Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Have You Ever Heard of a U.S. University Cutting a Top-Ranked Graduate Program? Neither Have I

And yet, here's Pennsylvania State University. Doing just that.

I hope you'll "like" this article (link at top of article on HuffPo) and/or re-tweet it -- it's important to get the word out that there's a major attack on the literary arts now ongoing in Pennsylvania.

15 comments:

Benjamin said...

This is the kind of development that makes me anxious about the state of the MFA, even though I've read so much great material from Seth and have largely managed to reassure myself about my decision to pursue an MFA. When I was first tossing around the idea of an MFA, I got a lot of feedback from my parents. Although there was a lot of support there, there was also a lot of skepticism of how these programs could possibly stay afloat in periods of economic strife. Part of this skepticism, most of it really, was due to a lack of knowledge about the programs in question and how they work, but any kind of level skepticism well-informed or not from a parent is something that sits heavy with me.

So I wonder Seth, should we be worried at all by this kind of behavior? Or, rather, should we be worried about the stability and survival rate of the programs we hope to join and contribute to? Can we even anticipate program stability if top-notch programs like Penn State are pulling the rug out with little to no warning?

Seth Abramson said...

Benjamin,

At this point, we're still in the midst of a massive expansion in the number of MFA programs -- 6 to 8 new programs a year, meaning an increase in the number of programs of about 3% to 4% a year. That's pretty remarkable. We don't see that in other fields. When the mass contraction comes, I believe the programs most likely to go will be a) unfunded MFA programs (because they'll have no applicant pool, and no yield to speak of), and b) lower-ranked programs (for the same reasons). And eventually those two groups will be one and the same, anyway, the way things are headed. I'm hopeful that the PSU debacle is an exception -- of the 38 fully-funded MFA programs, PSU's was always one of the most vulnerable to this because of its small cohort size, remote location, small faculty, and the fact that the University already successfully contracted the program from three years to two -- suggesting a trend of precisely the wrong sort, as the top programs (e.g., Michigan, Cornell) extend from 2 years to (effectively) 4.

Best,
S.

Alison said...

Oooh Seth, can you tell us anything about the new MFA programs that might be around for 2012 applications? This is an intriguing development.

Seth Abramson said...

Hofstra University
University of Saskatchewan [CAN]
Fudan University [CHINA] *
Cal. St. U. at Fullerton [Screenwriting]
Oklahoma City University (low-res)
University of Tampa (low-res)
University of Oklahoma (MPW)
Kingston University [UK]
Arcadia University (low-res)

* But apparently you have to live in China, be Chinese, and accept the principles of the Communist Party to attend. Seriously.

Alison said...

Thanks! And I don't know, I'm looking to shake up my life a little bit. Maybe that China program would be JUST what I need.

DisplayedName said...

Perhaps because the only rankings it topped were bogus... just a thought

college consulting said...

Great Post. Please visit our website for college consulting , Freshman and Transfer College Admissions Consulting | San Francisco Bay Area

myessaypro1 said...

I like your post. You have a wonderful blog.There are very few nice blogs on this topic and you are one of them. Keep it up. Good Luck
Nice Post. Please visit our website for essay editing

aliyaa said...

Smart work! Really interesting to read the article! You deserve great appreciation and expect many more good quality articles from you! Keep writing! lsa university of michigan

Unknown said...

Your essay is effective if it clearly conveys what you want to say to the admissions panel to make them choose you over other law school applicants. more

Unknown said...

Reread your statement out loud, checking for grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. Fix awkward phrases. my blog

aliyaa said...

click here Our writers guarantee that you’ll have the best chance of success when you take their advice onboard.

aliyaa said...

Exciting to study this writing piece! You put up an amazing type research and cooperate with your readers. Thanks much statement of purpose education

Anonymous said...

Your tips area unit pretty useful for college students to boost their thinking power. together with education, the scholars ought to participate in co information activities that not solely makes them healthy however conjointly refreshment from the strain of academic studies. architecture statement of purpose.

Thomas Venney said...

Once again, the difficulty of the employment of medical writers United Nations agency work with doctor authors to develop manuscripts for publication in medical journals rears its head within the media, in a piece of writing printed within the December twelve, 2008 issue of the big apple Times and in a piece of writing printed within the December thirteen, 2008 issue of Wall Street Journal. AN unfortunate consequence of this text is that the naming of a respectable medical communications firm that was employed to help with the creation and placement of those journal manuscripts and, indirectly, the suggestion that such firms-and the medical writers they hire-inherently have interaction in unethical practices once crafting manuscripts. residency application personal statement