Date of Award

9-17-2008

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Foundations & Research

First Advisor

Meyer, Katrina A.

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine faculty and administrator perceptions of and attitudes toward professional degree programs at liberal arts institutions. Three upper-Midwestern, private, liberal arts colleges of similar size and religious affiliation were selected for the study. Qualitative research methods were used in this study. Data were collected from a series of 15 interviews with select faculty and administrators. Analysis of the data resulted in three categories. The first category, image, included two themes: Interviewees could define and state the purpose of liberal arts colleges, although there were significant differences among the responses; and interviewees knew the history of their institutions and shared ideas about how their departments compared to those of the past (this theme is shared with category two). The assertion for this category was that the image and identity of each institution was significant to the individuals interviewed. The second category, justification, included four themes: Interviewees knew the history of their institutions; interviewees had strong opinions regarding the presence of professional programs at their institutions; interviewees believed that if professional programs exist at liberal arts institutions, they should be integrated; and interviewees agreed that employment was an eventual goal for their graduates. The assertion here was interviewees provided detailed reasons why professional degree programs should or should not exist at their institutions. The third category, controversy, had five themes: Some interviewees described “elitism” on campus; Carnegie classification was a concern at two of the institutions; interviewees agreed that professional programs generate significant revenue; some professional program faculty felt liberal arts departments hold most of the power within their institutions; and some liberal arts faculty felt professional programs may eventually decrease the importance of liberal arts. The assertion here was that interviewees believed controversy exists at their institutions, and that it causes difficulties within the institution. The final assertion from this study was that liberal arts faculty and professional program faculty live, learn, and work on seemingly parallel tracks. They hold significantly different views of themselves, each other, their institutions, and what they believe to be the true purpose of a college education.

Download

Share

COinS