Psu Among Top Ten In Doctoral Degrees Awarded

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University Park, Pa. --- Penn State was ranked number one in Pennsylvania and ninth among American universities in the number of doctoral degrees awarded in 1995, by the National Research Council survey of earned doctorates released recently.

Penn State awarded 585 doctorates in 1995, up from 528 in 1994 when the University ranked 13th nationally.

According to the NRC survey, engineering students earned the most doctorates, 160, at Penn State in 1995, followed by students in education, 109, and the biosciences, 66.

Dr. Rodney A. Erickson, dean of the Graduate School and vice president for research, says, "Gov. Tom Ridge has declared April 6 through 11 Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week. It's an appropriate time to recognize not only the record numbers who have been graduated from Penn State in recent years but also the important contributions they make to the University. Doctoral and master's candidates are productive partners in both the research and teaching activities at Penn State."

Graduate students often teach or lead recitation sections of undergraduate courses under the guidance of faculty members. A dozen doctoral and master's candidates were honored for outstanding teaching at the annual Awards Program April 6. The winners represented all of the areas of learning at the University and had been singled out by their students as well as their professors.

All doctoral students are required to complete a dissertation that advances knowledge in their field of study and which involves research on real, often practical, solutions to problems. Recent doctoral dissertations have included the development of a statistical test for cancer risk; a study of low-intensity exercise training for older adults; a probe of the regulation of organized crime in New York State; a survey of the images of the U.S. in the French press; and an award-winning study of termite risk assessment to name only a small sampling.

Penn State currently offers 98 programs of study and research leading to the doctoral degree. The biggest share of doctoral students outside the University Park campus is registered in the College of Medicine at the Hershey Medical Center.

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Contacts: Barbara Hale (814) 865-9481 (office) bah@psu.edu
Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 (office) vyf1@psu.edu