If you are considering law, medicine, dentistry, health-related or other
graduate programs, another excellent resource on campus is the Office of Professional School Advising
(OPSA).
What exactly IS graduate school?
Graduate school encompasses master’s degrees, Ed.D's. and Ph.D’s.
Master’s degrees typically lead more directly to a career
outside the university. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
primarily prepares you to do research and teach at the university level, but in
some fields, such as the life sciences, more and more opportunities are opening
up in industry. The Doctor of Education (Ed. D.) prepares you
for administrative or specialized positions in education, but is less common
than the Ph.D.
How long does graduate school take?
The time required to complete an advanced degree can vary considerably.
Most Master’s programs can be completed in 2-3 years. Because
the earned doctorate is a specialized professional degree,
often requiring original research, it can take 5-7 years.
Do you want to go to graduate school?
- It may be necessary for a career you’re interested in. If
you’re not sure, ask people in that career—use the Aggie Network, talk to your
professors about their graduate school experience or visit a Career Coordinator.
- It should not be a “fall-back” plan that you follow because
you think you have no viable options without it. Graduate school is a very
intense experience—and costly, in terms of money, personal time and emotional
fortitude.
- You may need 2-4 years of related experience in your field
to be admitted, depending on the graduate degree sought. For example, a Master’s
of Business Administration often encourages or requires at least 2 years of
business experience after the undergraduate degree before you can be admitted to
a graduate program. Education doctoral programs may require that you have 3
or more years of teaching experience for admission.
How can I prepare myself for graduate school?
- Get excellent to stellar grades. Highly
competitive doctoral programs may look for GPA’s of 3.8 to 3.9. Less
competitive, but still demanding, programs will seek GPA’s in the range of 3.5
to 3.7. More applied master’s degrees will seek anything from a 3.0 to a 3.7.
While it is possible to get into graduate school with less than a 3.0, it is not
typical. Your best guide is to ask the advisor for the programs you are
considering what the average incoming GPA was for their current class.
Extenuating circumstances and related work or internship experience may help
offset a lower GPA.
- Get to know your professors. You will need 2-3 letters of
recommendation. Talk to your professors during office hours—ask for their
advice. Let them know you are considering graduate school. Volunteer to help on
research. Take an independent study course. The better you know your professors
and they know your capabilities, the better your letters will be.
- Keep a file of written research or term papers. Some programs will ask for a
copy of your best written work. Make any corrections noted by
your professors, then submit the new, improved version. If you have not written
a term-length paper (10-15 pp.), ask a professor to guide you through an
independent study, with a paper suitable for graduate school applications. Ask
your professors if a written work is usually asked for in your chosen area of
study.
- Prepare for the entrance exam you’ll be taking—GRE, GMAT,
etc. You can find out which one you will need by checking with the programs you
wish to apply to. The weight given to test scores varies widely from program to
program—ask what the incoming class’s average score is. Less-than-desired grades
can be balanced by an outstanding test score. At the same time, a
less-than-outstanding test score can be balanced by excellent grades.
Independent companies offer test preparation classes, and there are self-help
books and CD’s available in your library or any large bookstore chain.
- Formulate your personal statement. You need to tell the
programs why you want to go to graduate school, how you have prepared yourself,
and what you want to do with the degree. This is the time to explain
extenuating circumstances that may help the admissions committee
evaluate your file—difficult first year in college, better grades later on,
family issues, illness, first-generation in college, etc. Writing this 1-2 page
statement always takes longer than you think it will—start early!
How do I pick a graduate program?
- Pick based on what you want to study, not the university.
Out-of-the-Way State University may have the #1 program in the country for
nuclear physics. On the other hand, Historic Elite University may not have a
good program in finance.
- Back to your professors—ask them who has the best
reputation and who are the up-and-coming departments in the country?
- Popular business magazines often rank graduate programs, but the rankings
may not validly measure a number of variables. These rankings are typically
based on a very limited amount of information about the programs. That said,
they do provide one more means to evaluate a program.
- Petersons.com
and Gradschools.com offer
additional information on graduate programs in an easily searchable interface.
Here you can find information on schools, financial aid, tests and more.
- Books in the Career Center and Evans library.
What is the timeline for applying?
- As a general rule, you will apply one year before entering
graduate school. If you plan to start the fall after graduation, you will go
through the application process during the fall of your senior year. Some
programs will admit for the spring semester, but most start graduate students
only in the fall.
- Start the process early in the semester that your
applications are due.
- First, find application information online for the programs
you’re applying to. Check their deadlines. Deadlines may run from November to
May for the following fall.
- Second, polish and update your resume and start working on
the personal statement. Your references may want a copy of both
to help them write strong letters.
- Ask references if they are willing to write a letter, at
least a month in advance. Hopefully, you have established a scholarly
relationship with them previous to this time. Give them all the information for
each application, including addressed, stamped envelopes if they are to send the
letter directly to the graduate program.
How do I pay for graduate school?
Usually, you pay for graduate school through a combination of fellowships
(scholarships), assistantships and loans. Fellowships are
usually not tied to employment, but to your own research.
Assistantships are employment offered by universities (usually
20 hours/week) as research or teaching assistants. Assistantships sometimes come
with tuition waivers. Many programs offer tuition waivers, but
this varies by state, university and program. You can also get student
loans to finance a good deal of graduate education, but cost can be
minimized if you live very frugally.
