Deciding To Attend Graduate School

Graduate school is a very different experience compared to undergraduate study. For one thing, and this is one of the main differences, your field of study will be much narrower, and also much deeper You’ll be focused on a single field or discipline, and you won’t spend any time in general studies at all. And although you may have gotten a good grasp of your subject in college, a graduate degree in the same field will require you to come to know your field so well that you can be said to have mastered it. Another difference is the heightened respect your professors will have for you. Although you’ll still be a student, you’ll also in some ways be considered a colleague, because you’ve shown you take the program much more seriously than the average undergrad. In many cases, you’ll be working and researching as full partners right along side your professors. Of course, you’ll also be expected to do work at a much higher level than undergrads. Your social life in grad school will probably be nothing like it was in college, with much less time for entertainment and extra curricular activities. You’ll be so focused on the intense intellectual effort required that you simply won’t have time for these things; at least not as much time as undergrads do. But the rewards of working hard and keeping your nose to the grindstone will more than make up for what you’re missing. You’ll feel like you’re part of an exclusive club, and the hard work and intensive study will be the membership dues you pay to belong to the club. Many people who go to grad school report that they found the experience much more enjoyable than regular university, and the levels of friendships formed there much deeper and long lasting.

There are basically two graduate school degrees-master’s, or doctorate. The master’s will require between one and three years of grad school work, and will often require the writing of a thesis, but not always. One of the most common master’s degrees is the MBA-Master of Business Administration. Another common one is the MSW-Master of Social Work. But master’s degrees are offered in hundreds of different programs and fields, which ordinarily result in a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) degree being granted. The doctorate degree is the highest degree offered in American colleges and universities. Earning a doctoral degree can take anywhere from three to seven years, depending on the field of study. There are all sorts of doctoral programs, of course-medical, dental, pharmacy, are three that many people are familiar with. But lawyers are also technically doctors, having been awarded the Juris Doctor degree upon the completion of law school. One thing these four doctoral programs have in common is that none of the require the writing of a thesis or dissertation, which can be hundreds of pages in length. The other major doctorate degree, the PhD, will require a dissertation. PhD’s are offered in hundreds of fields, just like master’s degrees, and are a requirement if you hope to become a college professor yourself one day.

Which one is right for you? That’s a question you can only answer for yourself, but there are some things to consider before making the decision. For some careers, a doctorate degree is seen as having little use, and the master’s is the desirable degree. This is certainly the case in the world of business-the MBA is considered the most desirable degree by many companies, both large and small. And a master’s degree is just fine for many jobs which involve writing, math, computers, social work, psychology, etc. If you’re a school teacher who wants to get promoted or get a raise, there’s no more reliable way of doing that than getting your Master’s of Education degree. Although some master’s degree in the liberal arts are pretty general, and not really skill specific, when it comes to employment, the person holding a master’s degree will have quite an edge on someone with only a bachelor’s, everything else being equal. Of course, if you’re hoping to become a tenured professor at a college or university, you’ll want to go after the doctorate degree. Very few schools in this country will hire a professor without one, or who’s not in the process of completing one. And there are many fields, such as physics and chemistry, you’ll need a PhD to compete for all but slightly above entry level jobs. A PhD is also a requirement for many jobs with governmental organizations, research companies, thinks tanks, etc., in such fields as mathematics or economics. You’ll want to research opportunities and requirements in the careers and areas that interest you to see what’s required, and whether a master’s or a doctorate is a better option. A master’s degree in history or computer science may not do much more for your career prospects than a bachelor’s degree, while a PhD in either discipline could open all sorts of doors for you. And don’t believe the hype about PhD’s being overrated. We’ve all heard horror stories of people who’ve spent years earning a PhD only to wind up driving a cab for a living because they couldn’t find work. Well, that may have happened to a few people, but there’s probably a lot more to the story that we’re not hearing. Generally, a PhD is a very valuable degree to have and earning one will usually result in a greatly increased annual income, even if you have no plans to teach at the university level.

Another thing to keep in mind when pondering which degree to seek is the time commitment. A PhD can take up to seven years to earn, and you won’t reap the benefits until you’ve actually got the degree in hand. A master’s can be earned in three years or less. Another factor is your educational background. You don’t necessarily have to have a bachelor’s degree in a particular subject to study for a master’s in that subject. Many colleges and universities have two separate tracks in their master’s degree programs-one for incoming scholars with a bachelor’s degree in the field, and another one for those seeking to switch careers with little knowledge of the subject. Naturally, the second one will take longer to complete, but it’s nice option to have. Whether you choose to pursue a master’s or doctorate, it’s important to be honest with yourself if you’re up to the task. Unlike college level work, which revolves around textbooks and traditional exams, graduate school will require massive amounts of time spent doing research and writing scholarly papers and dissertations, and exams will be quite a bit more open ended and require a great deal more writing. Not everyone is cut out for a regimen like this, and you shouldn’t fool yourself about whether you’re up to years of rigorous independent research and writing. It’s better not to attempt it than to waste lots of time and thousands of dollars by dropping out because you’re not suited to the work. But if you feel you’re up to it, by all means go for it, as the rewards are well worth it.

If you’re not decided on which degree to go after, but you’re sure you want to go to graduate school, it might be best if you apply for the doctoral program. If accepted into the doctoral program, you’ll have access to a lot more financial aid than if accepted into the master’s. If for some reason you’re not accepted into the PhD program, you can then petition the department to approve you for master’s study. If you do well at that, later on you can reapply for consideration for the PhD program. If you think grad school will help you get the career you want, and you’re up to the work, and you can find some programs that interest you, then decide which degree you’re going to seek, and begin the process of narrowing down possible schools and starting the application process.