Why Graduate School?

If you're considering graduate school, here are available credentials.

Are you considering a graduate degree?

Do you desire greater freedom and flexibility in making choices about the shape and direction of your career?
Are you interested in assuming more responsibility and independence in your workplace?
Do you enjoy challenging yourself through exploring new ideas or tackling complex conceptual and research problems?
Have you wished you could fully develop your specific interests and skills?

If your answers to any of these questions is yes, then graduate education can lead to a fulfilling, interesting, and exciting life.

Often designed to meet specific employment or career needs.
Generally require two to three semesters to complete.
Can be taken after completing a bachelor's degree, concurrently with a graduate program, or even after completing a graduate degree.

Focus on research, professional practice, or both.
Professional practice provides a specific set of skills needed to practice a particular profession and often involves an internship, fieldwork, or a final project; typically takes at least two years and sometimes longer, depending on the program requirements.

Professional degrees and research degrees.
Most common professional degrees are the M.D. for medical practice and the J.D. for law. There are also some professionally-oriented doctoral degrees, in fields such as physical therapy, audiology and nursing practice, which focus on field experiences in place of research.
A research doctoral degree typically involves both coursework and a major research project. Usually four to seven years of full-time study is needed to complete a Ph.D. or other research doctorate, depending on the field of study. Many recipients of the Ph.D. pursue careers in research and teaching in a college or university setting, but the doctoral degree opens a wide variety of nonacademic careers.