NIU graduate school enrollment was lower than in years past toward the end of 2011.

As of December 2011, enrollment was at 5,365, said Paul Palian, director of media and public relations, in an email. For the 2010 end semester count, enrollment was at 5,694; it was at 5,936 in 2009, according to the 2010-2011 institutional data book.

Graduate school enrollment continues to account for about 25 percent of overall enrollment, said Bradley Bond,  dean of research and graduate studies, in an email. A Vision 2020 benchmark for graduate school enrollment is 6,000 by 2014 and 8,000 by 2020.

“Increasing graduate enrollment is absolutely essential to achieving the goals of Vision 2020,” Bond said.

He said the graduate school wants to fulfill the Vision 2020 benchmarks and fully intends to match enrollment targets.

The graduate school is located in a crowded and competitive marketplace where students expect close mentorship and collaborative education, Bond said.

“To compete, NIU must develop more adult student-centric scheduling of courses and programs,” he said.  

Historically long-term economic recessions have led to lower graduate enrollment, Bond said. However, the declining enrollment under the current economic climate is not uniform across disciplines and colleges.

For the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences and the College of Business, enrollments have increased. Doctoral enrollments have also increased.

Biology graduate student Renee Kopulos said she thinks there are more students applying for graduate school because of a weak job market.

“I think a lot of people who would normally go into the workforce came back to school,” she said.

Philosophy graduate student Adam Gerard said he thinks more people are going back to school because the job market is bad. Gerard said when he was out of school and looking for non-profit work, he was competing for the same entry-level positions with people who had a Ph.D. or master’s degree.

“Your natural tendency is to go back to school to get that extra confidence, experience and expertise,” he said.

Kopulos said graduate school is not for everyone as it is difficult and students do not make a lot of money. Gerard said students need maturity more than anything else to do well in graduate school.