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Feasibility of New Master�s Programs in CAS Studied;
Planning Grants Awarded by Council of Graduate
Schools
by Greta Petry
As the University at Albany looks to the future
to address the changing needs of the work force,
it is considering developing new master�s degree
programs to meet those needs.
The University recently received notice that
it has been awarded three planning grants from
the Council of Graduate Schools and the Ford Foundation
to look into the feasibility of proposing master�s
degree programs in:
- women, civil society leadership, and public
policy;
- health communication; and
- economics, with a specialization in forecasting.
Also being considered, but not part of these
grants, is a separate plan to develop a master�s
degree program in industrial and organizational
psychology.
Joan Wick-Pelletier said: �As dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences, I have supervised the development
of a strategic plan in which the creation of professional
master�s degree programs has become a
priority. Thus, these proposals are entirely consistent
with the directions identified in our plans for
the future, and I am very pleased that some of
their development will be supported by planning
grants.�
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Dean Frank Thompson said: �The proposed collaboration
between the center for Women in Government &
Civil Society and the Department of Women�s Studies
in the development of the new professional master�s
program will both leverage existing resources
across University schools and strengthen the University�s
contributions to serving local and regional work
force needs. This is an endeavor to which Rockefeller
College, and specifically our Department of Public
Administration and Policy, has been committed
for many decades.� U.S. News & World Report
ranks Rockefeller College among the top five percent
of public affairs programs nationwide.
According to Department of Women�s Studies Chair
Marjorie Pryse: �This planning grant approval
is very good news for the Center for Women in
Government & Civil Society and the Department
of Women�s Studies. Judith Saidel [executive director
of the center and a faculty member of the Department
of Public Administration and Policy] and I are
project co-directors on the planning grant.�
Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences
and Rockefeller College will work together to
increase the number of graduates prepared to bring
diverse perspectives to bear on professional nonprofit
and government work. Since one in three Capital
Region residents works for a nonprofit organization
or in a government job, new opportunities for
graduate preparation for professional public service
work will meet significant local and regional
work force needs.
This calendar year, Pryse and Saidel will meet
with faculty and department chairs from other
units to assess student interest. They will create
and work with a public service advisory group,
inviting individuals involved in local and state
government, social services, and other nonprofit
agencies, as well as in prominent public sector
women�s and community advocacy groups, to consult
about the integration of internship, field-placement
and mentoring opportunities from the beginning
of the planning process.
�If we determine that the interest and resources
are in place to propose such a new master�s program,
and that the respective deans both continue to
be supportive, we will then write a proposal to
send through University governance,� Pryse said.
Commenting on the objectives of the planning
grant for a professional master�s degree in health
communication, Department of Communication Chair
Teresa Harrison said: �Our goal is to serve a
most vital need of the health care industry by
preparing students to handle its rigorous demands
while improving the quality of performance in
health care organizations. Further, the development
of this proposal complements a significant research
focus on health communication in our department.�
The Department of Communication�s multidisciplinary
planning and design team includes faculty from
the School of Public Health.
SPH Associate Dean Nancy Persily said: �The School
of Public Health is thrilled that the Department
of Communication has received this grant. We look
forward to an active partnership.�
With part of the funding, the team will work
with the CEOs of major area health care institutions,
including St. Peter�s Hospital, Ellis Hospital,
and Albany Medical Center, to assemble focus groups
of employees to identify the skills and knowledge
needed by professionals entering health communication
jobs. This assessment will explore how a professional
master�s program in health communication should
intersect with work force needs. Initially, the
team will look at four job areas: management and
administration; service-oriented positions like
admissions registrar; public information officer
and related job titles; and education, in-service
training, and human resources jobs.
Department of Economics Chair Betty Daniel noted
the project involving a proposed concentration
in forecasting within the existing master�s degree
program in economics is �very new. We just began
thinking about it last fall. The target audience
is people who want jobs in business or government
dealing with economic forecasting. A large number
of agencies have this kind of need.�
A committee to focus on developing the forecasting
concentration includes Daniel and faculty members
Kajal Lahiri, Terry Kinal, and Thad Mirer. Lahiri,
an internationally recognized forecasting expert,
has agreed to lead the department�s effort to
plan for an updated
program. He said: �Things are falling into place
very well. This proposed program will be unique.
One of our goals will be to organize internships
at various state and federal agencies, on Wall
Street, and at other organizations. These internships
will be the key to the success of the program.
I am optimistic about a successful outcome.�
According to the planning grant proposal, �Economic
forecasting is a rapidly developing field with
wide applicability in business and the public
sector. Businesses need forecasts for sales, earnings,
stock prices, etc.; governments at the state and
federal levels need projections for revenues,
unemployment, expenditures, welfare rolls, traffic,
and the like for planning and budgetary purposes.
Many of our non-academic Ph.D. placements have
been in forecasting jobs because there is such
a demand for forecasting. A Ph.D. is not necessary
for most of these forecasting jobs. We believe
that we can train professionals to use state-of-the-art
forecasting techniques in a professional MA program.�
In a letter to the Council of Graduate Schools
regarding the three planning grant applications
last fall, Interim Vice President for Research
Jeryl L. Mumpower wrote, �I am confident that
the vision captured by these initiatives will
address regional and national professional trends,
and serve to strengthen the University�s response
to the educational and economic work force needs
in the state, region, and nation.�
According to Department of Psychology Chair Edelgard
Wulfert, �Albany is a particularly attractive
site for an industrial and organizational master�s
program because there has been an increasing demand
for such programs in the Northeast and only a
handful of offerings. As our department is already
known for its doctoral program in industrial and
organizational psychology, we can provide resources
and an existing structure to develop a top-notch
master�s program that will make us very attractive
to students.�
She noted that many companies are looking to
hire full-time industrial and organizational psychologists,
or employ consulting firms to help their companies
adapt to rapidly changing work environments. As
employment opportunities for master�s-level industrial
and organizational psychologists have increased,
so have applications to graduate programs.
As Mumpower pointed out in his letter to the
Council of Graduate Schools, �The University at
Albany has rich expertise in developing professional
master�s programs. We offer master�s-level professional
degrees in the fields of business administration,
education, fine arts, information science, library
science, public health, public administration,
regional planning, and social welfare, among others.
In recent years, we have developed highly successful
professional science master�s programs in forensics
biology and environmental health and toxicology.
Next year, we plan to introduce a new professional
master�s program in applied chemistry.�
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