Graduate Education in the School of Liberal Arts
While we often write about the undergraduate experience in liberal arts, we are equally proud of our graduate programs. After Katina, as many of you know, some of these programs were suspended. In the years since the storm, Ph.D. graduate education in the School of Liberal Arts has flourished. Many of the programs have been reborn, others, such as History, Philosophy, Spanish & Portuguese, Latin American Studies, and Anthropology, have continued with strong students and outstanding faculty. The revised programs were structured to reflect the unique nature of Tulane: the Sociology program came to focus on City, Culture and Community; the French Ph.D. attracted students who were interested in the global French; Economics chose three areas for study: health, education, and human capital; public economics and public policy, and inequality and poverty; and Political Science developed an interdisciplinary program on Political Development. The Linguistics Ph.D., long a stellar interdisciplinary program, received its own stipend funding source. Within a five-year span, both the continuing programs and the restructured ones had clearly defined the School of Liberal Arts as a leader in graduate education.
Certainly, this status is reflected in the students who come to Tulane. Each entering class is small, the accepted students chosen among scores of applicants. They find a range of research opportunities to match their interests and faculty who are dedicated to teaching and mentoring. Upon the completion of the dissertations, they are well prepared to become the next generation of academics or move into the public or private sector.
In this month’s newsletter, you can read about some of these outstanding students and their programs of study. You will also learn of the donors who have made this outstanding education possible. As always, we hope you enjoy hearing about life at Tulane and we thank you for your support.