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Research Graduate Schools

Once you've identified programs that interest you, the next step is to research those programs and the schools in which they are housed. This can generally be done by diving into the program and university website. When researching, consider the following points:

  • The Program
  • The People
  • The Opportunities
  • The University

Program

The best way to begin researching a specific program is to examine its website. To find a program website:

  • Use a search engine and search for the institution by name
  • Access the University's main site 
  • Find the Academics menu
  • Next Step - there are different possibilities
    • Departments 
    • Majors and Minors
    • Schools - unless you are looking for a professional program (not a PhD) then you usually want the School of Arts and Sciences, not one of the special schools
  • Navigate to the specific program 
    • Undergrad vs Graduate program - Often these are not separate.  So start with the program / Department & then look at the links for what they say about Grad vs undergrad
    • Separate Schools

Once you've found the program's website, really delve in and search for the following information:

  • Mission of the Program - does program mission appear to fit with your career goals?
  • Application & Admission Requirements - Find the requirements on the program's page, and call if you have any questions!
  • Degree Offerings - Look carefully at the degrees offered and the requirements for completing the degree.
  • Course Offerings - How much coursework is required, and what courses are offered? Make sure that the courses you're interested in are offered regularly
  • Internship/Practicum opportunities - If you are entering a professional program, internships and practica will be essential in obtaining the experience and connections you will need to get a job after graduation. Look at program requirements, support, recent examples of internships, etc.

People

The people in a program are an extremely important consideration when looking at graduate schools. You'll want to look into both faculty and current students. Not everything will be available on the program website. Use the program web page or a search engine find faculty and students so you can contact them and try to schedule meetings during campus visits. 

  • Faculty
    • Who are the faculty?
    • What are their research areas? Do they coincide with your research interests?
    • What have they published, and have they published recently?
    • What do they teach? (Verify this in the course listings)
    • Are they currently serving as graduate advisors?
      • Look at the Graduate Student Profiles and see if the faculty you are interested in are listed. 
      • Look for their names in the school search engine to see how much they participate in events.
      • Look for recent dissertation listings and see if they are named.
    • How long have they been at the school?
      • Be wary of faculty labeled "Emeritus." This generally means they are retired and may no longer teach and likely do not accept new graduate advisees.
  • Current Graduate Students (this is especially important for Ph.D. programs)
    • Who are they? - look for links from the program site that mention graduate students
    • Are students working in your area of interest and writing interesting dissertations?
      • If there are not lists of graduate students, look at the professors and see if info on student dissertations is listed under them.
      • Search WorldCat for recent dissertations from that university on topics you are interested in - See detail box to the right for specific instructions
    • Do they publish and/or present their work? Look for links about Grad student events
    • Do they have events, like workshops, brown bags, and student conferences?  Try to get a sense of how collaborative or independent the culture is - follow any links you can that seem to be FOR graduate students, rather than for prospective Students

 

Opportunities & Funding

Different programs provide students with different types of opportunities and funding. Consider if your program offers the following:

  • Research/Graduate Assistantships - these may range from helping a professor with research to performing office tasks.
  • Teaching Assistantships - these are important if you want to teach in the future. Keep in mind that you'll need to balance teaching with your own coursework.
  • Internships or Volunteer Opportunities - if you are in a professional program, getting practical experience will be extremely important 

Find out what funding is tied to the above opportunities. Do these opportunities provide you with an extra stipend, or do they replace some other form of funding?

 

University

While the specific program you're interested in is important, so is the larger university environment. Explore the website of the larger institution for things like:

  • Mission
  • Program Offerings - Are there other programs or courses that you're interested in? Would you be able to take advantage of these offerings?
  • Resources - What are the resources that support your program? How expansive are the library collections? Are there research centers in your field?
  • Events & Workshops - Does the campus have interesting events and guest speakers? Are there workshops or conferences you could participate in?