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Graduate school growing, but not without pains |
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Thursday, 17 November 2005 |
by MINDY SMITH
Intern News Reporter
Appalachian State University is in the process of expanding the programs offered by the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School.
Dr. Edelma Huntley, interim dean of Graduate Studies and Research, said
the graduate school is growing, and three new programs are going
through the approval process.
“We need to develop programs that are responsive to the needs of the state and the region,” Huntley said.
“At the same time, we need to enhance existing programs.”
Appalachian currently houses 47 graduate degree programs, with some programs offering
multiple concentrations.
The Master of Music Therapy was recently added to the graduate school.
Criminal justice and criminology are going through the approval
process. A few in the making are professional science master’s degrees,
and some doctorate programs are being considered.
Graduate teaching assistantships are beneficial to students at a
liberal arts university like Appalachian, Huntley said. But as
Appalachian’s graduate school is growing, the school is facing problems
with growth and change.
A major issue is the financial support for the students. Appalachian’s
graduate assistantship stipends are lower than other universities.
Additionally, Appalachian is not allowed to waive tuition as some other
schools in other states can, and research funding is low for student
and faculty projects.
At the Oct. 1 Student Government Association meeting, Chancellor
Kenneth E. Peacock noted Appalachian’s need for more graduate programs.
Appalachian’s focus is toward undergraduate programs, but the graduate program focus is growing, Peacock said at the meeting.
“Appalachian is a small-town school and isn’t the focus of graduate school for a lot of people,” he said.
Appalachian holds a strong psychology graduate program, which ranks in the top-40 in the nation in student research.
Dr. Bob Hill, director of Appalachian’s graduate clinical psychology
program, said the program is one of the strongest at Appalachian.
The program boasts many students with strong GRE scores. It offers the
options of training and working at regional and national conferences
with faculty mentors on the job.
After that, graduates are eligible for a license in North Carolina.
“Generally the graduate school at Appalachian is a notably helpful
administrative entity for the many graduate programs at Appalachian,”
Hill said.
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