Welcome from the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education

Dear Graduate Students:

Whether you are a returning student or new this fall to Northeastern University, I want to join my faculty and staff colleagues in welcoming you to Northeastern! We wish you great success and stand ready to help you accomplish your educational and professional goals. I hope for this communication to be the first of several from me throughout the academic year updating you on events and information important to the graduate education community at the university.

I am very pleased to share with you that the university’s graduate programs have progressed in an extremely positive direction in the last several years. For instance, the university has greatly expanded the number and types of its graduate programs and has increased the number of graduate students participating in its programs. Over the last four years, the university has added three new interdisciplinary PhD programs, 23 new master’s programs, and more than 30 certificate programs. I am especially excited to reveal that the number of entering PhD students this fall, 282, is the highest in the university’s history. This follows the highest number of PhD degrees granted, 186, in the 2015-2016 academic year. Moreover, based on the Provost’s Office Surveys conducted in the past three years, our PhD graduates are well placed in private industries, governmental organizations, and post-doc and tenure-track positions.

Recently, the Graduate Student Government, the Colleges, and the Provost’s Office have collaborated closely and developed a plan that includes many initiatives intended to enrich and enhance graduate students’ experiences at Northeastern. The plan reflects the results of the work of a PhD Joint Task Force commissioned by the Faculty Senate and the Provost’s Office, with membership consisting of faculty members, graduate students, and administrators. The initiatives in the plan include increasing funding, improving program quality, promoting innovation in program design, emphasizing a culture of scholarship, engaging students in teaching, a broader career-oriented training, offering purposeful options for experiential education within and beyond the university, cultivating a culture of mentorship, and centralizing resource support.

The Task Force developed the plan after gaining a thorough understanding of our current PhD programs through attendance at Town Hall meetings, meetings with the Faculty Senate, and meetings with students, faculty, associate deans, department chairs, and others from the various colleges and programs throughout the university. The data gathering also encompassed a survey of university doctoral students and a study of peer institutions.

The results of the inquiry confirm that our graduate students are having a very positive experience at the university. For instance, overall, they have confidence that the university is providing them with an education that is well suited for careers both inside and outside academia. They also overwhelming believe that their advisors are actively interested in and supportive of them and their careers. Opportunities for experiential learning during graduate education, not surprisingly, also scores high marks.  Yet, there is still room for improvement, particularly in the areas of funding and professional development support.

The goals of the plan are significant and the bar has been set high. We aim to accomplish our objectives by 2025. With this being said, however, we expect to begin implementation of the plan, in steps, within the next several months. Details of the plan can be viewed in a document entitled “Northeastern 2025: Distinctively Excellent PhD Education,” (referred to as the “White Paper”) along with the doctoral survey.

Please stay tuned for updates and developments relating to the University’s progress in implementing the plan.

On a side note, you may have seen coverage in the media about graduate students and unions. In the event you would like more information about this topic, we have posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to answer any questions you may have.

I hope you find this information helpful. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

I look forward to seeing you on campus and my best wishes to you for an outstanding year ahead!

Sincerely,

Phil He
Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education