Approximately 5,734 bachelor’s degrees have been awarded from the University of Wisconsin each year over the last 10 years. This statistic is at odds with the Education Department’s assessment that the number of college graduates has been decreasing.
UW is not the only school churning out graduates in large numbers. The number of bachelor’s degrees earned nationwide is currently on the rise as well. It has been predicted that in 2010 over 1.3 million students will leave college with a degree.
These statistics do not shock some members of the public, who believe education is keeping pace with the demands of an increasingly competitive economy.
“In my opinion, the value of a college education is high or higher today than ever before. The demands of the economy over the next 20 years will be for more educated people,” said Richard Barrows, associate dean of the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
CALS in particular has seen the number of graduates rise from approximately 1,900 to 2,200 over the past 12 years.
“CALS will continue to grow slowly as it has in the past while the university has remained relatively constant,” Barrows said.
In 1997, the Education Department predicted a decrease in the number of degrees granted for the late 1990s. However, the end of the decade saw an increase in the number of degrees awarded nationwide. In 2002, the data taken was 10 percent higher than what had been previously forecasted.
Not only are students completing their undergraduate degrees, but many are also going on to further their education in graduate, law or medical schools.
Many UW graduates decide to stay at UW to further their education, according to the Education Department’s report. Approximately 20 percent of UW’s graduate students have attended the university before enrolling in a UW graduate program.
Enrollment in UW’s graduate school as a whole has been increasing since fall 1998 and in particular saw an approximate increase of 5.5 percent this year. This increase brings enrollment to 8,855 new students.
The number of new students and the total number of people who applied for admission for the current school year increased. The number of applicants went up by more than 11 percent.
“We assume that this increase is related, in some way, to the economy, but have no way of knowing for sure. Departments and programs, nonetheless, restricted their admissions, so the increase in permits was only 1.59 percent,” said Judith Deutsch Kornblatt, interim associate dean for graduate education for arts and humanities in the Graduate School.
UW fifth-year graduate student Molly Peeney, who is pursuing a Ph.D in Russian literature, sees this percentage as an indication of how important education has become in our society.
“I think being well-educated is very important, and I admire people who pursue an education,” Peeney said.
