Nationally, it has become increasingly evident that workforce needs of the 21st century will depend on education beyond the bachelors’ degree. As a Doctoral/Research Extensive institution, the Florida State University is well positioned to respond to these needs. In fact, FSU has undergone tremendous growth at the graduate level in the last several years. Between Fall 2003 and Fall 2007 the enrollment of master’s and doctoral students at FSU grew at an average annual rate of 5.7% and 3.0% respectively. Our total graduate enrollment increased approximately 4.6% annually. This growth far exceeded the average annual growth rate of 1% for public Doctoral/Research Extensive universities reported by the Council of Graduate Schools in the annual Graduate Enrollment and Degrees 1997-2007 report. As one might expect this increased enrollment has led to an increase in the number of students graduating with advanced degrees. In Fall 2007, FSU graduated 2,058 students with master’s degrees and 363 students with doctoral degrees. These numbers reflect an average annual growth rate in the last five years of 7% for both master’s and doctoral degrees and as observed for enrollment numbers, these values exceed the national average annual growth rates of 3% (master’s) and 5% (doctoral) for public Doctoral/Research Extensive universities. These values are evidence of Florida State University’s commitment to meeting the 21st century workforce needs of the State of Florida and the nation through the preparation of a highly skilled citizenry.

Today, master’s degrees represent 90% of the graduate degrees awarded in the United States. At FSU, master’s degrees represent 85% of the graduate degrees awarded. Although FSU is a Doctoral/Research Extensive University master’s education is an important part of our mission. We offer 141 different master’s and specialist degrees, and 70+ doctoral degrees. Master’s level training is highly sought after by employers in business, government, education and the non-profit sector. Moreover, in the last decade attention has focused on a new type of master’s degree the Professional Science Master’s (PSM). These PSM degrees provide students with discipline specific advanced training as well as highly desirable workplace management skills. At FSU we offer several professional master’s degrees including the PSM degrees in Computational Science and Financial Mathematics, the Professional Master’s in Applied American Politics and Policy, and the traditional professional master’s degrees in Business Administration, Public Administration, and Social Work.