Chris Dodd: “I rise today with Senators Durbin and Stabenow to introduce GRAD, the Getting Results for Advanced Degrees Act. The…”

“I rise today with Senators Durbin and Stabenow to introduce GRAD, the Getting Results for Advanced Degrees Act. The purpose of this bill is to encourage students to pursue graduate education and to assist them in affording it. The percentage of individuals pursuing graduate education has increased dramatically in recent decades as individuals seek the education and skills needed to participate in a global economy. In the last 25 years alone, graduate enrollment in the United States has increased by 38 percent bringing the number of graduate students in this country to 1.85 million. The benefits of graduate education for our country are enormous. This year's graduate and professional students are the doctors, scientists, and inventors of tomorrow. Their ideas and innovations will be the basis of America's economic strength in the years to come. The benefits for individuals are significant as well. The median earnings of a worker with a master's degree are twice that of a high school graduate and $10,000 more than an individual with a bachelor's degree. The median earnings of a worker with a doctoral degree are 2\1/2\ times that of a high school graduate, $30,000 more than an individual with a bachelor's degree and $20,000 more than someone with a master's.…”