New Study Shows Importance of Graduate Education in US Global Competiveness and Innovation

Graduate level education is expected to play an ever increasing role in helping the US maintain competiveness and innovation in a global market according to a report just published by the Commission on the Future of Graduate Education.  In the US, the number of jobs that require a graduate degree is estimated to grow by 2.5 million by 2018, including an expected 17 percent increase in those requiring a doctorate and 18 percent in those requiring a master’s.

The report, which was released at a forum at the US Capitol, contends that developing human talent must become a national priority and that graduate education must be an essential component of our national innovation strategy.  Europe and Asia are investing in graduate education as an essential component of economic development and have begun to outpace the US in doctoral production, especially in science and engineering. 

"A great strength of US graduate education is the preparation of people at the master's level for a wide variety of careers," says Stanley S. Litow, commission member and vice president of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs at IBM. "Doctoral education is another key driver of innovation, and its role can only be enhanced by more effective partnership between business and academia.”

For more complete details on the report, including its recommendations for policymakers, universities and industry, see the release