Imperative V
Initiate outstanding new academic programs in selected areas
To challenge students with exceptional academic potential, Baylor will create an Honors College. The College will house an expanded Baylor Honors Program, provide a home for an enhanced University Scholars Program, serve as a location for the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core Program and facilitate the administration of other exceptional academic programs and services. We will also establish a comprehensive School of Communication that will encompass the University’s journalism, speech communication and telecommunication programs. We will enhance Baylor’s reputation and the currency of Christian ideas on campus by increasing the quality, size and visibility of selected graduate programs. While our undergraduate programs should be comprehensive, at the graduate level we must focus on niches that fit our mission and afford the greatest opportunities for national success, including ethics in the professions and the intersection of religion with law, economic development, politics, literature and the arts. Accordingly, by 2012, Baylor will feature at least 10 doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities, including a new PhD in philosophy and three others from areas such as history, classics, social work, economics and political science. Further, Baylor will enhance its long-standing tradition of professional education in law, business, nursing, engineering, music, theology and education through selective program development and growth. The number of total PhD programs will thus grow from 14 to at least 20, the number of graduate students will increase by 25 percent, and the number of doctoral students will increase by at least 30 percent.
Progress Summary
- To challenge students with exceptional academic potential, Baylor will create an Honors College. The College will house an expanded Baylor Honors Program, provide a home for an enhanced University Scholars program and serve as a location for the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) program.
The Honors College has been created and has grown to include approximately 1,350 students with increasingly high SAT scores.
- We will also establish a comprehensive School of Communication that will encompass the University’s journalism, speech communication and
telecommunication programs.
A major strategic proposal to establish a School of Communication was submitted for review by the Strategic Planning Council in spring 2007. After deliberations by the Strategic Planning Council and the Executive Council, it was approved for revision and then submission to University Development for inclusion in the upcoming Comprehensive Campaign.
- We will enhance Baylor’s reputation and the currency of Christian ideas on campus by increasing the quality, size and visibility of selected graduate programs. Accordingly, by 2012, Baylor will feature at least 10 doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities. The number of total doctoral programs will thus grow from 14 to at least 20. The number of graduate students will increase by 25 percent, and the number of doctoral students will increase by at least 30 percent.
We are on track to meet our 2012 graduate program goals. The number of doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities has grown to 10 since 2002. The total number of doctoral programs has grown to 21. The total number of doctoral students has increased by approximately 26%, and the average GRE score of PhD students has increased by 115 points.