The Various Funding Patterns of Graduate Programs in American Research Universities

Abstract

　 In Japan to date, the main function of graduate school programs has been to produce academic researchers, and professional degree programs as such have not been fully developed. The chief characteristic of the funding pattern of graduate education in Japan has been its simplicity and lack of diversity. However, the recent development of professional degree programs and the rapid increase in external research grants have increased the potential for change and diversification of the funding pattern.

　 When looking at the funding of graduate education it is necessary to differentiate the possibilities according to the various types of graduate programs. American research universities have developed a variety both of graduate programs and funding methods, and an examination of information about graduate education funding at American universities seems likely to yield information of benefit to Japan. This paper analyses the diverse patterns of funding for graduate education on the basis of the data and information obtained from interviews with Deans and Associate Deans of 30 schools or colleges at 20 research universities in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.

　 The findings indicate that there are three typical types of graduate programs, namely ‘a self-supporting type’, ‘a research-dependent type’ and ‘an organizationdependent type’, and if these types are thought of as being joined up in the form of a triangle, a large variety of graduate programs are located within the triangle boundary lines. The paper also discusses the financial contribution that undergraduate programs make to graduate programs, the differences in the allocation of student aid as between research degree students and professional degree students, and the practice of decentralizing the financial management of graduate programs by each school, rather than having them run by a central administration. Lastly, the implications of the findings for Japanese graduate education are presented.