Over the past decade, North Carolina A&T State University has experienced significant growth in enrollment and is currently the largest historically Black college or university in the country. According to the university, more than 14,000 total students are enrolled across its undergraduate and graduate programs for the 2024-2025 academic year. As of today, the HBCU offers nearly 50 graduate degrees.
This fall, NCA&T welcomed its first cohorts of students in three new graduate programs: the doctor of nursing practice degree, as well as the master’s degree and Ph.D. in criminal justice. The doctorate in criminal justice is the first of its kind at any school in North Carolina.
Additionally, NCA&T is awaiting accreditation for two more graduate degree offerings: a Ph.D. in applied psychology and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. The HBCU plans to enroll students for both programs starting in the 2025-2026 academic year.
“North Carolina A&T’s longstanding commitment to academic excellence ensures future generations of practitioners, public servants, and change-makers are well prepared to make positive, lasting impacts in our communities and beyond,” said Tonya Smith-Jackson, NCA&T’s provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “These programs further bolster our place among the nation’s leading doctoral research universities and give our students the tools, training and support they need to learn, thrive, and succeed.”
How in the world can NC A&T boast about the “significant growth in graduate degree offerings” when the institution does not adequately fund their doctoral students in the social sciences. For example, you have doctoral students teaching undergraduate and even graduate (master’s degree level) course without any university support. Yet, NC A&T Chancellor and other upper echelon administrators are boasting about their pursuant of the coveted RI designation. Anyone even remotely familiar with higher education would clearly view this type of disparate treatment of doctoral students as malfeasance and certainly not worthy of a RI designation.
For those who dissent, I challenge you to simply talk with doctoral students at NC A&T in the social sciences. As for the new NC A&T Chancellor, I challenge you to actively immerse and familiarize yourself with the doctoral social science programs.