Last month, we expressed disappointment that the University was planning to institute the Professional Executive Master's Program for fall 2013, a program we believe is motivated by short-term economic concerns that neglect Brown's long-term mission. That said, we are extremely pleased with the announcement of the debut of the Graduate School's Open Graduate Programs.
The program offers an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to graduate studies. Students will be able to combine a doctoral study with a master's degree in another sub-field. A University faculty committee has accepted nine students for the first installment of the program.
The University is reportedly receiving extremely positive feedback on the program, and we would like to echo this sentiment. The program fits in perfectly with incoming President Christina Paxson's background in and emphasis on interdisciplinary work. Paxson expressed an interest in "develop(ing) links between the sciences and social sciences and humanities," and this program seems to us like a strong move in that direction.
The Herald reported that one enrolled student plans to devote a chapter of her engineering PhD dissertation to archaeology, the field in which she is pursuing a master's degree. We anticipate that this type of creative and multidisciplinary study will enhance the University's academic culture. At Brown, we like to distinguish ourselves as inventive students who cannot be neatly placed into a single discipline or interest. We are glad that this new program challenges the notion that doctoral students in particular need to keep their focuses narrowly defined. The program will enable graduate students not only to push the bounds of their academic research, but also the boundaries and limitations of the disciplines themselves.
Furthermore, we feel that this program is especially promising for fields in the humanities. Given the themes of The Herald's "Mission Drift?" series last semester and having spoken with humanities professors and students on campus, we know that many feel the University is trending towards an emphasis on physical and life science research in a detrimental way. We can't help but agree with this criticism. As such, the Open Graduate Programs can serve as the best of both worlds, as a way for doctoral students focusing on the sciences to incorporate master's work in the humanities into their primary field. While we would certainly like to see the University make a stronger effort to combat this shift away from humanities, this should be a small step in the right direction.
As with any pilot program, it will be necessary to scrupulously evaluate the program in its first years and examine how it is implemented. Some have expressed minor reservations that the additional master's study might detract from the heavy workload endemic to doctoral studies, something administrators should undoubtedly monitor. To be honest, however, we see very little reason not to embrace this program. We are confident and excited in the program's ability to attract the type of intellectually curious and dynamic students on which Brown prides itself.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
