Career Services

Researching graduate schools is a lengthy process filled with much information and important decisions. The material you review now will greatly influence future professional opportunities and accomplishments. Career Services in the Global Education Office at the Bagley House, has many resources available about graduate studies, colleges and universities, and specific academic programs.

Strategies:

These tips may make your search process more manageable:

• Speak with faculty members about programs they would recommend.
• Ask professionals in the field you hope to enter where they did their graduate work, what degrees they hold, and what programs/institutions they would recommend.
• Visit your preferred schools if possible and speak with currently enrolled students.
• Ask to be referred to alumni of the graduate program in your area.
• Check professional organizations for any available literature on related graduate programs. (Keep in mind not all associations recommend programs. Also, different organizations use different standards—if any—to recommend graduate programs. Be sure you understand their reviews before using them in your search process.)
• Review related professional journals to determine where leaders in your field of interest are teaching/engaging in research.
• Review graduate school materials carefully.
• Obtaining application materials can take a long time; be sure to request them several months in advance.
• Line up your references early; don’t be afraid to remind these people of approaching deadlines.

You are encouraged to review the following resources available in Career Services.

Books:

• Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Study
  • Volume I: An Overview
  • Volume II: Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
  • Volume III: Biological Sciences
  • Volume IV: Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume V: Engineering and Applied Sciences
  • Volume VI: Business, Education, Health, Information Studies, Law, and Social Work
• Graduate School Guide

Useful Links:

• Petersons.com—the online version of the Peterson’s Guide to Graduate and Professional programs. Allows you to search for programs by keyword, institution, location, academic area or professional degree; can be busy during peak hours; provides initial program overview
• Gradschools.com—the most comprehensive graduate school search online; can search by program or by geography; provides initial contact information for programs
• Schoolguides.com—a comprehensive online guide to doctoral, master’s and professional degrees; can search by location or academic area
• Princeton Review—provides information on admissions to graduate, law, business, or medical programs as well as useful information on standardized tests
• Educational Testing Service Network—provides information on the following exams: AP, GRE, SAR, PRAXIS, GMAT, TOEFL; serves as a gateway to definitive information about college and graduate school admission and placement tests as well as other useful educational resources.
• Graduate-Schools-USA.com – pure and easy search for almost all Graduate Schools and Degrees in the USA with the option to order free brochures, viewbooks and applications.