A return to school before a return to the job market

Many schools try to accommodate part-time students who work by offering classes in the evening and on weekends. (ISTOCKPHOTO.COM)

Wall Street's woes have the economy down and jobs scarce. Is it time to hit the books?

A struggling economy usually translates into higher enrollment at graduate schools and other higher education facilities. And this time the trend appears to be holding. Many Boston-area schools report a greater number of applicants for the fall semester. The Boston area has no shortage of graduate programs - GradSchools.com counts more than 120 in the metropolitan area.

"When the jobless rate goes up, that's a great time for people to reconsider their priorities," said Kristen Haack, director of graduate admissions at the Simmons College of Arts and Sciences, which has a 16 percent enrollment increase this semester.

But the severity of the current financial crisis also has many higher education officials worried that the sheer magnitude of the problems may convince some workers that they can't afford to return to school now. These officials are also worried that companies that traditionally support employees who take classes to advance their knowledge or qualifications may not be able to do so.

For now, though, local schools report higher enrollment in popular programs such as teaching, nursing, and business.

Haack describes the education field as "recession-proof." Simmons offers a popular master of arts in teaching program - a "teachers boot camp."

The program does not require a total overhaul of students' existing skills, she said, as many teaching disciplines have a natural fit with professional work.

For example, Haack said engineers can become qualified to teach calculus, or those who once worked in publishing can learn to teach students about Jane Austen and other novelists.

"If applicants received their bachelor's degree before 1980, then more emphasis is placed on the resume experience" of the intermittent years, Haack said.

Simmons is one of many schools that try to accommodate part-time, working students, by, for example, offering classes in the teaching program in the evening and on weekends. These and online courses offered by some schools help students who cannot dedicate a full working day to classes. And by combining work with graduate school, some employees are able to be reimbursed for their education costs.

Some of Boston University Metropolitan College's most popular programs, such as criminal justice and computer science, are available via online curriculums, said Carl Sessa, the school's senior assistant dean.

"Criminal justice is growing across the board, particularly since" the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Sessa said. And in this age of high gas prices, taking courses online also saves on commuting to BU's Commonwealth Avenue campus.

Sessa said students across the country - and even some military personnel deployed overseas - are completing degrees through the college's online program.

Enrollment in BU's administrative sciences program has also risen, Sessa said, as employees in business and management positions look to stay competitive in a heightened market.

Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies also features curriculums that can boost the resume without forcing students to change fields. Master's degrees in corporate and organizational communication or a graduate certificate in leadership are available to help employees keep abreast of evolving markets and technologies.

Accounting is another business field facing shortages. Lower-cost alternatives are available through certificate programs at Bunker Hill Community College and MassBay Community College.

A nationwide shortage of nurses has driven applications up at Curry College's new nursing program, and an evening option is also offered at MassBay Community College. The University of Massachusetts at Boston offers degrees in more specialized nursing programs such as nurse practitioner or clinical care.

Curry College has also seen higher enrollment in its MBA program, similar to what other schools are experiencing.

Organizers of the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT - an aptitude exam required for most graduate business schools - reported a 24.5 percent rise in the number of tests taken in 2008, from 2006, compared with a 16.5 percent increase in the prior period.

If conventional wisdom holds, the effects of the recent downturn will be especially apparent this spring and next fall in graduate admissions offices. Haack said Simmons has already noticed increases in applications, but it's still "too early to quantify."

But school officials worry that this current downturn will prompt companies to cut back on the education benefits they offer employees.

"The trend [in a struggling economy] tends to be that some corporate reimbursement is cut, so we might expect to see some of that," said Gail Arch, director of Curry College's MBA program.

When choosing to head back to school, "more often than not, it's a career redirection," Haack said. But a volatile market has sent many toward a degree unexpectedly.