In fact, preliminary data from the Institute for International Education s Open Doors survey confirms this one-year jump in foreign student enrollment. Application trends reflect the overall decrease in student demand. In contrast, the growth in the enrollment of members of U.S. minority groups continued in 1997, although at a slower pace. The downturn in graduate enrollment has been especially pronounced in science and engineering fields. Graduate enrollment in engineering and the physical sciences peaked in 1993.
Business is the only field that experienced substantial enrollment growth in the last year.
Graduate enrollment in business peaked in the early 1990s, decreased in 1994, and has been growing steadily since then. With the exception of public administration, the fields that have fared best in graduate enrollment during this downturn business, education, and the health sciences share a common close connection between education and subsequent careers. Recent Studies of Note Two studies released this month contain data and recommendations relevant to the issue of graduate enrollment. These findings are in apparent contrast to the data in Table 2 that show increases in African American and Hispanic graduate enrollment. However, the Losing Ground report focused on first-year enrollment in natural science and engineering.