Part 1: Identifying What You Want out of Graduate School
The prospects of attending graduate school can be both exciting and daunting— the thrill of learning new skill areas and gaining new experiences, combined with the overwhelming number of programs and possibilities. How should I even start figuring out what I want to study and where? How do I know what type of degree is best for me? One place to start is to determine your ultimate goal in attending graduate school. It may be to help you concentrate within your current field of work, pivot and change careers, or gain knowledge, skills, and a degree necessary to take you to a longer-term goal.
Academic courses of graduate study are mainly divided into two degrees: a master’s or a PhD. A master’s degree tends to last 1-2 years, is more class-oriented (although there are programs where you write a thesis), and focuses on career advancement and employment opportunities after graduation. If you’re interested in concentrating within a field or pivoting and changing careers, a master’s degree may be the degree for you.
In contrast, a PhD is much more research-focused, with the goal to become an expert in your field. If you want a career in research or academia, a PhD may be necessary to achieve this goal. PhD programs enable you to conduct independent research and develop transferable skills, such as critical reasoning and problem-solving. PhDs tend to last 4-6 years in the US, but it is very field- and advisor-dependent. The research area and advisor matter just as much as the school and the program. The fit with your advisor is especially important because they may serve as a mentor whose “trade” you are learning; their leadership style, advising approach, and the lab culture will play a large role in your day-to-day life as a grad student.
As you decide what type of degree you may want, it is just as important to research programs and topic areas that interest you to guide you to your list of schools. One great source of information is to ask around! If you’re interested in specializing within the field you studied in your undergraduate degree, reach out to your advisor to see if they have any programs they’d recommend or other alumni who took career/graduate paths you may be interested in. Additionally, speaking with current students who know the ins and outs of a specific program or who can tell you why they chose their current path is invaluable. Talking to people to learn about their academic and career paths is immensely useful, and led me to pick at least one of the schools I ended up applying to.