About half of Master of Science in Administration graduate programs receive Priority 4, 5
Editors note: This is the sixth story in a series about Academic Prioritization.
More than half of Master of Science in Administration programs in on-campus graduate studies received a Priority 4 or 5 ranking in the Academic Prioritization preliminary report released Oct. 27.
The report, which was released by Provost Gary Shapiro, seeks to eliminate or reduce some on and off-campus graduate programs as well as some undergraduate ProfEd programs.
The rankings vary from Priority 1 through 5, with Priority 1 indiciating it merits increased support.
On-campus MSA graduate studies had two programs that received a Priority 5, organizational communication and recreation, and parks administration.
Interim Dean of Graduate Studies Roger Coles said he was not surprised by the rankings.
“I like the way the process has been handled,” Coles said. “No concerns here in this office.”
Both programs face elimination because of low enrollment, according to the report.
Also ranked Priority 5 and up for elimination is the vehicle design manufacturing administration off-campus graduate program.
“There’s no market for that program anymore,” Coles said.
Coles said prioritization is an opportunity to move on to new things.
Health Services Administration was the only graduate MSA program which received a ranking of Priority 1.
“Thirty percent of on-campus MSA enrollments/great potential for growth if courses are updated and offered online and if additional campus sections are available,” Shapiro said in the report.
Coles said he agreed there is a great potential for growth and there is a need to be more nimble and quick to get out in the market.
“(We have to) compete with private schools to do it better,” he said.
Highland graduate student Shannon Salk is in the Masters in Public Administration program, which received a Priority 3 ranking.
Salk said the degree is extremely marketable and deserves to be Priority 1.
“MPA students become well versed in budgets, administrative law, how intergovernmental relations work and in human resource management,” she said.
Salk said the system is fair overall for those programs which only produced one graduate student in the past several years.
“But in terms of ranking fine arts lower, those may not be marketable degrees but they provide culture and enrichment to our society. (These are) things I don’t think you can really place a price tag on,” Salk said. “I think it is kind of a biased system in that sense.”
There are two undergraduate ProfEd programs that received a Priority 5 ranking. These programs include an administration major in guest services administration and the recreation option in community development.
Peter Ross, associate vice president of academic programs and ProfEd, said the recreation major had already started the process of being eliminated.
“There have been no students in it for quite a while,” Ross said.
Ross said any final decisions are made within each department.
“ProfEd’s primary function is to facilitate programs online and off-campus,” Ross said. “ProfEd itself does not own or house the programs.”
ProfEd does, however, work collaboratively with those colleges and departments, he said.
Similarly to Coles, Ross said he was not surprised by the findings because of such low enrollment.
