Four UB graduate programs climb to high rankings

Four of UB's graduate programs were recently recognized in U.S. News & World Reports' annual ranking of top graduate schools.

Over the past few years, the graduate programs of Nursing, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Biological Sciences and Law have seen a competitive increase in applicants and decrease in acceptances.

Each program has pursued new means of attracting students to the programs by improving faculty, financial aid packages, and incorporating technology in the classroom.

According to Dr. Stephen Free, director of graduate studies in the School of Biological Sciences, faculty is the key to enticing students to UB.

"Many students come here because there are faculty members they want to do work with," Free said.

Innovative research pursued by the faculty is also a motivation for students. According to Dr. Suzanne Dickerson, director of graduate studies in the School of Nursing, research is a key component to graduate nursing programs and has been improving over the years.

"The faculty have been more successful in research, there has been an increase in funding and we have been more successful in receiving HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grants," Dickerson said.

Dickerson believes that the Center for Nursing Research is an example of how the one school research can increase enrollment in a whole program.

Funding for research is not the only financial concern - for students pursuing potentially costly post-baccalaureate degrees, financial aid packages can be a deal-breaker in deciding between programs, according to Dr. Rajan Batta, associate dean for graduate studies in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The School of Engineering recently began offering more competitive stipends, and this year introduced 12 full fellowships to new Ph.D. students without teaching responsibility for their first year.

"It's a way to entice students... essentially you get money for a year, but without any responsibilities other than to develop into a good Ph.D. student," Batta said.

UB's graduate programs entice a wide and diverse crop of students and host large number of international students who come to UB because of the quality of education and affordability.

"Finances are definitely a factor," said Jennifer Haggerty, a second year engineering graduate student. "I was happy to come here because it is such a good education for your money."

Technology has also been helpful in recent years, as a means of both improving education and increasing awareness of UB's graduate programs. In the School of Nursing, they have begun offering distance-learning online courses to increase the breadth of studies, for example in the field of psycho-mental health nurse practitioners.

The human component is also essential in attracting students to UB's graduate programs. For example, the School of Engineering has implemented a Student Ambassador program in which three students from each department make phone calls to accepted students and answer questions they may have.

"In a recent exit survey, 100 percent of the graduates said that the Student Ambassador Program was helpful," Batta said.

According to Jennifer Ando, a first year graduate student in the School of Biological Sciences, the helpfulness of the school was a major reason for choosing UB.

"UB sent me the profiles of every single professor and everything about the program," Ando said. "Everyone's really nice and really helpful- if you have a question or a problem you can go and talk to them about it."

A concern for some graduate students is the job market, but job placement has been promising, administrators say. According to Jim Newton, associate dean for national outreach at UB Law School, keen efforts have been put into career services.

"We have a very strong career services office with very close ties with legal employers and alumni throughout the country," Newton said.

Job placement is not a concern for Ryan Haggerty, a second year law student.

"From what I've heard, Buffalo is saturated (with lawyers) but as long as people don't trust each other, there will always be a market for attorneys," Haggerty said.