Grad school is an institution of advanced learning that awards a degree with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree.
Grad school is a big investment and therefore not a decision to be made lightly. So, it’s important to be informed when determining to deepen your knowledge in a particular field.
Read to gain an in-depth knowledge of what a graduate school is and also learn about the requirements, programs, and which graduate school is right for you.
A report from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that more than one-third of Americans aged 25 or older had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2017. Given these facts, more people are seeking out grad school to gain an edge in the job market.
Also, a survey in 2017 from employment site CareerBuilder shows that; of over 2,300 hiring and human resource managers across the private sector, employers may play a role in the education bump. In it, 33 percent of employers reported hiring more workers with master’s degrees in 2016 for positions that had been primarily held by those with a four-year degree, compared to 27 percent the previous year.
Of course! You shouldn’t expect less after all grad school curriculum provides students with a broad educational perspective as compared with the undergraduate studies.
Why Attend A Grad School?
There are many compelling reasons why people attend graduate, below are the most common reasons.
Overall, graduate school helps to improve their professional prospects or broaden their knowledge in your discipline. Whatever may be your reasons for considering an advanced degree, ensure that it is firmly founded.
What Grad School Is Right For Me?
Choosing the right grad school can be a tough decision to make. When determining which graduate program is the best for you, you should consider the following:
Career
Academic experience is paramount for a graduate school, and your career goals should be at the center of your graduate program decision-making process.
Some grad programs actually require that you gain real-world experience prior to admission, so there’s no use applying if you haven’t worked in the profession.
For other fields, that advanced degree may be what matters most to achieve a specific career rank. Apply to schools that have one or more professors who do research in your general area of interest.
Accreditation
Accreditation is another important factor to consider when choosing a graduate program. Select a program that is approved by an accrediting body as it lends credence and stature. Also, you can feel confident they are receiving a quality education.
Always ask about accreditation when deciding which particular graduate school to attend.
Admission Requirements
Knowing the admissions requirements can help a great deal when it comes to choosing which grad school to apply to. Most grad schools require GRE work experience before admission into certain fields.
Program Resources and Research Facilities
When selecting a grad school, check to know that the institution has adequate facilities and resources as some professions require specific equipment.
If you’re seeking an advanced technical or medical degree, you will likely desire state-of-the-art equipment or access to superior clinical facilities like labs, libraries, grants, teaching assistantships, and summer fellowships.
Along those lines, If you’re wishing to pursue a doctoral degree in the future, you may place emphasis on research opportunities, as publishing credits matter in the world of academia.
Full-Time or Part-Time
When it comes to graduate school, you have the option of choosing the amount and time you spend on your degree.
Ask yourself questions like “Which particular program do you want?” Is it Full-time, Part-time, or even Online? If you’re outside obligations, you might want to consider programs part-time but that may take a longer time to complete.
Some graduate schools offer exclusively online programs, while others require on-campus attendance.
Grad School Program Available
As you research grad schools, you’ll also need to choose which type of degree program will help you meet your career goals.
Graduate degrees come in three pathways: specialist, master, and doctorate. Depending on the graduate school program and degree level you desire, your program requirements and length will vary.
Special Degree Program
According to career.berkeley.edu, specialist degrees are usually earned in addition to master’s and will require additional coursework, training, or internship experience. The degree focuses on the fundamental skills required in this area and usually prepares students for professional certification or licensing requirements.
Masters Degree Program
Masters degrees are offered in many fields and often designed to lead to a Ph.D. There are several types of master’s degree programs. The most common are the Master of Arts(MA) and Master of Science(MSc). Completing a master’s degree usually takes 2 years for full-time students and much longer for part-time.
Doctorate Degree Program
Doctoral degrees are terminal degrees. This means the highest degrees possible in any field. There are two main types of doctoral degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and professional doctoral degrees.
Doctoral degrees usually require the creation of new knowledge via independent research. Including the time it takes to write and defend a dissertation, this degree may take anywhere from 5-7 years to complete.
Grad School Requirements
Applying to grad school takes a long process that requires time, money, effort, and tons of application materials. Below are the six most important admission requirements for grad school.
What Is a Good GPA In Grad School?
GPA is such an important part of your grad school application because admissions committees at grad schools perceive GPA as an indication of your long-term performance and potential as a student. No matter how passionate you’re about your chosen field, you cannot proceed to a graduate school if you do not meet certain GPA requirements.
The exact GPA needed for grad school depends on the competitiveness of the program you’re applying to, the type of degree you’re seeking and, the field of study. While 4.0 is considered a good GPA for most graduate schools. some programs consider 2.5 or 3.0 GPAs, others balk at anything lower than 3.5.
In other to begin your graduate program on a smooth note, you should target at least a 3.0GPA at your undergraduate level because the admissions committees typically expect candidates to have GPAs from 3.0–3.3 for master’s programs and from 3.3–3.5 for doctoral programs.
Grad School Age
Graduate school does not have any age restrictions- It is appropriate at any age and stage of life. You only need to meet the requirements. Some students go to graduate school directly after finishing their undergraduate education. However, many others enroll in graduate
studies after years of being out of school for some period of time. You should go to graduate
school when you are prepared to get the most out of the experience.
The purpose of graduate schooling is to learn material that you expect to use professionally or want to know for personal satisfaction.
How Long Is Grad School
A master’s degree typically takes about two years to complete while a doctorate degree requires four years or longer in most cases. Doctorates also come with extremely challenging requirements, like researching, writing, and presenting a dissertation.
Unless your chosen career path requires a doctoral degree, it’s generally advisable to go for your master’s.
Graduate School Vs College
Graduate school experience is very different from undergraduate life: from research intensity to average cohort age.
| College | Graduate School | |
|---|---|---|
| Application | High school Transcript, School application, Essay, SAT or ACT | Undergraduate Transcript, GRE, Letters of recommendation, Interview |
| Age Range(average) | 18 and 24 | Average graduate student is 33 years old |
| Academic Workload | Broad general education studies | Delving Deeper into Your Profession |
| Type of Award | Bachelor(BSc, BEng, BA, LL. B, MBBS…etc) | MA, MS, MBA, PhD |
| Class | Large classes | Smaller classes |
Conclusion
Graduate school often referred to as grad school is not for the faint of hearts. It comes with a lot of challenges beginning from the application process down to the final defense. It involves a lot of time and financial investment. This is why many graduate students go to school part-time, which allows them to have a part-time job or land an internship in their field. The decisions are yours to make.
With this information we’ve provided in this article in mind, we do hope you choose the right grad school and program to successfully launch your future.
What Is Grad School- FAQs
No! Most Grad school offer flexible programs that allows you to work and study.
It takes about 2-4 years to complete a masters program, and longer period for the PhD.
Yes! There are graduates schools with no standardized test requirements
Yes! Every grad school require that you submit a letter of recommendation.
References
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