Around the Classroom
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The 2002-03 academic year is one for the record book: record enrollments, record credit hours and record applications. Demand for AYSPS programs and degrees, particularly at the graduate level, has far outstripped supply. “We get far more qualified applicants than we can admit,” says Sue Fagan, director of Academic and Administrative Services.

“The quality and the numbers of the applicant pool are increasing,” she reports. “With 27 students we have the largest ever entering class for our Ph.D. program in economics. The new B.S. in Human Resources Policy and Development is the fastest-growing degree at the university, going from 24 to 150 students in a year.”

The other largest increase was in the M.P.A. program, which went from 111 to 160 students. Sally Fowler, administrative specialist – academic for PAUS, notes that undergraduate aviation majors have risen 24 percent in the last year. “The MPA program recently added aviation as a specialization at the graduate level, and we expect significant enrollment to follow in the graduate level courses,” said Fowler.

“The word gets out,” said Fagan. “As we put more graduates out there, the school becomes better known. Programs like our Indonesian Masters Program make an impact. Five students who came last year for that program were admitted this fall to the Ph.D. program. Our faculty travel makes a difference. Assistant Professor Felix Rioja (Economics) has spearheaded an email campaign marketing our economics Ph.D. program to universities in targeted countries. It has been successful in Russia and Latin America and in countries we have not drawn from before.”

This success is reflected in the diversity of the student body. About 30 percent of the graduate population is international, from countries as far-ranging as Australia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Bolivia and Togo. One of the major contributions the school makes to education is its impact on international education, notes Fagan. “A hallmark of the school is attracting and educating these students who may one day be in positions of power and authority.”

The future looks just as busy. In this economy, the government and nonprofit sectors are seen as stable, says Fagan, making them more attractive. Already, 90 percent of the U.S. students in the master’s programs work full time. Some come back to change careers, other are adding to their skills or are learning different ones. “This mix of older population and international perspective makes for a very different classroom. Group discussions reveal a depth of experience,” she said.