Tufts' graduate schools' admissions have been impacted by the current economic crisis in a variety of ways, but one trend appears to be a rise in doctoral applications to a number of programs.
The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and graduate programs at the School of Engineering received increased numbers of applications while some other schools saw no jump.
Officials from both the Friedman School and the School of Engineering attributed the higher amount to a surge in interest in doctoral programs.
Many look to improve their educational standing during recessions, according to Rebecca Russo, the director of admissions at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.
"Generally over the years, when there is an economic downturn, it's a good time for people to go to graduate school," Russo said. "People may as well improve their education during that time period and hope that jobs will open up when they graduate."
The Cummings School's applicant numbers remained relatively unchanged compared to last year, though.
"The economics don't seem to have an effect at this point," Russo said. "In the last five years, we have been averaging between 700 and 740, and we're right in that ballpark again this year."
The Friedman School received 270 applications, 29 percent more than last year. Doctoral applicants made up a large part of that increase, according to Matthew Hast, the school's associate director of student affairs for admissions.
"There's more return going for a Ph.D.," Hast said, adding that currently "people's careers can benefit more" from receiving a doctoral degree than obtaining a master's degree.
Alida Poirier, associate director of admissions in the School of Arts and Sciences' Office of Graduate Studies, said that she was surprised that only doctoral applications are on the rise.
"I would have predicted that master's applications would be up," she said, explaining that the School of Arts and Sciences has not seen a jump in interest in its master's programs.
The School of Engineering's graduate program had received 616 applications as of last week, up nearly 20 percent from last year's 515. The jump mostly results from a rise in applications for doctoral programs, according to Sergio Fantini, associate dean of graduate education at the School of Engineering.
Fantini said the trend of higher interest in doctoral programs applied across all graduate schools, not just engineering programs. At Tufts, he added, the School of Engineering's attempt to raise its research profile also may have led to more applications.
At the School of Medicine, admissions officers have witnessed only a small increase in total applications, according to Tom Slavin, the school's director of admissions.
As of yesterday, the medical school had received 7,263 completed applications compared to last year's 7,072 and 9,044 additional ones submitted through a central medical school application service; the latter figure was down slightly from last year. Slavin said that he didn't expect the number of applications to grow much more.
The Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences has experienced similar stability in its applicant numbers, which have stayed within 10 percent of the school's average over the last five years, according to Kellie Johnston, associate director of admissions for the Sackler School.
While dental schools across the country have witnessed similar numbers as last year, the School of Dental Medicine saw a slight increase in applications from last year's high of 4,300. School of Dental Medicine Executive Associate Dean Joseph Castellana said that although fewer patients are coming in for elective procedures, dental schools typically enjoy more interest during deteriorating economic conditions.
Officials at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy did not return repeated messages asking for comment for this article.
The veterinary industry itself could be considered largely recession-proof, Russo added.
"We had a veterinarian come and talk to us [who] owns seven or eight clinics in the Boston area," she said. "He said that veterinary clinics are pretty much immune to any sort of recession that happens because people are very willing to take care of their animals. If they're low on money, then they would maybe not spend their money on something else so that they can take care of their pets."
