Faculty growth has outpaced student enrollment at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities over the last 15 years, The Oklahoman reports. But faculty doesn’t necessarily mean tenured professors, and some of the observed growth could be an increase in adjunct faculty — untenured, temporary, cheaper instructors.
We’ve been examining the types of degrees granted most recently at state colleges and universities. When it comes to fields of study, doctorates appear the most diverse, data show.
State-funded colleges are awarding lots of degrees in business and medicine and certificates in family and consumer sciences. Oklahoma universities are training a lot of teachers, too.
In Oklahoma, most first professional degrees granted by state colleges and universities are in the medical field. This state trains a lot of pharmacists: 200 in 2008-2009, while medical doctors and future lawyers are just about tied for the No. 2 slot, the most recent data from the state Regents for Higher Education show.
Education has a major impact on employment, but the benefits aren’t limited to college diplomas. Certificate programs are short, specialized and affordable. And thanks to the recession, they’re more popular than ever. Oklahoma tech schools and community colleges awarded 586 certificates last year, state data show. Almost three-quarters of those certificates were in family, consumer [...]
Employment usually parallels education, and state education officials have made boosting college completion their No. 1 mission. Higher education officials want to add more than 20,000 degrees and certificates over the next 12 years. Moving forward, it’s important to know where Oklahoma currently is. Five fields of study account for about half of all four-year [...]
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