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How to find a top graduate program that's right for you
The level of financial support you receive often depends on the degree you are seeking.
The Cost
The level of financial support you receive often depends on the degree you are seeking. There tends to be less financial support for a masters degree than for a PhD. At the doctoral level, it is not uncommon for a university to waive tuition requirements (referred to in the business as tuition remission). In addition to not paying tuition, many doctoral students receive some form of grant, stipend or assistantship. Whether a university is public or private, if tuition remission is available, the likelihood of assistantships (either teaching or research), are all issues to be considered when examining the cost of attending a particular graduate program.
The Quality of Life
Graduate school will be a way of life for the next two to six years. If you are married, your decisions will also affect your spouse and/or children. Some of the things to consider include the availability of childcare, employment opportunities for spouses, health insurance, the local cost of living and the weather, culture, and local forms of recreation (is this a place where you can have some fun?) If possible, try to visit the area and spend some time in the community. Talk to some of the ‘locals’ and find out what's going on in the area. Talk to some of the business owners to find out what the job market is like for the area, get an idea of the local cost of living and housing and find out what people do for fun. When you apply to a university or graduate program, quite often they will be more than happy to send you information from the local Chamber of Commerce concerning health care, childcare, cost of living expenses and recreation opportunities.
This is in no way an exhaustive list of things to consider, and students will give a higher priority to those issues that are important to them. However, these are a few of the things to consider that may help narrow the field of choices. The decision is never easy; you will be investing up to six years, possibly more, of your life and you do not want to make a mistake. By beginning your search early in your undergraduate career, you will have time to objectively evaluate each graduate program, closely examine the details of each and ultimately reach a decision that is best for you.
GradSchools.com can help you in this process with our comprehensive program search. We offer information on tens of thousands of listings to help you identify programs that meet your criteria and contact those schools for more information. To find programs and information on the grad school search, visit www.GradSchools.com now.
