Grad Schools

Degrees Available

There are two main degrees you can receive from attending a grad school.

Master’s Degrees

Master’s degrees can be one of several variations:

• MA (Master of Arts)
• MS (Master of Science)
• MLA (Master of Liberal Arts)
• MLS (Master of Library Science)
• MBA (Master of Business Administration)
• MEd (Master of Education)
• MFA (Master of Fine Arts)

The most commonly found degrees are MA, MS, and MBA. Generally, Master’s degrees will take two to three years of full-time attendance to complete. Some will include a thesis, which is similar to a dissertation, but it will be shorter and require less research.

While the majority of Master’s degrees are not terminal (i.e. you can still go on to receive a Doctorate in the field), the MBA and MFA are considered to be terminal.

Doctorate Degrees

There are two types of Doctorate degrees:

• PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
• EdD (Doctor of Education)

Generally, Doctoral degrees will take four or more years to complete, and can last up to seven years, including the dissertation. The PhD is the most common Doctoral degree in America, but the EdD is gaining in popularity.

Finding The Right Grad School

So you’ve picked your degree and discipline. Now it’s time to find a school that offers it.

You can find a number of books at any local bookstore listing schools, but for ease, you may prefer to look online. GradSchools.com claims to be “the most comprehensive online source of graduate school information.” If you’re interested in seeing how the school ranks, you can check out the U.S. News & World Report’s interactive list of America's Best Graduate Schools, a site that is updated yearly. For detailed information about the schools, U.S. News & World Report sells the complete guide as a book, available at their website.

Once you’re determined which school you want to attend, you can either request information from them or view their catalog online - the majority of schools have all their information, and even their applications, online.

Make sure you review all application requirements. Some schools will require GRE test scores, while others may just want to see a portfolio and resume.

While grad school is not cheap to attend, it’s well worth the investment. Talk to the school’s financial aid department. You may be eligible for federal financial aid, or you may be able to get a college loan.

That may seem like a lot to do. Luckily, Thomson Peterson’s website offers a number of tools to help you on your journey.

Online Versus On Campus

One consideration you may need to make is how easy it will be for you to attend grad school. While some programs expect you to be on campus almost as much as a full-time job (30 to 40 hours per week), others will let you complete your entire degree without stepping foot on campus. There are a number of completely online grad schools, including the University of Phoenix.