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Students seeking post-grad bolt-hole as job hopes fade

Date: 22 Jun 2009

Published: Sunday Independent Business

Author: Nick Webb

The number of students applying for post-graduate courses has exploded as the job market looks grim for new graduates.  Unemployment is forecast to hit 17 percent in coming months, with traditional employers scaling back recruitment.

UCD Smurfit business school estimates that applications for its post-graduates have doubled this year.  “We have about 1,700 applications, which is about double where we were this time last year,” according to Frank Roche, principal at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.  “It’s the poor jobs market.”

Applications for management accounting, human resources and finance courses have more than doubled in the last year, he said.

This surge in applications for further education are replicated across the State’s other centres of learning.  “We have noticed significant increases in the number of applications across a wide range of our taught programme” according to a Trinity College spokesperson.

“These range from increases of 80 per cent in applications for the Masters in Law to a 68 per cent rise in MSc Computer Science.”

Universities have also seen a massive spike in students seeking career advice.  NUI Galway has indicated that it has received a noticeable increase in inquiries from students.