Research and Graduate Education at UMass Boston: A Status Report
Zong-Guo Xia
Vice Provost for Research/Dean of Graduate Studies
University of Massachusetts Boston
Presented to the UMass Boston Retired Faculty Council, November 16, 2012,
The Chancellor’s Conference Room, Quinn Administration Building, Third Floor, The University of Massachusetts Boston
EARLY DAYS OF GRADUATE EDUCATION
IN THE UNITED STATES
Yale awarded the first Ph.D. in the United States in 1861.
Cornell awarded an M.S. degree in civil engineering in 1870 to Henry Turner Eddy,
who also became Cornell's first Ph.D. in 1872. At that time there were fewer than
two hundred graduate students in the United States.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) of Harvard University began in
1872 when Harvard’s Governing Boards created the Graduate Department. William
Ellwood Byerly took the first Harvard PhD in mathematics in 1873.
Columbia followed in 1875; Michigan, in 1876.
The establishment of the Johns Hopkins University in 1876 is generally considered
as the beginning of graduate education in the United States (Bernard Berelson,
1960 Graduate Education in the United States: McGraw-Hill, New York).
The Letter of Invitation to the Founding Conference of AAU
In January 1900, five university presidents from around the United States sent a
letter to nine of their colleagues inviting them to a meeting in Chicago to discuss
issues of common concern.
Weighing on their minds were three things: that the lack of consistency and
standards in American higher education was hurting the reputations of the
stronger institutions, that U.S. students were going to Europe to earn graduate
degrees rather than staying home to attend U.S. institutions, and that
European universities had little respect for U.S. academic degrees and, in
some cases, were "dumbing down" graduate programs for American students.
Out of the resulting meeting that occurred at the University of Chicago on
February 27-28, 1900, came creation of the Association of American
Universities (AAU).
http://www.aau.edu/about/history_centennial.aspx
“The Association of American Universities is an association of
leading comprehensive research universities distinguished by
the breadth and quality of their programs of research and
graduate education.”
Charles W. Eliot (Harvard University)
Seth Low (Columbia University)
Daniel C. Gilman (Johns Hopkins University)
William R. Harper (The University of Chicago)
Benjamin Ide Wheeler (University of California)
IMPORTANT MILESTONES
FOR UMASS BOSTON
1852: Girls’ High School→1922: Teachers College of the City of Boston→1968: Boston State College
1964: The University of Massachusetts Boston Established
1982: Boston State College joined the University of Massachusetts Boston
1973: First Master of Arts Degrees in English and Mathematics Awarded by UMass Boston
1982: First Doctoral Program in Environmental Science Started
1988: First Doctoral Degree Awarded
2000: Classified as a Doctoral/Research Intensive Institution by the Carnegie Foundation
2010: Classified as a Research University with High Research Activity by the Carnegie Foundation
Vice Provost for Research & Strategic Initiatives
WHERE ARE WE TODAY?
16 Doctoral Programs [442 (11.41%) Students in Fall 2011; 49 Doctoral Degrees Awarded in 2009-2010]
40 Master’s Programs [2,629 (67.85%) Students in Fall 2011; 946 Master’s Degrees Awarded in 2009-2010]
31 Graduate Certificate Programs [254 (6.55%) Students in Fall 2011; 222 Graduate Certificates Awarded in 2009-2010]
Non-Degrees [550 (14.19%) Non-Degree Students in Fall 2011]
Number of Graduate
Students by College
Number of Undergraduate Students = 11,866 (75.38%)
Number of Graduate Students = 3,875 (24.62%)
Total Number of Students = 15,741
COLLEGE
CPCS
CSM
CEHD
CLA
CM
CNHS
MGPGS
UC
STUDENTS
31
246
1,229
604
565
329
362
123
%
0.89
7.05
35.22
17.31
16.19
9.43
10.38
3.53
Fall 2011 Enrollment
in Doctoral Programs
Education (EdD)
Clinical Psychology (PhD)
Public Policy (PhD)
Gerontology (PhD)
Biology (PhD)
Nursing (PhD)
Nursing Practice (DNP)
Computer Science (PhD)
Environmental Sciences (PhD)
Chemistry (PhD)
Marine Science & Tech (PhD)
BioMed Engineer & Biotch (PhD)
117
57
48
44
41
34
31
25
22
20
4
2
Most Popular Master’s Programs
Education (MEd)
Business Administration (MBA)
Applied Linguistics (MA)
Nursing (MS)
Accounting (MS)
Instructional Design (MEd)
English (MA)
Gerontology (MS)
Vision Studies (MEd)
444
335
211
140
128
109
106
101
101
New Doctoral Programs in Fall 2012
Business Administration (Organizations and Social Change Track) PhD
Counseling and School Psychology (2 tracks), PhD
Developmental & Brain Sciences, PhD
Global Governance and Human Security, PhD
New Doctoral Programs Expected in Fall 2013
Applied Linguistics, PhD
Exercise and Health Sciences, PhD
Sociology, PhD
New Doctoral Programs in Fall 2014
Business Administration (Finance Track)
New Doctoral Programs in Fall 2016
Business Administration (Management Information Systems Track)
11 Others in Various Stages of Development
Growth of External Funding at UMass
Boston from FY 1989 to FY 2011
Growth of External Funding from FY 1989 to FY 2011
50,000,000
45,000,000
Fiscal Year
Total Awards
Annual Growth Rate
1989
$7,429,490
1990
$8,788,554
18.29%
1991
$10,459,803
19.02%
1992
$11,326,332
8.28%
1993
$12,192,011
7.64%
1994
$13,437,299
10.21%
1995
$14,200,000
5.68%
1996
$15,692,488
10.51%
1997
$16,219,524
3.36%
1998
$16,239,741
0.12%
1999
$17,195,507
5.89%
2000
$17,936,315
4.31%
2001
$19,768,604
10.22%
2002
$27,732,728
40.29%
2003
$30,587,220
10.29%
2004
$34,408,890
12.49%
2005
$35,555,767
3.33%
2006
$38,707,479
8.86%
2007
$41,773,564
7.92%
2008
$45,435,688
8.77%
2009
$42,226,973
-7.06%
2010
$49,678,527
17.67%
2011
$53,637,187
7.97%
40,000,000
35,000,000
30,000,000
25,000,000
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Fiscal Year
Institute for Community Inclusion joined UMass Boston
in January of 2002.
FY 2011-2012: $ 56,370,425 (5.1%
Vice Provost for Research & Strategic Initiatives
)
2011
FY 2010 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENDITURES
Total R&D: $61.235 billion
Total S&E: $58.338 billion (95.269%)
Total non-S&E: $2.897 billion (4.731%)
UMASS BOSTON RANKINGS:
All R&D Expenditures: 181
All Federal R&D Expenditures: 205
Education: 16
non-S&E Fields: 45
Psychology: 41
Social Sciences: 53
Environmental Sciences: 112
Life Sciences (Biology, Nursing, …): 208
Physics: 276
Mathematical Sciences: 389
Computer Sciences: 116
Chemistry: 248
Engineering: 325
Institution
National Rankings
FY 2010 R&D Expenditures in
Education (Dollars in Thousands)
University of South Florida
1
28,603
University of Wisconsin – Madison
2
28,025
Stanford University
3
26,629
OH State University
4
23,472
University of California, Los Angeles
5
23,309
University of Texas at Austin
6
19,398
Vanderbilt University
7
18,979
Brown University
8
18,165
University of California, Berkeley
9
17,295
Harvard University
10
16,367
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
11
15,908
New York University
12
15,821
Michigan State University
13
15,662
Texas A&M University
14
15,205
Virginia Commonwealth University
15
15,146
University of Massachusetts Boston
16
14,607
PRIDE OF UMASS BOSTON
(Programs)
Established the 2nd Ph.D. Program in Gerontology in the U. S. in 1990; ranked
the 2nd in the country; awarded the first Ph.D. degree in gerontology in the
United States and possibly in the world on 06/03/1995 and so far awarded
more Ph.D. degrees than any other program in this field
Launched the 1st Ph.D. Program in Green Chemistry in the world in 2002
Nursing ranked 50th in the country by the U.S. News & World Report and 1st
in a public university & 3rd among all nursing programs in New England
Clinical Psychology (3.1% admitted and 80% yield in 2010-2011; 100%
internship placement in accredited agencies in 2011-2012)
PRIDE OF UMASS BOSTON
(Faculty)
Ed Tronick, Distinguished Professor
of Psychology and formerly Chief of
the Child Development Unit of
Boston Children’s Hospital
Lloyd Schwartz, Frederick
S. Troy Professor of English
and recipient of 1994
Pulitzer Prize for criticism
Kamal Bawa, Distinguished Professor of Biology, recipient of the first
Gunnerus Sustainability Gold Medal from the Royal Norwegian Society of
Science and Letters (“Nobel prize in sustainability”), and Elected Fellow of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Paul Hayes Tucker,
Distinguished Professor of Art,
“one of America’s foremost
authorities on Claude Monet
and Impressionism”
Jacqueline Fawcett,
Professor and Chair of
Nursing, “one of the top
20 most influential
people in the nursing
field” (selected in 2010)
PRIDE OF UMASS BOSTON (Faculty)
Professor of Sociology Russell K. Schutt’s 12th book
(Homelessness, Housing and Mental Illness) was published
by Harvard University Press in 2011 (one of his books is in
its 7th edition, another in its 4th edition, a third book in its
3rd edition, and two others in their 2nd edition).
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest
professional organization in the world promoting excellence
and innovation in science teaching and learning, has awarded
its most esteemed award, the Robert H. Carleton Award, to
Arthur Eisenkraft, Distinguished Professor of Science
Education and Director of the Center of Science and
Mathematics in Context at UMass Boston, on Friday, March 19,
2010, at their 58th National Conference on Science Education
in Philadelphia.
PRIDE OF UMASS BOSTON (Alumni & Students)
Thomas M. Menino, Bachelor of Arts in
Community Planning (1988), UMass Boston,
currently Mayor of Boston and the longestserving mayor in the history of the city
Bei Wu, PhD in Gerontology
(2000), UMass Boston, currently
Professor of Nursing and Global
Health in the Duke University
School of Nursing, the Duke Global
Health Institute and the Center for
the Study of Aging and Chair of the
Health Sciences Research
Committee of the Gerontological
Society of America
Uttam Babu Shrestha, a current graduate
student in Biology, published his research
letter in Science in March of 2012. His
latest research has revealed that the average
annual mean temperature in the Himalayas
during a 25-year period (1982-2006) has
increased by 1.5°C, about three times
greater than the global average. Similarly,
the average annual precipitation during the
same period has increased by 163 mm. His
research has been partly supported by two
external grants that he has received from the
National Geographic Society and Rufford
Small Grants Program.
Paul T. Anastas, B.S. in
Chemistry (1984), UMass
Boston, currently
Professor of Chemistry at Yale
University, Assistant
Administrator for EPA's Office
of Research and Development
and the Science Advisor to the
Agency, and the "Father of
Green Chemistry"
PRIDE OF UMASS BOSTON
(Strategic Partners)
GoKids Boston: A result of a partnership between
UMass Boston and Boston Children's Hospital
U56/U54/Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy:
Partnerships between UMass Boston and Dana
Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
HORIZON Center: A result of a partnership between
UMass Boston and Harvard School of Public Health
Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI): Started at
Boston Children's Hospital, joined UMass Boston in
2002 and remains affiliated with Boston Children's
Hospital , and has partnerships in 47 states (27
institutions of higher education, five national research
centers or companies, 12 national advocacy and
professional organizations, …)
William E. Kiernan, Director of ICI, a
University Center for Excellence in
Developmental Disabilities at UMass
Boston, testified before a Senate
employment subcommittee on the
reauthorization of the Workforce
Investment Act.
WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education:
•RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity) (108)
•RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity) (99)
•DRU: Doctoral/Research Universities (90)
UMass Boston Graduate Students/Total Number of Students = 3,875/15,741 = 24.62% (Fall 2011)
Total Number of Degree-Seeking Graduate Students = 3,071 (19.51%)
Total Number of Doctoral Students = 442 (2.81% of All Students; 13.29% of degree-seeking and certificate graduate students)
NATIONAL AVERAGE: 25.5% Doctoral Students and 74.5% Master's/Other (Certificate)
International Graduate Students: UMass Boston = 5.38% (Fall 2010); RU/H Average = 15.6%, RU/VH = 23.3%)
VISION 2025: UMass Boston - A Distinguished Public Urban Research University
“UMass Boston should grow to an enrollment of 18,000 by FY15 and move toward a total enrollment of 20,000 by 2020 and 25,000 by
2025.”
“UMass Boston should maintain its current mix of graduate and undergraduate students but add more PhD students to our graduate
numbers.”
“UMass Boston should continue to increase the number of international students on campus, moving toward 10% by 2015 and to 15% by
2020 and beyond.”
Targets and Desirable Targets:
Total Student Population = 18,000 (by 2015); Graduate Students (25%) = 4,500; Doctoral Students (25%) = 1,125 (442 in Fall 2011)
Total Student Population = 25,000 (by 2025); Graduate Students (25%) = 6,250; Doctoral Students (25%) = 1,563
Projections of Total Amount of External Funding for FY 2011 - 2025
Total Amount of External Funding in FY 2010 = $49,678,527
Annual Rate of Growth = 5%
Annual Rate of Growth = 10%
Annual Rate of Growth = 15%