Grad School Programs: What's Hot and What's Not
GradSchools.com reveals which programs are gaining and losing popularity
CHESTER, PA, May 16, 2002 -
International Relations is "in." Information Systems is "out." Business Administration, Clinical Psychology and Social Work continue to be popular.
Graduate school trends are changing, and there has been a shift recently in the program interests of grad school-bound students, reports GradSchools.com (www.GradSchools.com), the Internet's leading source of graduate school information.
The five hottest graduate programs (#1 being the most popular) are:
1. Creative Writing
2. International Relations
3. Sports Administration
4. Kinesiology
5. Educational Counseling
The five programs that saw the most significant decrease in popularity are:
1. Information Systems
2. Information Technology
3. Mechanical Engineering
4. Forensics
5. Human Resources
For example, during the dot-com heyday, students flocked to master's degree programs in Information Systems and Information Technology. Now, those two fields are among the most unpopular, along with Mechanical Engineering, Forensics and - during a time when huge layoffs have become the norm - Human Resources.
In 2002, the hottest master's degree programs are those in International Relations, Sports Administration, Creative Writing, Kinesiology and Educational Counseling. These programs have generated the greatest surge of interest from prospective students in recent months, according to GradSchools.com. Programs that have maintained their popularity with prospective students are Business Administration, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clinical Psychology, Computer Science and Social Work.
The degree of popularity of the programs was measured by how often each have been searched by prospective students in the last three months at GradSchools.com, which offers a comprehensive online directory of graduate programs. It provides in-depth and current information on over 25,000 graduate programs in the U.S. at no charge to prospective students. Since its inception, GradSchools.com has been keeping detailed statistics measuring student interest in particular programs.
"It's clear that certain fields of study are proving suddenly more attractive to prospective students, while others have fallen by the wayside. This is valuable information for both academic institutions and for the industries that these programs supply with graduates," says Mark Shay, president of GradSchools.com.
He adds, "The upsurge in interest in international relations is likely caused by recent world events. At the same time, tough economic conditions and fewer job opportunities in the tech sector have caused a former 'boom' field, IT, to lose popularity. Meanwhile, an MBA program continues to be the 'bread and butter' program for many institutions, maintaining a steady degree of interest among prospective students."
To research graduate programs throughout the United States, visit www.GradSchools.com.
About GradSchools.com
GradSchools.com is the Internet's leading online source of graduate school information. A clearinghouse for graduate education information, it is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive online directory of graduate programs. It provides in-depth and current information on over 53,000 graduate programs in the U.S. at no charge to prospective students. GradSchools.com is a service of Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc. (www.edudirectories.com).
For more information on Educational Directories Unlimited, please contact Matt Ulmer by phone at 484-766-9200, via e-mail at mulmer@edudirectories.com.