What Degree is Best For Me?
Unlike a liberal arts education, which emphasizes critical thinking across a range of disciplines, post-graduate study is characterized by focused training for entrance into a specific academic field or profession. A central question to ask yourself is whether graduate study (as opposed to employment, volunteerism, travel, etc.) is necessary given your short- and long-term goals.
Post-graduate study is a considerable investment of personal and financial resources, as well as time. Many students choose to work directly after college in order to better define their goals. Work experience can offer an opportunity for reflection and clarification in a way that was impossible during the college years.
A first step in choosing an appropriate subject and program is to ask which fields of study best suit your academic interests and career goals? Second, consider which degree program (MBA, MA , PhD, etc.) best supports these goals. The career counselors at Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS) can help undecided students determine how much formal education is necessary, given their career goals.
Here is some general information about each type of degree:
- Depending on the program, master's degrees take from one to three years to complete.
- Professional Master's degrees educate and train students for specific careers (e.g. MPH, MFA, Social Work, Public Policy) and they often prefer that students have several years of work experience before applying.
- Non-professional master's degrees may not directly relate to career preparation or advancement.
- Many are unfunded or have limited funding available.
- The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) Survey of Earned Doctorates reports that, depending on the field of study, the median time spent as a registered doctoral student ranges from six to nine years. Graduate students and post-docs can provide the most recent testimonials about time to degree.
- Most often, but not exclusively, doctoral degree programs prepare students for careers in the academy: teaching, research, writing.
- They allow students to pursue research and scholarship in a particular area of interest.
- Dissertation research and writing are often long processes, and can be both intellectually stimulating and isolating.
- Doctoral programs are mostly full-time and are funded through grants, scholarships, fellowships, and often research or teaching assistantships.
Professional Degree (JD, MD, Business)
- Generally take 2-4 years to complete.
- Most are not funded. Students often take out loans to finance their education with the plan that their degree will enable them to repay their loans.
There are many people on campus available to help students in the College determine which graduate degree programs best suit their needs:
- Academic mentors: including faculty, postdocs, and graduate students
- College advisors
- Chicago GPS Advisors
