Evaluating Graduate and Professional Programs
The following questions will help you to consider and evaluate a graduate program of potential interest to you. Use these questions when you have the opportunity to talk with faculty and/or students in a graduate department.
What will I be doing three to five years after I complete my graduate program? It pays to find out what kinds of employment are most frequently taken by graduates of the program you are considering. Visit the school and ask some near-graduates what they expect to be doing after they graduate.
Attrition. Do students in this graduate department frequently fail to complete their degree programs? Once again, this is not something you will learn from the catalog or the department brochure. Visit the campus and ask both faculty and students.
Depth in the faculty. How many faculty members does the department have? Does the department's reputation rest heavily upon the shoulders of just one or two professors? What if they should go elsewhere?
Diversity in the faculty. Is there a variety of points of view in the department, or is the approach of most of the faculty members rather single-minded? Would you rather be a disciple or develop your own approach to the field?
Faculty publications. What have the faculty members published lately? This will give you an idea of whether the faculty's interests are similar to your own. In many cases, what the professor publishes is what he or she spends the most time talking about, both in and out of the classroom.
Availability of the faculty. Are there several big names on the faculty? If so, ask the students how often they actually see or talk with these people. Would you be likely to work with the big name on a research project, see him or her only in class, or just hear about him or her occasionally?
Internships and assistantships. Does the program have planned practical experiences? If so, where would you be likely to work, and what would you do?
Fellowships and funds. How much fellowship money is available? How many students receive fellowships? Are you likely to be among the lucky few?
Doctorate production. How many doctoral graduates has this department produced yearly? What is the average length of time it takes to complete the degree?
Assistance in finding a job. What percentage of graduate and degree candidates in this department succeed in finding employment? To what extent is the department helpful in enabling the graduate to find suitable work?
Admissions preferences. Does the department prefer to have their applicants fresh out of undergraduate school, or do they prefer applicants having work experience relevant to their field?
Versatility. To what extent can you use the degree from this department to get into other kinds of work? Is there much latitude for applying this degree to other fields?
Top
