Graduate Studies

Graduate studies consist of awards in advanced academic degrees (i.e. master's degrees and Ph.D. degrees) with the requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.

There are different types of degrees awarded on different fields as well as there are different reasons why students want to further their education (better job opportunities, better salary, the ability to practice in settings otherwise unreachable).

Are you currently taking or are you planning to take some time in the future a graduate program?

If so, which program are you interested in? What are your reasons for entering graduate school?

I studied Psychology as an undergrad and finished with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Psychology is a field in which (in the U.S., let me clarify that) you must earn a degree higher than your bachelor's. In order to practice as a Psychologist or to be a Researcher in Psychology, you must at least have a Master's.

Because of my interest in practicing as a Psychologist, I applied to a Master's program in Counseling and Educational Psychology. Initially I was interested in the Clinical Psychology program; however, upon learning that they focus more on the research than on practice, I decided against it, finally finding a degree that was suitable for my interests.

The reason why I'm studying this is because I want to be able to practice as a Psychologist. I also am planning on applying for a PsyD (Psychology Doctorate Degree) after I complete my Master's in order to have more specialization and have better job opportunities.

What about you?

I'm about to start my third year of a (4 year Scottish undergrad) Comparative Lit / English Lit MA but I'm almost certain I'll go into some kind of graduate studies after I finish this, either in education (with a view to teach secondary education) or in comp lit (specifically Central Eastern European area studies / literatures and / or gender / queer studies, with a view to - I dunno - live locked away in academia for as long as possible?). I'm not sure because I'm not sure what country I want to live in for the next 3-5 years or forever (also, obviously, I'm not sure what I want to do with my life or where I can get in / get financial aid, postgrad degrees are painfully expensive), but francophone countries (especially France and Switzerland), the US and, obviously, CEE countries are being considered - as are returning back home to Romania and staying in Scotland.

The way graduate studies are set up in the US seems (to an outsider) very unfair, not only because some undergrad degrees are structured so that you need a postgrad degree to qualify for most jobs, but also because asking postgrad applicants to take standardized tests seems very unnecessary and ridiculous.

@ kafka.
Grad school in the US is a pain, and it's only going to get worse as more students seek grad degrees (because they have to, like you said, for good jobs) in a system not built to accomodate that many students.

I'm glad I'm studying a health related field, because that's about the only part of the system set up well.

@ Kurtni

I think the US is a lot better than (continental) Europe when it comes to range of programmes and number of places. Before attempts to unify European higher education and increase circulation of students within Europe (e.g. Bologna Process, Erasmus Programme), there wasn't really a need, desire or market for most postgrad degrees in Europe. People got them if they wanted to do research, but for anything else they just weren't necessary because most continental universities were run on a German system focused on giving you a specific skills within a specific degree enabling you to work in a specific field. Especially in ex-communist countries (I'm not very sure about the situation / mentality in other countries), the idea of getting a 'general but respectable' degree in something like history or politics and then doing a law conversion or working in finance would have seemed strange (I think it still does to a lot of people) - if you wanted to be a lawyer, you finished high school then applied for a law degree, if you wanted to be an economist or banker or whatever it is people working in finance do, you applied for a degree in economics, etc. The concept of a 'liberal arts' degree would also have seemed strange (it still seems strange to me) - universities were considered more places where people gained the qualifications they needed to be able to find a job than places where people learned or researched stuff for 'personal enrichment' - this is also why until the 2000s most degrees were free or very cheap, governments thought that universities were (more or less) high-schools for adults (in France, for example, public universities are still forced to accept everybody who applies to them and then weed out students through first year exams). Research was often done in research institutes outside universities (in the whole of Europe, not just CEE) - this is why continental European universities don't usually do that well in worldwide university rankings, those rankings place a lot of emphasis on number of publications in research journals, number of alumni who received prestigious awards for research, etc and continental universities simply aren't as focused on research as they are on teaching undergrads.

This is partly why I'd want to try a non-Anglophone institution at postgrad (the other part is wanting to think / write critically in three languages), it's interesting and very useful (at least from a comp lit perspective) to see how opinions about what higher / postgrad education should be / do affect the structure and content of courses.

I'm now looking into Creative Writing postgrad degrees. I'm kind of lucky in that my parents live near one of the best uni's in the country for them, which means I will only really need the money to cover the tuition fees in order to go. I'm planning on applying this year for a deferred place so I can have two years out to find a job and get the money to pay for it.

i just can't decide if I want to do Screenwriting, Prose writing, Biography/Creative non-fiction, or Theatre Directing. I might apply for all of them and just take whatever I'm offered, if I am offered any.

After I get my Bachelor's in Nursing, I'll go to graduate school to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). It's a two year program and I'll take a certification test once I'm done with it.

Right now I am studying Sociology with a minor in Public Relations but I am extremely interested in higher education so I want to go to my school Graduate school because they have a College Student Personnel Administration program. I am really interested in working for colleges in the academic advising, admission, student affairs, or retention part so I am excited to get my next two years done so I can move on to grad school. In the meantime I am a college Ambassador and I work in the Admissions office. I get super sad that no undergrad degrees are offered in CSPA, but at least I can get some field experience in Undergrad giving people tours and what not.

This is something that's been on my mind for literally MONTHS now...

I am currently getting my Bachelors in Music Education right now, and I'm really plan on teaching high school when I graduate. But if I don't get the job I'm looking for, then I will go on to get my Masters, I think if Flute Performance.

Really, to get a Masters in Music Education, I would need to have teaching experience, and I also don't want to stop playing my flute. So, I was thinking I'd go ahead and prepare my Masters in Flute Performance somewhere as I'm getting ready to graduate. Maybe somewhere like University of North Texas or Michigan. Not sure yet. :)

@ Name Of Misery.
That one is similar to my degree. 2 years of preparation for the certification and then the final exam for the degree is the actual certification; I'll be getting a certificate as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and then start applying for the LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) as well as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).

What I dislike is that the licenses cost quite a big amount of money that is not covered under the tuition

@ cadaveres literarios
Yeah, graduate studies usually throw in a lot of expenses compared to other schooling, as far as I can see.

@ Not So Hipster.
I was going to study music education but I changed my major like two weeks before I was going to go to college last year D: I hope it works out for you.

@ Name Of Misery.
Aw man, but that's okay. :) I hope you are still doing something you love and enjoy!

I'm in the last year of getting my BEd but I really, really want to get a post-grad degree in biology or zoololgy or microbiology. I'm so damned upside-down but since I already have the biology/zoology credits I might still be able to do it.

I'm halfway through my Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology degree, and I'm starting to look at doctorate programs in Chemistry and Chemical Biology or Medicinal Chemistry. I want to do work in pharmaceutical research either developing drugs, isolating compounds from natural substances and testing for bioactivity, or looking at how small molecules interact with biological macromolecules. The programs are different for each school, so I'll probably apply to multiple with slightly different tracks. If I'm lucky enough to get into more than one, I'll choose to attend the school with the program I like the best. So far, it's really stressful to try to plan my next two years to make me a good candidate. I really hope I get in because getting a job with just a bachelors is incredibly difficult in this economy.

I'm currently working toward a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at my uni; going to start my last year in the fall. I honestly haven't seriously looked into any other prospective schools other than the one that I had originally intended going to (in order to pursue Forensic Science), but after glancing over a list of schools that offer forensic graduate degrees, I at least know that I have more options. Like, there was a school somewhere on the mainland that offered a master's degree in Forensic Chemistry and just goddamn I am all over that.

I'm also currently doing research in a biochemistry lab with the hopes that the presence of this kind of lab experience will put me in a positive light to schools (since the biochem is bound to be useful in forensics). I haven't taken my GREs yet but I know that I need to soon. I just wish they weren't so expensive, ugh. I also am heavily considering taking a year off after graduating before I head back into the idea of graduate school. Maybe look for some internships but I'm not sure where to start considering my focus. Otherwise I'd use the time to find some sort of job to save up for school/start paying off loans or travel. However, admittedly, I'm not entirely certain where I could go with just a chemistry degree.

I'm currently pursuing my bachelor's degree in theatre, starting my junior year in the fall. After I graduate, I plan to get my MA in theatre and then a Ph.D, and use my doctorate to teach at a university. I'm starting to look into the schools that offer the Ph.D in theatre, and they're so few and far-between, though I've found a handful of good perspective options.

As a theatre student, sometimes I feel like the only person wanting to pursue a graduate degree/degrees. Given the nature of the theatre field, it makes perfect sense that many people aren't looking to pursue it, but I still sometimes get looked at like I have three heads for wanting to get my doctorate by my fellow theatre majors! I'm excited to pursue graduate studies, though. As far as graduate specializations go, lately I've been really interested in studying all things comedy, particularly female comedians. I'm also getting more into theatre history.

I feel so behind the curve compared to everyone else in my field because I hadn't planned for post-grad/PhD research from the start. I obtained my BA in Film Studies in 2012 and took a gap year before starting my MA in the same subject this year. It seemed like all the strictly theoretical students had their speciality area already sorted from the beginning and I didn't find mine until my last semester third year.

I'm pursuing post-grad to have better chances of working in preservation/archiving at the BFI (British Film Institute) and I've recently been looking into a PhD programme because I've always wanted to publish something that future film students will begrudgingly use as reference for their essays they don't want to write. 100,000 words for a doctoral dissertation is a pretty daunting task though so I think I'm going to wait until I finish my taught post-grad programme to see if it's something I'd ultimately like to continue with.

However, Film Studies isn't a well regarded subject and my BA is considered a wasted degree as it is. I've been highly discouraged from doing post-grad and I expect the response will be overwhelmingly negative if I were to then follow up with a PhD in it.

Can you please tell me if there are any advantages to a bachelor's degree? My parents are pushing me to continue studying and getting this degree but I'm not sure if I want that. Guys from professional personal statement writing services would help me prepare all the documents for enrollment, but I'm more inclined to change my profession. I don't see the point in continuing to study law if I've always wanted to be a web designer.

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