Grand Valley State University added two new master’s programs- school psychology and philanthropy/nonprofit leadership – this year and may add another as early as this week.

On Feb. 13, the Board of Trustees will meet to vote on adding a master’s in medical dosimetry.

“We see the need and have the ability and the opportunity to increase our number of graduate programs,” said Dean of Graduate Studies Jeff Potteiger.

Two more programs are currently in the review process – a master of arts in applied linguistics and a master of science in clinical dietetics.

However, Potteiger is concerned with more than just the quantity of programs offered. He and his staff are trying to offer distinctive, high quality graduate programs that are unique compared with those offered by other state institutions, especially those nearby.

“Every program that is proposed at GVSU goes through a rigorous review process,” Poetteiger said.

If university officials deem a program both interesting and viable, the program is reviewed at the department and college levels. Next, the Faculty Salary and Budget Committee, Graduate Council, University Curriculum Committee, the academic deans and the provost office examine it before submission to faculty senate for approval. The proposal then returns to the provost office and is ultimately submitted to the Board of Trustees.

“When you’re talking about that many levels of review, where there are always comments made, questions asked, you end up with a really, really good curriculum and a program that Grand Valley has the resources to support,” Potteiger said.

He said the move to increase the number of master’s programs offered is in part an attempt to stay competitive with other universities.

Potteiger and his staff are also interested in creating job opportunities for individuals who would graduate from distinctive programs.

“In the programs that we’re talking about offering, in many instances, there are not a lot of those programs that are around,” Potteiger said. “We tend to not offer programs that you’ll typically find at the University of Michigan or Michigan State, or even Western Michigan. We tend to offer those programs that are right for us.”

GVSU has good structure, faculty and facilities, Potteiger said. He added that all of these have contributed to the university’s success.

“Making a careful decision about what programs we’re going to offer is the key to Grand Valley continuing to be one of the best institutions in the state for not only undergraduates, but also at the graduate level,” he said.

Over the last 10 years, GVSU has enrolled on average about 3,500 students per year in its graduate programs. From 2010-2013, though, GVSU experienced a decline in enrollment each year, hitting a 10-year low of 3,242 in 2013. But enrollment rebounded to 3,458 in 2014.

Potteiger hopes to see those numbers continue to increase.

“I think they’ll continue to rise,” Potteiger said. “They’re going to rise steadily. As long as we keep adding the right programs, and they’re good quality programs, you’ll tend to see sort of an upward trend in the number of graduate students over the next five to 10 years.”