Researching Graduate Schools
When should you begin researching programs?
Start early. You may follow the suggested timeline, but most students will finish researching programs by the beginning of their last year of undergraduate study so they can complete applications during the fall of their senior year. Most application deadlines are between January and April for fall admission but some may be as soon as November. Application deadlines for assistantships and other financial aid for graduate programs are usually earlier than the deadlines for the programs. Remember, you need to give your test scores time to arrive and your references time to write their recommendations.
How should you evaluate programs for consideration?
Consider what is important to you and to your success. For example:
Are there professors with expertise in your areas of interest? Have you heard of or read articles by a particular person in your field that piques your interest? You should find out if and where that person teaches and then seek out that program for more information.
- Does the program hold appropriate accreditation?
- How long does it take the average student to complete the program?
- What are the program requirements and do they seem in line with what you want to research?
- Are there adequate resources and facilities, equipment, labs, libraries and practicum opportunities to provide you with a well rounded experience?
- What financial assistance is available? What percentage of students in the program receives institutional funding?
- What are the geographic location, town size, and housing situation? Does that fit in with the type of environment you need in order to be successful?
When at all possible, visit the schools you are seriously considering. Talk with or e-mail graduate students already in the programs. Find out about the relationship between students and faculty. Will you get what you need out of the program?
How should you begin researching programs?
You may begin your search for the right graduate program by using several of the online graduate school search engines. Gradschools.com and Petersons.com provide a great start in the process. The Education and Social Science Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides a listing of various tools for researching the rankings of graduate and professional programs.
Keep a list of the schools and the criteria you will use to evaluate the programs. This will assist you in the process. Use a spreadsheet to assist you with the details.
