


15.5% 15.4% 16.1% 15.9% 16.2% 15.8%



2.4% 5.0% 3.6% 4.7% 3.4% 3.8%


-3.0% -0.2% -2.0% -0.6% -1.9% -1.5%

The data in the table above show that while PhDs comprise a larger share of the University of Kentucky’s

graduate degrees than the average for all public universities, this proportion actually falls slightly below

the average for all flagship universities. Approximately 14.3 percent of all graduate degrees awarded by

the University of Kentucky are PhDs. This falls just slightly below the weighted average for all flagship

universities (15.8 percent). It should be noted, however, that this disparity has narrowed over time and

that, in certain years, the University of Kentucky nearly matched the flagship university average.

Collectively, these findings show that conferral of master’s degrees at the University of Kentucky is low

in relation to conferral of doctoral degrees when compared to the university’s primary peer group

(flagship universities).

Without a detailed review of specific program offerings (which will be conducted later in this

engagement), it is difficult to determine whether there are programmatic gaps at the University of

Kentucky that, if offered, would have sizable student demand. However, the findings of this degree

conferment analysis suggest that there may be opportunities for additional master’s degree programs at

the University of Kentucky to fulfill unmet need in the local market. As this report shows, there is large

(and growing) demand in Kentucky, and in the US as a whole, for professionals with master’s degrees

and to the extent that the University of Kentucky can align programmatic offerings with labor market

demand, the better the university will be positioned to produce graduates who are in demand and able

to succeed in the professional realm.



Comparison Between Kentucky and US

Trends in Demand To start, it is useful to consider the growth in job postings for professionals with a graduate degree over

time. The table below shows job postings for the US and Kentucky for positions requiring a graduate

degree.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

US 1,031,085 1,386,855 1,402,257 1,602,682 1,738,170 2,312,485 2,228,166

Kentucky 6,042 9,177 11,710 10,983 13,188 16,530 16,904

While the scale of job postings for professionals with graduate degrees is quite low compared to other

states, the market for professionals with a graduate degree is fairly large with nearly 17,000 jobs posted

in 2016 requiring that candidates have at least a master’s degree. Furthermore, the growth of these

types of positions is considerably higher than the national trend. The chart below demonstrates the

above-average growth rate for job postings in Kentucky relative to the US throughout the past several

years.

In fact, among states within the region, Kentucky has experienced the highest rate of growth in job

postings for candidates with graduate degrees since 2010. The table and map below show the

cumulative percentage growth in job postings requiring a graduate degree for the US, Kentucky, and

seven neighboring states.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

US 35% 36% 55% 69% 124% 116%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

160%

180%

200%

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Cumulative Percent Growth in Job Postings for Candidates with Graduate Degrees (2011-2016)

U.S. Kentucky



Kentucky 52% 94% 82% 118% 174% 180%

Tennessee 34% 30% 51% 55% 126% 120%

Ohio 31% 38% 49% 68% 151% 113%

West Virginia 32% 49% 88% 82% 90% 146%

Virginia 27% 33% 44% 36% 102% 119%

Indiana 36% 43% 53% 85% 126% 128%

Illinois 64% 31% 66% 90% 125% 113%

Missouri 63% 63% 65% 79% 112% 113%

These data suggest that the market for professionals with graduate degrees is rapidly expanding in

Kentucky and that there is higher demand for candidates with graduate degrees. These are important

data points to share with the University of Kentucky’s undergraduate students as they consider their

future employment and graduate degree prospects. It is equally valuable to share these trends with

current and prospective graduate students to encourage them to persist to degree completion with the

promise of a growing job market for professionals with graduate degrees.

It is important, however, to contextualize the Kentucky labor market and note that, in spite of growth in

recent years, Kentucky lags the nation in terms of the proportion of job postings that call for a graduate

degree. The chart below shows the proportion of job postings in 2016 for each corresponding minimum

education level. While the proportions for graduate degree holders are quite similar between the US



(6.1 percent) and Kentucky (5.1 percent), the gap has implications for alumni of the UK Graduate School.

It will be important to continue to track statewide job posting trends in the next several years. If current

trends continue, the proportion of jobs requiring a graduate degree in Kentucky may equal the incidence

at the national level quite soon.

Top Industries It is also useful to consider the top industries for professionals with a graduate degree, and how each

industry’s demand for graduate degree holders varies between Kentucky and the US as a whole.

The chart on the following page includes the top 20 industries in Kentucky according to their shares of

all job postings seeking candidates with a graduate degree. The top three industries, which account for

half (49.4 percent) of all jobs requiring a graduate degree in Kentucky, are 1) general medical and

surgical hospitals; 2) colleges, universities, and professional schools; and 3) insurance carriers. The first

and third of these top three industries are likely seeking candidates with professional degrees in the

medical and business fields, respectively, whereas it is expected that colleges, universities, and

professional schools are seeking candidates with academic degrees that fall within the academic

disciplines of the Graduate School.

It is interesting to note those industries that appear to be distinctly concentrated in the Kentucky

market—in other words, those industries that have the greatest positive difference between their

shares of the Kentucky market and their corresponding shares of the national market. The greatest gaps

between Kentucky and the country as a whole exist for the three largest industries in Kentucky noted

above. In contrast, the three industries for which there is a negative difference (meaning that there is a

higher concentration nationally than in Kentucky) are in the following three fields: 1) scientific research

and development services; 2) pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing; and 3) depository credit

intermediation.

36.3%

12.1%

45.6%

6.1%

48.8%

13.9%

32.2%

5.1%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

High school orvocational training

Associate's degree Bachelor's degree Graduate orprofessional degree

Percentage of Jobs Requiring Each Level of Minimum Education (2016)

National Kentucky



The largest industries in Kentucky for professionals with a graduate degree provide direction for those

fields at UK that may receive the greatest demand and for which graduates would most easily find

employment within the state.



11.5%

13.7%

5.8%

3.2%

5.5%

1.3%

1.0%

0.7%

1.5%

1.4%

3.5%

1.7%

1.2%

0.9%

1.4%

2.4%

1.5%

1.9%

3.1%

21.0%

15.9%

12.5%

4.1%

3.7%

2.8%

2.2%

2.0%

1.9%

1.8%

1.3%

1.1%

1.0%

1.0%

1.0%

1.0%

1.0%

0.9%

0.9%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0%

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

Insurance Carriers

Offices of Other Health Practitioners

Software Publishers

National Security and International Affairs

Home Health Care Services

Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)

Administration of Human Resource Programs

Health and Personal Care Stores

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing

Executive, Legislative, and General Gov't. Support

Offices of Physicians

Offices of Dentists

Individual and Family Services

Management, Scientific, and Tech. Consulting Srvcs.

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Scientific Research and Development Services

Top Industries for Graduate Degree Holders in U.S. and KY

U.S.

Kentucky



In addition to assessing the most consequential industries in Kentucky for graduate degree holders, it is

possible to also profile trends in these industry sectors over time to understand which industries have

developed greater demand for professionals with graduate degrees in recent years. The table on the

following page includes each industry sector’s share of the labor market in Kentucky for professionals

with graduate degrees for the years 2010–2016. The final three columns show 1) the difference

between Kentucky and the US in the industry sector’s share of the market; 2) the change in share in

Kentucky between 2010 and 2016; and 3) the difference between Kentucky and the US in terms of each

industry sector’s growth (or decline) in share since 2010.

The data in the table show that the Health Care and Social Assistance sector has grown in share since

2010 and comprises the greatest share of the Kentucky job market for professionals with graduate

degrees. The Finance and Insurance sector has grown by the second-highest rate during this time.

Interestingly, the Educational Services sector declined in share between 2010 and 2016. This trend is

unexpected given the requirement that public school teachers in Kentucky must earn a master’s degree

within their first 10 years of teaching (or equivalent continuing education credits) in order to advance to

Rank II status and receive the corresponding salary increase. It may be that the time and cost required

to earn a master’s degree in education is not justified in the minds of many teachers as they can

continue to increase in salary ranking through continuing education credits rather than a formal degree

program.

Industry Sector 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Difference (KY minus

US) in 2016

Change in KY

(2010-2016)

Difference Between

KY and US in %

Change

Health Care and Social Assistance 28.6% 28.4% 27.1% 28.6% 31.1% 36.6% 38.2% 11.5% 9.6% 3.5%

Educational Services 19.4% 23.1% 25.1% 25.1% 18.9% 13.3% 14.0% 0.5% -5.4% -4.9%

Finance and Insurance 10.9% 9.9% 12.2% 11.8% 13.0% 13.5% 13.4% 2.5% 2.5% 1.5%

Manufacturing 13.4% 8.9% 9.1% 9.6% 8.0% 8.2% 9.5% -3.3% -3.9% -0.5%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Srvcs.

13.3% 11.5% 8.4% 8.8% 9.7% 8.2% 7.1% -6.8% -6.2% -1.8%

Public Administration 3.0% 7.5% 7.8% 5.9% 8.3% 6.3% 5.2% 0.5% 2.2% 0.9%

Information 1.4% 1.5% 1.2% 1.2% 2.3% 4.0% 3.9% -2.8% 2.5% 0.7%

Retail Trade 4.0% 2.9% 2.8% 3.2% 2.9% 3.5% 3.5% -0.2% -0.5% -0.9%

Accommodation and Food Services 0.9% 0.7% 0.9% 1.1% 0.7% 1.3% 1.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1%

Other Services (except Public Admin.) 0.8% 0.7% 1.0% 0.7% 2.0% 1.6% 1.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.4%

Admin., Support and Waste Management Srvcs.

1.9% 1.9% 1.3% 0.8% 0.6% 0.7% 0.6% -0.3% -1.3% 0.5%

Transportation and Warehousing 0.7% 0.9% 1.3% 0.9% 0.9% 0.6% 0.5% -0.5% -0.2% -0.1%

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 0.3% 0.4% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% -0.3% 0.1% 0.1%

Utilities 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.6% 0.3% 0.5% 0.4% -0.2% 0.2% 0.2%

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

0.4% 0.5% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0% -0.1% 0.2%

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.4% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2%

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

0.0% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3%

Wholesale Trade 0.3% 0.5% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% -0.5% -0.1% 0.0%

Construction 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.5% 0.2% -0.3% 0.0% -0.2%

Management of Companies and Enterprises

0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% -0.2% -0.2% -0.2%

Top Occupations Looking more closely within industries to assess occupations, it is clear that many of the top occupations

in Kentucky that call for candidates with graduate degrees are concentrated in the medical services field.

The table below includes the top 20 largest occupations (as measured by share of the total market) in

Kentucky for professionals with a graduate degree as well as each occupation’s share of the total market

in Kentucky and the US as a whole.

The top seven occupations in Kentucky that call for candidates with a graduate degree all exceed their

corresponding shares of the national market by fair margins. Pursuant to the discussion above, it is

worth noting that six of these top seven occupations are in the medical services field.

Interestingly, there is a large negative gap between Kentucky and the US for the eight-largest occupation

in Kentucky that requires a graduate degree, software developer/engineer. This occupation’s share of

the national labor market for professionals with at least a master’s is nearly twice as large as the

occupation’s share of the Kentucky market. This suggests that there may be disproportionately low

demand in Kentucky for professionals with a graduate degree in the software development and

software engineering fields.

4.2%

3.5%

1.7%

1.7%

2.0%

1.5%

1.9%

5.3%

0.6%

1.6%

1.7%

1.4%

0.8%

1.6%

2.2%

1.6%

1.4%

1.6%

1.4%

7.3%

5.0%

4.0%

3.7%

3.1%

2.9%

2.7%

2.7%

2.6%

1.9%

1.8%

1.7%

1.7%

1.6%

1.4%

1.3%

1.3%

1.3%

1.2%

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 7.0% 8.0%

Registered Nurse

College Professor / Instructor

Physical Therapist

Physician

Nurse Practitioner

Pharmacist / Pharmacy Director

Speech Language Pathologist

Software Developer / Engineer

Insurance Sales Agent

Healthcare Administrator

Sales Representative

Family / School / General Social Worker

Nursing Manager / Supervisor

Business / Management Analyst

Marketing Manager

Financial Manager

General Manager

Program Manager

Financial Analyst

Top Occupations for Graduate Degree Holders in KY and U.S.

U.S.

Kentucky



Top Employers Specific to the Kentucky job market, it is valuable to consider the employers who have posted the

highest numbers of available positions for professionals with at least a master’s degree.

The table below includes the companies/organizations that have posted the largest number of positions

requiring graduate degrees. This list of top employers is consistent with previous findings that positions

for professionals with graduate degrees are often found in the medical services field. Additionally,

several finance, insurance, and logistics corporations, as well as some institutions of higher education,

have posted high numbers of jobs that require candidates to possess at least a master’s degree.

Company/Organization

Job Postings (2016) Company/Organization

Job Postings (2016)

KentuckyOne Health 635

Brown Forman 81

Humana 620

Northern Kentucky University 80

University of Kentucky 563

Mercy Health 77

Norton Healthcare 523

Morehead State University 76

Oracle 417

St. Elizabeth Healthcare 75

Aflac 409

Eastern Kentucky University 72

Catholic Health Initiatives 337

The Art Institute Incorporated 72

Anthem Blue Cross 274

Education Management Corporation 71

The Kentucky Community And Technical College System

256 Veteran Health Administration 66

Department of Veterans Affairs 209

Jefferson County Public School 62

University of Louisville 177

Western Kentucky University 60

US Army Medical Corps 129

ITT Educational Services, Inc. 59

LHC Group 123

Gentiva Health 58

Seven Counties Services 113

Murray State University 57

Army Corps of Engineers 108

HealthPRO Management Services Inc.

51

Signature Healthcare 96

Rite Aid Corporation 51

Amazon.com 86

General Electric Company 48

City Of Louisville 85

Heritage Healthcare 48

Key Technology 83

Kroger Company 48

American Express 81

Walmart / Sam's 48



Top Skills In addition to categorizing and calculating the incidence of job postings according to industry,

occupation, employer, etc., one of the distinct applications of the Labor Insight tool is the ability to

comb through the skills requested and specified by employers seeking candidates for positions that

require a graduate degree. These skills can be used by the UK Graduate School to deliver and orient

graduate programs in such a way that alumni are well-positioned to meet the needs of the Kentucky

labor market. Labor Insight catalogs skills in three categories: specialized skills, baseline skills, and

software skills.

The first, specialized skills, is most useful in understanding the specific needs of an occupation, industry,

or position. For our purposes in holistically assessing the labor market, these skills are valuable insofar as

it is useful to consider each skill’s applicability to each graduate program to teach students across

disciplines the skills that are most highly demanded for positions requiring a graduate degree. Teaching

these skills across disciplines (where appropriate) enhances graduates’ transferability between jobs, and

even between industries, and positions alumni to have wide appeal in the labor market.

The second skills category, baseline skills, are generalized traits that inform the more personal qualities

that job candidates should possess in order to be successful. These skills are particularly important for

professionals with a master’s degree, as positions that require a graduate degree are more likely to

include managerial responsibilities and, therefore, require strong interpersonal skills.

Lastly, the third skills category, software skills, include the specific technical needs for positions requiring

a graduate degree. As expected, software skills are highly specific to the position and, therefore, may

not be widely applicable to all, or even most, fields. However, we have included software skills in this

report because they provide a testament to the importance of software and data literacy for

professionals in the knowledge economy today. An understanding of software such as SQL or SAP, which

were once germane only for professionals in database management, are now commonly requested for

business professionals or any candidate pursuing employment in a data-related field. As such, we have

included a brief analysis of software skills to illustrate the most commonly-requested competency areas

for positions in Kentucky requiring a graduate degree.



Specialized Skills

Consistent with expectations, five of the top 20 specialized skills for job postings in Kentucky requiring at

least a master’s degree relate to qualities of management and supervision: budgeting, supervisory skills,

project management, scheduling, and staff management. It is important, therefore, for those graduate

programs at UK that prepare students for management/supervisory positions to incorporate these skills

into the curriculum so that graduates have preparation not only in the softer skills of people

management, but also in the more technical skills of budgeting.

Based on previous findings, it comes as no surprise that medical-related skills such as patient care and

treatment planning are more highly demanded in Kentucky than in the US as a whole. Additionally,

among the non-medical skills that are more highly demanded in Kentucky than at the national level are

personnel management, Six Sigma, cost control, and financial reporting. Collectively, the fact that these

skills are more commonly demanded by positions in Kentucky than in the US as a whole suggests a need

for effective managers who can improve efficiency and limit costs. In contrast, skills in project

management, business development, and software development are more commonly demanded at the

national level than in Kentucky.



18.4%

11.6%

15.0%

6.7%

17.0%

11.3%

9.5%

9.5%

5.2%

5.7%

8.5%

8.8%

6.7%

7.6%

6.2%

5.5%

5.5%

2.6%

3.3%

3.7%

17.3%

15.5%

13.7%

13.2%

12.1%

11.8%

11.0%

9.6%

9.3%

8.9%

7.6%

7.3%

7.1%

6.7%

5.8%

5.5%

5.4%

5.3%

5.1%

5.0%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0% 16.0% 18.0% 20.0%

Budgeting

Supervisory Skills

Microsoft Excel

Patient Care

Project Management

Microsoft Office

Teaching

Scheduling

Customer Contact

Treatment Planning

Staff Management

Microsoft Powerpoint

Accounting

Customer Service

Oracle

Microsoft Word

Sales

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

Therapy

Case Management

Specialized Skills

U.S.

Kentucky



Baseline Skills

In our experience, an understanding of the baseline skills desired by the labor market is most useful in

designing curriculum and co-curricular leaning opportunities. Based on the top baseline skills included in

the chart below, it is clear that jobs for professionals with a graduate degree require the ability to

communicate and work well with others (communication skills, writing, and teamwork/collaboration) as

well as the capability to use information to devise a solution (planning, research, and problem solving).

We can infer from these top skills that graduate programs at the University of Kentucky ought to require

students to work collaboratively with one another to achieve a shared goal. This can be effectively

delivered through coursework that emphasizes group work (as opposed to individual projects) and

problem-solving. To the extent that students are required or compelled to work with a variety of people

(and can effectively communicate that experience to potential employers) they will be more prepared

for the demands of the labor market. This further emphasizes the need to enhance the diversity of

students enrolled in the Graduate School.

The chart below includes the top 20 most commonly specified baseline skills for job postings in Kentucky

that require candidates to possess a graduate degree.



41.3%

29.8%

23.3%

23.5%

24.6%

17.9%

12.8%

8.1%

10.9%

9.0%

10.7%

7.1%

8.9%

4.6%

6.7%

6.1%

4.9%

6.8%

5.6%

5.3%

36.0%

24.5%

20.9%

20.3%

18.7%

15.7%

12.1%

10.5%

9.8%

9.0%

7.8%

7.7%

7.0%

7.0%

6.4%

6.0%

5.8%

5.2%

4.5%

4.3%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%

Communication Skills

Writing

Planning

Team Work/ Collaboration

Research

Problem Solving

Organizational Skills

Computer Skills

Building Effective Relationships

Detail-Oriented

Creativity

Quality Assurance and Control

Presentation Skills

Physical Demand

English

Mentoring

Time Management

Leadership

Analytical Skills

Multi-Tasking

Baseline Skills

U.S.

Kentucky



Software Skills

As was stated previously, an assessment of the most sought after software skills for professionals with a

graduate degree may not be applicable for all fields but is nevertheless useful in understanding the

technical competencies that alumni of the UK Graduate School ought to possess to be marketable in

Kentucky. To that end, it comes as little surprise that the most highly demanded software skill in the

Kentucky job market is Microsoft Excel. Given the increasing importance of collecting, analyzing, and

using data in all sectors of the labor market, it is logical that those who are expected to make informed

decisions (i.e., those in higher positions who are more likely to possess a graduate degree) would need

to be familiar with data management tools such as Excel.

The presence of Oracle, SQL, SAP, and SAS in the top 20 software skills further emphasizes this point and

demonstrates that the ability to manage and effectively use data is a critical skill in the labor market for

professionals with a graduate degree.



15.0%

11.3%

8.8%

6.2%

5.5%

5.8%

3.4%

2.3%

5.0%

2.0%

3.5%

3.3%

1.4%

2.5%

2.3%

3.9%

1.2%

1.5%

1.6%

1.0%

13.7%

11.8%

7.3%

5.8%

5.5%

4.1%

3.0%

2.5%

2.3%

2.0%

1.9%

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

1.4%

1.4%

1.2%

1.1%

1.1%

1.1%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0% 16.0%

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office


Oracle

Microsoft Word

SQL

SAP

Microsoft Access

JAVA

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

LINUX

C++

Word Processing

JavaScript

SAS

Python

Peoplesoft

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Visio

Microsoft Outlook

Software Skills

U.S.

Kentucky



Comparison Between Master’s and PhD

In order to make these findings as useful and applicable as possible, we extend this analysis to consider

the specific labor market dynamics for the master’s and doctoral job markets, respectively. This section

of the report, therefore, addresses job posting trends, occupations, industries, skills, etc., specific to the

two degree levels offered by the UK Graduate School.

In doing so, we have narrowed the geographic focus of the master’s degree job market analysis to the

state of Kentucky, as the university’s home state is the most likely destination for graduates of a

master’s degree program. The doctoral analysis was conducted at the national level as graduates of PhD

programs are often highly mobile and likely to pursue employment where opportunities arise

throughout the country.

To start, we consider the number and trend of job postings for each degree level and their trends over

time. Please note that while this analysis will almost always review data on a proportion basis, we use

absolute numbers here to show scale over time. Recall, however, that the following sub-sections will

focus on the master’s degree job market in Kentucky while the PhD job market analysis will be national.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Master's – U.S. 437,776 611,969 634,030 758,291 880,875 1,146,471 1,040,361

Master's – KY 2,743 4,813 6,090 5,686 7,618 8,765 8,288

PhD – US 143,754 184,198 220,089 211,263 217,323 262,793 270,116

PhD – KY 660 1,197 1,691 1,131 1,182 1,259 1,470

Among all four segments of the labor market, growth has been highest for positions requiring a master’s

degree in Kentucky. Furthermore, there has also been slightly higher growth for jobs requiring a PhD in

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Cumulative Percent Change in Job Postings (2010-2016)

Master's - U.S. Master's - KY Ph.D. - US Ph.D. - KY



Kentucky than at the national level. Nationally, there has been higher growth in job postings for

positions requiring a master’s degree than for those calling for candidates to possess a PhD. At the same

time, the number of jobs requiring a master’s degree nearly quadruples the number of jobs requiring a

PhD. These findings are expected given what we know of the national labor market and the applicability

of master’s versus doctoral degrees. Nevertheless, it is important to note that demand for professionals

with a master’s degree is not only larger in scale, but is also growing more rapidly.

Top Industries Consistent with the previous analysis of the Kentucky labor market for candidates with any graduate

degree, the job market for professionals with a master’s degree in Kentucky is fairly concentrated in the

health services field. In addition, however, it is important to note that institutions of higher education

and insurance carriers also comprise a consequential share of the market. The chart below includes the

top 20 largest industries in Kentucky seeking candidates with a master’s degree.



Whereas the industries with high demand for candidates with master’s degrees are more practice-

oriented and professional in nature, the industries at the national level that exhibit the highest demand

for candidates with PhDs are found in fields that emphasize research, such as higher education and

scientific research and development. Additionally, however, there are some fields that require practical

application (as opposed to theoretical understanding) of a PhD education such as manufacturing

(pharmaceutical, aerospace, and instruments), insurance/actuarial science, and consulting.

26.4%

17.7%

8.6%

5.5%

3.1%

2.8%

2.3%

1.9%

1.6%

1.5%

1.4%

1.3%

1.3%

1.1%

1.1%

0.9%

0.9%

0.8%

0.8%

0.8%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0%



Insurance Carriers


Nursing Care Facilities



Executive, Legislative, and General Govt. Support

Individual and Family Services




Home Health Care Services

Technical and Trade Schools

Computer Systems Design and Related Services


Religious Organizations

Instruments Manufacturing

Depository Credit Intermediation

Accounting, Tax Preparation, and Payroll Services

Top Industries - Master's (KY)



By far, the largest industry for professionals with a PhD is higher education, as colleges, universities, and

professional schools comprise more than one-third of all job postings seeking candidates holding a PhD.

Nevertheless, it is important to consider the practical/professional, as well as the academic, outcomes

for graduates of PhD programs throughout the country.

It is also informative to consider changes in demand from each industry over time. The data show that,

even in the span of just six years, the demand for candidates at each degree level has changed in

consequential ways.

For instance, the share of job postings in Kentucky requiring candidates to possess a master’s degree

have shifted steeply for the Health Care and Social Assistance and Educational Services sectors. Demand

for professionals with a master’s degree has increased steadily in the health and social services field,

34.4%

8.9%

8.8%

5.3%

3.1%

2.7%

2.4%

2.1%

1.7%

1.6%

1.6%

1.6%

1.6%

1.3%

1.1%

1.1%

1.0%

0.9%

0.9%

0.8%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%


Scientific Research and Development Services



Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing

Insurance Carriers


Software Publishers

Management, Scientific, and Tech. Consulting Srvcs.


Instruments Manufacturing

Semiconductor and Component Manufacturing

Depository Credit Intermediation


Executive, Legislative, and Other Govt. Support


Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses



Computer Systems Design and Related Services

Top Industries - Ph.D. (U.S.)



while demand has declined for teachers who hold a master’s degree. Again, this trend in the educational

sector belies expectations as public school teachers are required to either earn a master’s degree or

complete a certain number of continuing education credits within their first 10 years of teaching in

order to advance to a higher salary ranking. As we theorized previously, it may be that public school

teachers prefer continuing education credits over the time and cost of a formal graduate degree

program.

Industry Sector 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change

Health Care and Social Assistance 33.6% 30.3% 31.7% 35.1% 35.7% 44.0% 43.3% 9.7%

Educational Services 26.6% 28.8% 28.9% 30.6% 23.1% 14.5% 16.6% -10.0%

Finance and Insurance 8.7% 8.0% 10.3% 8.6% 10.2% 11.7% 9.3% 0.6%

Manufacturing 8.7% 6.0% 5.4% 7.6% 6.5% 6.5% 8.3% -0.4%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 11.8% 9.9% 6.8% 5.7% 8.4% 7.1% 7.7% -4.1%

Public Administration 2.9% 10% 9.4% 6.2% 8.1% 6.7% 6.4% 3.5%

Retail Trade 2.0% 1.3% 1.4% 1.3% 1.4% 1.9% 1.6% -0.4%

Information 1.0% 0.8% 1.0% 0.7% 1.2% 1.3% 1.5% 0.5%

Accommodation and Food Services 0.9% 0.4% 0.7% 0.7% 0.6% 1.2% 1.3% 0.4%

Other Services (except Public Administration) 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.6% 2.3% 2.0% 1.3% 0.4%

Admin. and Support and Waste Mgmt. and Remediation Srvcs. 1.1% 1.5% 0.9% 0.3% 0.4% 0.6% 0.5% -0.6%

Transportation and Warehousing 0.8% 0.8% 1.5% 0.6% 0.9% 0.5% 0.4% -0.4%

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.3%

Utilities 0.0% 0.2% 0.1% 0.5% 0.2% 0.5% 0.4% 0.4%

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 0.2% 0.2% 0.4% 0.4% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.1%

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2%

Construction 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 0.5% 0.2% 0.1%

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 0.1% 0.6% 0.1% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0%

Wholesale Trade 0.4% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% -0.3%

As expected, the educational services sector has consistently commanded the largest share of the

market for jobs requiring PhDs, and this industry’s share has actually increased slightly over time. During

this time, the manufacturing and technical services industries declined in share.

While this does not necessarily indicate that demand for candidates with PhDs has declined in these

industries, we can infer that demand among other industries is growing more rapidly and, as a result,

these other industries are increasing their share of the total job market for PhDs. For instance, the

health care and social assistance, public administration, and finance and insurance industries have all

gained in share of job postings for candidates with PhDs throughout the past several years.

These data are consistent with trends reported in the news media about the increasing role of

specialists and quantitatively minded professionals in traditionally practice-oriented settings that do not

typically require doctoral-level education, such as the use of quantitative analysts in finance and

actuarial science.

Industry Sector 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change

Educational Services 29.2% 28.4% 34.2% 35.0% 30.5% 29.0% 30.4% 1.2%

Manufacturing 24.8% 23.5% 21.2% 21.9% 20.4% 21.1% 19.4% -5.4%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 19.0% 18.1% 15.4% 14.8% 14.4% 16.5% 15.9% -3.1%

Health Care and Social Assistance 9.6% 11.4% 8.7% 8.5% 11.4% 10.8% 13.8% 4.2%

Public Administration 3.7% 4.8% 6.3% 5.8% 8.4% 6.8% 5.8% 2.1%

Finance and Insurance 3.4% 3.4% 3.5% 3.9% 5.2% 6.0% 5.7% 2.3%

Information 3.4% 2.8% 2.9% 3.5% 3.5% 3.7% 3.6% 0.2%

Retail Trade 0.9% 1.1% 1.2% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1.5% 0.6%

Transportation and Warehousing 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 0.7% 0.7% 0.1%

Other Services (except Public Administration) 0.8% 0.8% 0.7% 0.7% 0.6% 0.7% 0.5% -0.3%

Admin. and Support and Waste Mgmt. and Remediation Srvcs. 1.8% 1.9% 2.2% 1.1% 0.5% 0.6% 0.4% -1.4%

Wholesale Trade 0.4% 0.5% 0.5% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% -0.1%

Utilities 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0%

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 0.7% 1.3% 0.9% 0.9% 1.0% 0.4% 0.3% -0.4%

Construction 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 0.1%

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 0.3% 0.1%

Accommodation and Food Services 0.2% 0.2% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1%

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.7% 0.5% 0.2% -0.1%

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% -0.1%

Management of Companies and Enterprises 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0%

Top Occupations While the occupations in highest demand for professionals with a master’s degree within Kentucky

primarily consist of professional and practice-oriented fields, the occupation with the highest share of

job postings for professionals holding a master’s degree is an academic position (college

professor/instructor). Overall, the Kentucky market for professionals holding a master’s is fairly diffuse,

as 73 different occupations comprise 80 percent of total job postings. This indicates that a wide range of

professions and fields are seeking candidates with a master’s degree.

Many of these top occupations are in medical and social services such as nursing, physical therapy,

speech language pathology, and social work. Additionally, it is interesting to note that six of the final

seven occupations included in the chart below include the word “manager” in the title, as this is

indicative of the large number of positions that expect master’s degree holders to effectively manage

and supervise people (and projects).



Based on job posting data for the past several years, the occupation with the largest share of the job

market-seeking professionals with PhDs is college professor/instructor. This is consistent with previous

findings that academic positions at colleges and universities comprise the largest share of the market for

job postings requiring a PhD.

Interestingly, the occupation with the second-largest share of the national market for PhD holders is

software developer/engineer with 8.4 percent of all job postings throughout the past several years. In

addition to software engineering, there is also sizable demand for professionals who have earned a PhD

in computer systems, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering as all four of these occupations

are among the top 20 largest fields for professionals with a PhD.

6.9%

5.6%

5.5%

4.8%

4.6%

3.2%

2.7%

2.6%

2.2%

1.9%

1.7%

1.7%

1.5%

1.4%

1.2%

1.1%

1.0%

0.9%

0.9%

0.9%

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 7.0% 8.0%


Registered Nurse

Physical Therapist

Nurse Practitioner

Speech Language Pathologist


Family / School / General Social Worker


Nursing Manager / Supervisor


Occupational Therapist

Mental Health / Behavioral Counselor

College / University Administrator

Human Resources Manager

Program Manager

General Manager

Business Development / Sales Manager

Financial Manager

Human Resources / Labor Relations Specialist

Clinical Case Manager

Top Occupations - Master's (KY)



The remaining occupations among the top 20 seeking professionals with a PhD (included in the chart

below) combine both academic and research-oriented positions (e.g., medical scientist, research

associate, chemist, biologist) and professional- or practice-oriented positions (e.g., healthcare

administrator, registered nurse, business/management analyst, program manager). Collectively, these

findings show that the national labor market for professionals with a PhD is fairly balanced between

theory/research and professional practice.



11.3%

8.4%

4.1%

3.4%

3.2%

2.6%

2.3%

2.0%

2.0%

1.9%

1.7%

1.7%

1.6%

1.4%

1.3%

1.3%

1.2%

1.1%

1.0%

1.0%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%



Medical Scientist

Psychologist

Researcher / Research Associate

Data Scientist

Chemist

Computer Systems Engineer / Architect

Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Registered Nurse

College / University Administrator


Biologist

Chemical / Process Engineer

Physician

Administrative Manager

Biostatistician


Program Manager

Top Occupations - Ph.D. (U.S.)



Top Employers It has been mentioned previously that the job market in Kentucky for professionals who hold a master’s

degree is somewhat diverse in that open positions requiring candidates to have at least a master’s

degree have come from a variety of industries and occupations.

The list of top employers seeking professionals with a master’s degree further affirms this point. While

medical services companies are disproportionately represented, the list of top employers in Kentucky

that have posted positions for candidates with a master’s degree includes a diverse set of companies

and organizations from both the public and private sectors. The table below includes the 40

companies/organizations in Kentucky that have posted the highest numbers of open positions seeking

professionals with a master’s degree.



Job Postings (2016)

KentuckyOne Health 411 HealthPRO Management Services Inc. 52

Humana 359 Mercy Health 51

The Kentucky Community And Technical College System

252

Heritage Healthcare 49

Catholic Health Initiatives 234 Universal Health Services, Inc. 46

University of Kentucky 224 Veteran Health Administration 42

Norton Healthcare 212 Murray Calloway County Hospital 37

Department of Veterans Affairs 163 Oracle 36

Western Kentucky University 154

Kentucky Dept. for Libraries & Archives 35

City Of Louisville 107 St. Elizabeth Healthcare 35

Seven Counties Services 99 The Little Clinic 34

University of Louisville 95 American Express 33

Key Technology 83 Benefis Health System 33

Signature Healthcare 78 KVC Health Systems 33

Anthem Blue Cross 76 Fayette County Public Schools 32

Army Corps of Engineers 70 GE Appliances 32

The Art Institute Incorporated 69 Genesis Healthcare Corporation 31

Education Management Corporation 67 Morehead State University 31

ITT Educational Services, Inc. 62 Eastern Kentucky University 29

Jefferson County Public School 56 Hitachi America 29

Northern Kentucky University 53 SAIC 29

At the national level, it is surprising to see that, in addition to healthcare companies and university

systems, many large corporations such as Boeing, Apple, and Amazon have posted large numbers of

open positions for professionals with a PhD based on their core business. We expect that many of these



corporations are seeking professionals in the engineering fields who are capable of applying an area of

theoretical expertise (e.g., software engineering) to the professional realm.

The companies listed in the table below are informative insofar as they indicate that there is a high

degree of demand in the professional/corporate sector for professionals with a PhD. While we may

typically consider PhD holders as academics and researchers, it is valuable to know that there is large

demand in industries beyond postsecondary education for professionals who are able to leverage their

area of expertise in a professional setting.

This is particularly relevant for the UK Graduate School as it considers the likely careers of its graduates

and how PhD programs are oriented so as to prepare students for professional outcomes. For those

fields/disciplines for which there is a viable professional market outside of higher education for

professionals holding a PhD, it is important to consider the ways in which doctoral education could be

oriented to prepare students for these professions. While a professional/practical career is not

necessarily viable for every academic field, there are practical applications for doctoral education

outside of academia and research, and it is important to account for the ways in which doctoral students

may be able to use their education in professional pursuits to meet demand in the labor market.



Job Postings (2016)

The Boeing Company 2,977 Texas A&M University 852

Johnson & Johnson 2,143 Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporated 789

Intel Corporation 2,073 Kaiser Permanente 787

Novartis 1,899 Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 771

Pfizer 1,792 Indian Health Service 757

Schlumberger 1,775 Accenture 740

University of California 1,681 Bayer Corporation 731

Merck & Company 1,584 LinkedIn Limited 714

Department of Veterans Affairs 1,445 University of Pennsylvania 712

UnitedHealth Group 1,256 Mathworks 699

US Army Medical Corps 1,252 Anthem Blue Cross 691

Northrop Grumman 1,240 University of Washington 678

Weill Cornell Medical College 1,220 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 676

Amazon.com 1,202 General Electric Company 668

Amgen 1,088 University of Wisconsin 662

Apple Inc. 1,033 California State University 651

Stanford University 991 IBM 649

Broadcom 975 Microsoft Corporation 633

Sanofi Aventis 960 Pennsylvania State University 631

Raytheon 900 University of Illinois 631



Top Skills

Specialized Skills

Consistent with previous findings, many of the top specialized skills for positions in Kentucky requiring a

master’s degree relate to qualities of sound management: budgeting, supervisory skills, project

management, scheduling, and staff management. Additionally, some top specialized skills are specific to

the health services industry, which reflects the scale of demand in this industry for professionals holding

a master’s degree. The chart below includes the 20 top specialized skills requested in job postings for

positions that require candidates to possess a master’s degree.

18.2%

14.7%

14.4%

13.5%

11.8%

11.2%

10.6%

10.5%

10.4%

10.3%

7.5%

7.0%

6.8%

6.7%

6.4%

6.2%

5.9%

5.7%

5.5%

5.3%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0% 16.0% 18.0% 20.0%

Budgeting

Supervisory Skills

Patient Care

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Excel

Teaching

Customer Contact

Treatment Planning

Project Management

Scheduling

Staff Management


Business Administration

Mental Health

Interaction with Patients/Medical Personnel

Customer Service

Therapy

Microsoft Word

Case Management

Accounting

Top Specialized Skills - Master's (KY)



Top skills requested for positions calling for candidates to have a PhD similarly reflective of the

industries with high demand for professionals with doctoral education: colleges/universities, software

engineering, and scientific research. More than one in six (17.9 percent) open positions seeking PhD

holders specified teaching as a necessary skill for the job. Additionally, approximately one in ten open

positions sought a software engineer or specialist based on the proportion of jobs specifying skills in

Python and C++.

Interestingly, many of the skills listed in the chart below also relate to qualities of management, such as

project management, budgeting, supervisory skills, and scheduling. Although we typically associate

management with master‘s-level positions, it is important to know that managerial skills are also

required for many PhD-level positions as well. This has implications for the UK Graduate School in terms

of the non-technical skills that PhD candidates learn throughout their doctoral education. It may be

worth considering the extent to which PhD candidates at the University of Kentucky learn qualities of

effective management, which may be required by their intended professions.



Baseline Skills

Many of the top baseline skills requested for positions requiring at least a master’s degree focus on

interpersonal qualities such as communication, teamwork, collaboration, organization, and building

effective relationships. This follows logically if we accept that many master’s-level positions are

managerial and necessitate that the person fulfilling the role be able to work effectively with others to

accomplish a goal.

17.9%

11.3%

11.1%

10.9%

9.9%

9.6%

9.4%

8.6%

8.5%

8.4%

7.9%

7.5%

7.5%

7.4%

7.2%

7.1%

6.6%

6.6%

6.5%

6.2%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0% 16.0% 18.0% 20.0%

Teaching

Project Management

Python

Budgeting

Chemistry

C++

Physics

Software Engineering

Software Development

Product Development

Supervisory Skills

Biology

Microsoft Excel

Data Analysis

Validation

Experiments

Psychology

JAVA

Economics

Scheduling

Top Specialized Skills - Ph.D. (U.S.)



Additionally, some of the top skills requested in the master’s-level job market in Kentucky relate to using

information to solve a problem. Skills such as research, computer adeptness, and problem solving

indicate that master’s-level professionals need to be able to collect, analyze, and synthesize information

effectively. This latter quality, information synthesis, is also represented in these top baseline skills

through “writing” and “presentation skills.” The presence of these skills among the top qualities

expected of professionals holding a master’s degree suggest that it is not merely enough for people in

these positions to be able to analyze information, but they must also be able to condense it and

disseminate it to others.

We can infer from the collection of these qualities that master’s programs at the University of Kentucky

Graduate School ought to incorporate elements of collaboration, problem-solving, and presentation into

the curriculum in order to prepare students to be able to work well with others, analyze information for

a purpose, and share strategy/conclusions with others.



In many respects, the top skills requested of professionals holding PhDs mirror those requested of

master’s degree holders, with some notable exceptions.

As expected given the emphasis on research in academia, research is the most commonly specified skill

for PhD-level positions with slightly more than half (50.9 percent) of all open jobs requiring skills in

research. Additionally, one in eight (12.5 percent) positions specified mathematical skills are necessary

for the position, which is distinct from the top baseline skills for master’s-level positions.

35.1%

23.7%

22.6%

22.1%

19.1%

16.5%

13.3%

11.2%

10.1%

8.5%

8.3%

8.0%

7.7%

7.7%

6.9%

6.7%

5.3%

5.0%

4.0%

3.9%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%


Writing


Planning

Research

Problem Solving


Computer Skills


Detail-Oriented

Time Management


English

Physical Demand

Creativity

Presentation Skills

Mentoring

Leadership

Decision Making

Multi-Tasking

Top Baseline Skills - Master's (KY)



Nonetheless, interpersonal skills such as communication, teamwork, organization, and building effective

relationships are still among the top 20 skills specified by open positions across the US seeking

candidates with PhDs.

50.9%

36.8%

29.9%

23.0%

17.0%

13.5%

12.5%

9.2%

9.2%

7.2%

6.5%

6.5%

6.3%

5.7%

5.6%

5.4%

5.0%

5.0%

4.6%

3.7%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0%

Research


Writing


Planning

Problem Solving

Mathematics


Creativity

Presentation Skills

Detail-Oriented

English


Troubleshooting


Mentoring

Leadership

Time Management

Computer Skills

Physical Demand

Top Baseline Skills - Ph.D. (U.S.)



Software Skills

The technical and software skills required for master’s- and PhD-level positions are fairly similar, albeit

with some differences that reflect the industries that comprise each respective job market. For instance,

software engineering skills such as Python, C++, and Java are top skills for both sets of jobs. These skills

are demanded at considerably higher rates for PhD-level positions because software engineering

positions are more likely to require both these specific skills and a doctoral education.

It is interesting to note, however that data storage and analytical tools such as SAS, SAP, and Oracle are

specified at fairly similar incidence for both master’s- and PhD-level positions. This indicates that data

compilation, storage, and analysis skills are important in several industry sectors across the labor market

for professionals with graduate degrees.

Collectively, the software skills specified by master’s-level positions more often relate to end-use

software skills, such as using data to make informed business decisions, whereas the software skills

specified by PhD-level positions more often relate to creating software tools.



13.5%

11.8%

7.0%

5.7%

4.4%

3.4%

2.3%

2.2%

2.1%

2.0%

1.9%

1.9%

1.8%

1.8%

1.6%

1.3%

1.3%

1.2%

1.2%

1.1%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0% 16.0%

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Excel


Microsoft Word

SQL

Oracle

Microsoft Access

LINUX

JAVA

Word Processing

SAP

Python

C++

JavaScript

SAS

Microsoft Visio

Microsoft C#

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Microsoft Outlook

SQL Server

Top Software Skills - Master's (KY)



11.1%

9.6%

7.5%

6.6%

6.2%

5.7%

5.6%

5.2%

4.9%

4.7%

3.9%

3.2%

2.7%

2.6%

2.4%

1.8%

1.7%

1.6%

1.3%

1.3%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%

Python

C++

Microsoft Excel

JAVA

LINUX

MATLAB

Microsoft Office

SQL

SAS


R

Microsoft Word

Apache Hadoop

PERL

UNIX

JavaScript

Microsoft C#

Oracle

Data Visualization

SPSS

Top Software Skills - Ph.D. (U.S.)

university of kentucky graduate school...programs are popular, particularly as master’s programs....

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