Staying relevant, competitive and excellent: Why Triad universities are growing graduate programs

At a time when higher education is facing a slate of issues including a demographic cliff and distrust at the undergraduate level, what will happen to graduate programs? Is a graduate degree still desirable?

Graduate and postgraduate enrollment declined 4.7% between 2021 and 2022, even though applications increased, according a September 2023 data analysis from the Council of Graduate Schools. Locally, UNC-Greensboro decided to cut 12 graduate programs last month as the university faced sharp enrollment declines and budget cuts.

Even so, several Triad universities are betting that graduate programs are juice that’s worth the squeeze.