Apr 11, 2021 10:06 AM
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has some undergraduate students questioning their higher education choices, Winona State University has seen a steady increase and growth in graduate programs even amidst the pandemic.
WSU currently offers more than 30 different graduate program options in four different colleges ranging in areas from athletic training to English degrees. Over the past five years graduate program students have increased from roughly 470 students in 2015 to around 700 students in the fall of 2020.
Dr. Jeanine Gangeness, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in Rochester and the Dean for the School of Graduate Studies, explains that enrollment is up 43% since last spring. The projections for fall are even higher. In particular, the seven nursing programs in the Department of Graduate Nursing have seen a steady increase in the number of applicants and students for numerous years in a row.