By Katie Aurand
Editor in Chief
Instead of attending the fall Career Fair this month, some seniors will be applying for graduate programs. However, the path to graduate school can start as early as the freshmen year. Dr. Toni Logar, Interim Dean of Graduate Education at the School of Mines, welcomes students to the Graduate Education Office to get advice.
“I have five degrees, so I have plenty of experience in getting degrees!” said Logar. “Not all faculty would agree with my answers so I’d like to be clear that these are my opinions based on my experience… Going to graduate school completely changed my life so I am pretty enthusiastic about encouraging others to go.”
Read the following interview with Dr. Logar to find out if graduate school should be pursued.
Why should seniors consider going to graduate school?
There are many reasons to go to graduate school, but I will give you three that were important to me when I decided to pursue an advanced degree:
1. You really get to know your subject area. As an undergraduate, you are pulled in many directions in order to get a broad education, but as a graduate student, you just take courses in your major (or closely related fields), so you can focus on one subject. Plus, if you pursue research at the graduate level, you will have the opportunity to be one of the world’s experts in something, which is a pretty nice feeling. Keep in mind that some people who had good but not spectacular undergraduate records will be super-stars in graduate school because of the increased focus. A lot of career paths open up when that happens.
2. You have broader job opportunities. Some jobs require an advanced degree, and even if you take a job that doesn’t, you are more likely to be identified for a leadership position if you have the advanced degree. When I was in industry, all the team leaders had at least an M.S. It wasn’t a requirement for the job, but they seemed to be the first people tapped to move up. I like to tell people that an advanced degree often makes the difference between taking the job you can get and getting the job you really want.
3. Money. I would never counsel someone to pursue a degree just for money, but it is a reason to consider graduate school if you are also excited by the idea of greater job satisfaction. The last time I ran the numbers, a person with an M.S. can expect to earn over $300,000 more over their career than a person without one. That’s an average, obviously, and it is in today’s dollars. However, just think about that – an M.S. typically takes 2 years, sometimes less. Career-wise, you are earning $150,000 per year for those two years in school, while the real benefits are the enhanced opportunities and job satisfaction when you graduate (the real reasons you went to graduate school in the first place). It’s a nice bonus.
To give you a sense of just what an accomplishment an advanced degree is in science and engineering, consider that 27% of the U.S. population holds a Bachelor’s degree. Only 9% hold an advanced degree. Only 10% of degrees are conferred in science and engineering. That makes you a member of a very select group – the less than 1% of the population with an advanced degree in a technical field.
How do you choose a university?
I think that depends on your goals. Let me give you two common scenarios:
- Student A wants both broader and deeper exposure to topics in his field. He is not interested in a Ph.D. and really isn’t interested in a significant research project. In that case, I would suggest a university that has a wide array of course offerings, with the caveat that the really big schools don’t “waste their time” on M.S. students. It’s all about the research Ph.D.s in those places. So, Student A chooses a university large enough to have a nice selection of courses but small enough to not get lost in the crowd.
- Student B wants a Master’s degree and is interested in research. She may want to go on for a Ph.D. but isn’t sure. She really wants to become a subject matter expert in a particular area of her major. My advice for this student is to go to a university that has both an M.S. and a Ph.D. program in case she decides to go for the Ph.D. Enrolling in a different Ph.D. program from your MS degree can have pitfalls relative to counting credits and getting into a research program. I would recommend going to the same school for both the M.S. and the Ph.D. A student who does research at any level has one critical task – to find a good advisor. What makes a “good advisor”? Someone who is doing interesting work, is willing to have you work on the project, will take the time to teach you what you need to know to succeed, and in general, looks after you. When I defended my Ph.D., I stayed at my advisor’s house. We were in it together, and he was there for me every step of the way.
Can you apply to a graduate program in a field other than your B.S.?
Yes, but you may need to take undergraduate courses to fix deficiencies in your background. A common place to switch areas is to go into Engineering Management. I would venture to guess that most people who get an M.S. in EM do not have an undergraduate degree in the subject. Having the subject matter expertise from an engineering or science B.S. and adding an EM master’s is a potent combination for climbing the corporate ladder on the management side. The subject matter M.S. is a great way to climb the ladder on the technical side (and most corporations have both advancement paths).
How much does grad school cost?
That’s a tough one because it depends on where you go. To go to graduate school here at SDSM&T, without any financial support, costs $6,000 (resident) to $10,000 (non-resident) per year, plus living expenses. SDSM&T is one of the best deals in the country for a graduate degree. My alma mater would cost over $60,000 per year. Are the more expensive schools worth the money? In my experience, it’s all about the advisor, and there are great advisors in many less expensive schools. Of course, there are a number of ways to ease the financial burden of graduate school.
How can you get money to pay for graduate school?
Most institutions offer two main kinds of assistance:
• Teaching Assistant – The student is paid to teach a class or a lab and, in exchange, receives a salary and usually some sort of tuition remission. At SDSM&T, for example, students only have to pay one-third of in-state tuition and receive a stipend as part of the TA package.
• Research Assistant – The student is paid to do research with a faculty member. The money for an RA is usually from a grant that the faculty member has submitted. The RA also has a salary and tuition remission.
In addition, there is often hourly work available (grading papers, monitoring labs etc.), but that money may not have tuition remission attached to it, so you must consider that question. Finally, there are Fellowships and Scholarships from the institution and from private foundations and government entities. The graduate office here can help you start looking for those. Some companies will pay for you to take graduate classes, but consider two things when looking at those programs. First, you will still have to meet your job obligations while taking classes, which can be very difficult to do. That’s particularly true if you also have a family. Also, you might want to make sure that you are still eligible for any pay increase that someone with an advanced degree who is newly hired would get. Some companies consider paying for your tuition a fair trade for a pay increase. I always advocate going straight into graduate school from your undergraduate program. It’s a lot easier than working while you go to school (which I did for my M.S.).
What matters the most when applying to grad school?
GPA does matter. It’s the first thing I look at when I am evaluating an application. Many schools will require at least a 3.0 to go to graduate school and the higher your GPA, the more likely you are to be accepted. So if you have a 3.5 or above, you are probably going to have a good chance of getting accepted somewhere. But let’s suppose that you have over a 3.0, but not much over, or you have a 3.5 and you have your heart set on a particular graduate school that is very hard to get into. Are you doomed? Not at all. Good GRE scores will help mitigate a low GPA, as will campus involvement. However, the strongest asset in your portfolio is undergraduate research. That experience is an incredibly strong indicator that you will be a successful graduate student. So if your grades aren’t at the top, try to become involved in undergraduate research, including writing a grant with a faculty member, writing a paper for a conference or journal, and making presentations at conferences. These things have a big impact on your evaluation no matter how high or low your GPA is. And, it doesn’t hurt to study for the GRE.
What is the main thing graduate schools look for in potential students?
I believe applicants are evaluated on one main criteria, namely, what is the probability that this student will be successful in the program? Being enthusiastic about the program, having the proper background or being willing to acquire it, and knowing what you want out of the graduate experience are key qualities in a successful candidate. When I take on a graduate student, I am devoting time, energy, and money to that student and am putting a part of my career on the line by accepting that person as a colleague. So I need to feel pretty strongly that this student will work hard, be ethical, be a good collaborator, and will finish the degree. This is particularly true at the Ph.D. level.
How can you prepare yourself as an undergraduate to be a great candidate for grad school?
As a sophomore, you should already be thinking about graduate school. Build a resume of professional activities, such as conferences attended and undergraduate research, and keep it in your mind that it’s not going to be “four years and out” for you. Of course, you need to pay attention to your grades. However, I think a real key is to make the decision that you are interested in graduate school as early as possible and find a faculty mentor. A faculty mentor can help you make course selections that will help in graduate school and get you involved in other activities that will make you a strong candidate. If you stay at SDSM&T, you will have an advantage in identifying research opportunities through your mentor, and if you go elsewhere, you may be surprised what a faculty advocate can do to help you get into other programs. We all know people at other universities and networking is as valuable in academia as it is in industry. What if you don’t see the light until you are a senior? Can you still go to graduate school? Yes, of course. Keep in mind that the earlier in your senior year that you apply, the better your chances for getting financial support. If you really want to go to graduate school, however late that realization dawns upon you, you can make it happen.
How credible are online graduate programs?
That’s a difficult question. Some online programs are highly credible and others are just a profit center. For example, SDSM&T offers some degrees via distance education and the standards are just as rigorous as for on-campus students. I’m sure that is true for most institutions that have on-campus and distance offerings of the same course. Of course, I think half the fun of going to college at any level is the chance to meet and socialize with the interesting people in my classes, so I always advocate being on campus whenever possible. However, for people already in industry who need to upgrade their skills, I think there are indeed credible online options.
Is it okay to go to graduate school at the same university you completed your undergraduate degree?
Yes. I have often heard people say it is a good idea to go to different schools to get a different perspective, and there may be some truth to that in some situations. However, I think the relationships you have already built with faculty as an undergraduate at your current institution can be very beneficial for finding just the right research program and the right advisor.
If you are interested in graduate school here at SDSM&T, a good place to start is to look at the material at http://graded.sdsmt.edu and to talk to the faculty in the department in which you are interested. The staff in the Graduate Education Office will help you any way we can.
