In spite of the severe changes in the environment of graduate education during the past 5 years, most departments have been able to adjust in ways that allow them to continue their programs. (Author)

Reviews recent reports on graduate education and offers the following recommendations: train specialists for social service, continue federal fellowships, develop long range planning for graduate level manpower preparation, and develop equality of access for disadvantaged and minority students. (Author/PG)

The present ludicrous Ph.D. program is a tragic waste of human lives and economic resources. (IR)

A discussion of the National Research Council's 1995 ranking of research-doctorate programs in the United States criticizes the report for what it does not address, particularly comparisons with the information it disseminated in a 1982 report, some data discrepancies, and central issues such as an institution's available methods of instruction,…

Clinical pharmacy is becoming more popular in the professional schools as pharmacists are adapting their roles to hospitals and clinics. Implications of the new programs for pharmacy certification procedures are discussed. (LBH)

A midstream report of an ambitious attempt to make the University of Massachusetts School of Education the flagship of teacher-training reform. (Editor/IR)

The five-volume Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States, the most authoritative academic quality ranking ever done, is discussed. The Assessment covers 2,699 programs in 32 disciplines and assesses a faculty's reputation for scholarly quality. Improvements in programs' reputations are also discussed. (MLW)

The University of California at Los Angeles has initiated an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE). It includes an academic program encompassing courses in earth sciences, biology, engineering, chemistry, and the social sciences, as well as a 1 1/2-2 year off-campus internship. (LBH)

Pedantry and technology have damaged the ties between the university and the art museum, but several recent initiatives offer hope for a new alliance. Cooperative arrangements for teaching, museum training, and special exhibitions are discussed. (Author/LBH)

The uncertain status of two-year college teacher preparation looms large in the calls for new degrees and new patterns of preparing faculty. Specific recommendations are made for preparing doctoral graduates to work in community and junior colleges. (LBH)

Discusses, in the context of the National Research Council's next study of research-doctorate programs, arguments over continuing use of reputational surveys as the primary measure of program quality, as opposed to more objective measures of research performance. Eleven tables rank institutions for specific fields by reputation, citation density,…

Quality concerns are foremost in assessing the worthiness of interdisciplinary efforts, but issues of funding, organization, student interest, and job market need to concern those who propose or review such programs. Proposed is a series of questions that may assist reviewers of proposals for new interdisciplinary degree programs. (MLW)

Examines criticism of the National Research Council's 1995 report, "Research Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change," which ranks university departments across institutions based on peer ratings. It is argued that the criticisms are not based on the content or design of the study, but reflect general concerns…

Using the 1995 National Research Council ratings of doctoral programs in 41 fields, a statistical methodology is offered for assessing how measures of program size, faculty seniority, faculty research productivity, and faculty productivity in producing doctoral degrees influenced raters' decisions. Then using data for one field, economics,…