BYU’s Graduate Programs—Select in Number, Superior in Quality
August 25, 2009
“Ready to work,” is Wayne R. Landsman’s description of Brigham Young University master of accounting graduates in the University of North Carolina’s doctoral accounting program. Landsman says that BYU students have a good idea of what to expect. “The adjustment to getting a PhD is easier for them,” he says. “They are ready to work.”
Evidence abounds that Landsman, a UNC associate dean, isn’t the only one impressed with BYU’s graduate students. Other examples of Cougars succeeding in graduate studies include a doctoral student in mathematics who was offered a prestigious postdoctoral position at one of the best university programs in his discipline, a counseling psychology doctoral student who recently won the best-dissertation award from the national accreditation organization in her field, and a master of communication disorders student who received a National Institutes of Health travel grant that enabled her to present her research at a national conference.
Larkin Reeves, past president of the BYU Graduate Student Society, says, “Attending BYU for graduate school is preparing me well to enter the speech-language pathology profession. As a grad student, I’ve had several quality internship experiences, as well as rigorous academic courses, and these two factors have helped me develop the skills I will need.”
Contributing to BYU
Bonnie Brinton, dean of graduate studies at BYU, says that graduate programs are vital to BYU’s mission as an undergraduate teaching institution. “Graduate students and programs at BYU contribute to the intellectual and scholarly climate of the university and enrich the undergraduate experience,” says Brinton. “We offer programs that prepare graduate students for success in specific fields and in academia, and in doing so, we bring distinction and credibility to the university.”
BYU graduate students are frequently research or teaching assistants. Brinton notes that in these roles they help the faculty mentor undergraduate students, enabling many more to have mentored-learning experiences.
Speaking of graduate studies
President Cecil O. Samuelson addressed the role of graduate studies at BYU, saying:
As an undergraduate teaching institution with some limited-in-number but superior-in-quality graduate programs, our mission is to learn and teach with academic excellence in a nurturing environment of sustaining faith.
While we continually remind others and ourselves that our primary mission is and will be that of an undergraduate learning and teaching institution, we know that in key, selected areas, our graduate efforts reinforce our undergraduate programs by providing to both faculty and students important academic and professional opportunities they would not otherwise have. We are grateful for our BYU graduate programs; and in the special relationships and roles that occur here, we consider them to be vital to our stated mission. [Cecil O. Samuelson, “Our Quest for Excellence,” August 28, 2007, speeches.byu.edu]
Preparing students for success
BYU currently has 90 graduate degree programs, and many of BYU’s undergraduates go on to earn doctoral degrees on campus or elsewhere. In fact, BYU ranks tenth in the nation in the number of graduates who later earn doctorates. At some institutions and in some fields this translates into BYU grads being a high percentage of incoming doctoral students. Landsman reports that BYU alumni made up two-thirds of the entering accounting PhD class of 2005 at the University of North Carolina.
Other current distinctions held by BYU graduate programs include the number-one ranked master of business administration program among regional schools by the Wall Street Journal; the top master of accountancy program named by the Public Accounting Report; and top-100 rankings by US News & World Report for BYU’s MBA program (29), law school (41), master of public administration (51), graduate nursing (72), and graduate social work (81).
Kevin D. Stocks, director of the School of Accountancy, says: “We’re delighted with the recognition. The rankings reflect a team effort of faculty, administration, and external supporters. Together we continue to work to make the best program possible to empower students with the skills they need for flexible, fulfilling careers.”
