CUNY Master Plan 2012-2016

MISSION PART ONE
In general, as stated in the introduction to this plan, CUNY undergraduate programs are already well
positioned to take advantage of the labor market in the next four years. However, new programs will
always be needed as the environment changes.
Master’s Degree Programs
Nationwide, master’s programs have grown significantly over the past several decades. From 1998-99
to 2008-09, the number of master’s degrees awarded nationally increased 49 percent, or by 216,800 master’s
degrees. CUNY had an increase of 45 percent in master’s degrees awarded over the same decade.
Going forward, the University will continue to evaluate these advanced degrees carefully, particularly in
relation to New York City’s needs and opportunities.
At CUNY, as across the country, education and business are the two largest master’s degree fields. On
the national level, over half of all master’s degrees were awarded in these two fields in 2008-09, with each
field claiming just over a quarter of the degrees (27 percent in education and 26 percent in business). At
CUNY, these two fields together also enroll just over half of the University’s master’s students (52 percent
in 2011), but CUNY’s profile differs from the national one in that education enrolls many more students
than business. At CUNY, education accounted for 41 percent of all master’s students in 2011, with business
accounting for only 11 percent, although they enroll roughly equal proportions nationally. Master’s
programs in business have, however, grown rapidly at CUNY in recent years. Between 1998-99 and 2008-
09, CUNY master’s degrees awarded in business increased by 106 percent, far outstripping a national
increase of 57 percent. Education degrees at CUNY, in contrast, grew more slowly than the national average;
nationally, master’s degrees in education increased by 51 percent over the period, while they
increased by only 28 percent at CUNY.
In the last year, however, the overall number of master’s degree students at CUNY has declined.
Between spring 2011 and spring 2012, the number of master’s students fell 14 percent (1,474 students). The
decline was sharpest in teacher education programs. A weak job market for teachers probably accounts for
most of the decline, which might also be due to increased competition in this higher education sector. A
continued decline in teacher education programs could have a significant overall effect on master’s enrollment
at CUNY, given that these programs account for two-fifths of all master’s enrollments.
Business programs, the other mainstay of CUNY’s master’s programs, have also experienced an enrollment
decline, but a much smaller one than that in education, with enrollments falling 4 percent from spring
2011 to spring 2012. This reflects a national decline in the enrollment of new graduate students in business. 5
Therefore, during the coming year, CUNY will examine the business and teacher education enrollments
in more detail, looking for any continuing trends, identifying the causes of any further enrollment
decreases, and determining whether opportunities exist in these areas.
Beyond education and business, CUNY’s master’s students focus on many other fields. Public administration
and social service professions rank not far behind business in enrollment and have grown slightly
5
Lewin, Tamar. “New Enrollment Dips a Bit at U.S. Graduate Schools,” New York Times, September 22, 2011.
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