Is Grad School for You?

Lissa Matyas

Director, Recruitment and RetentionGraduate and Postdoctoral StudiesMcGill University

1

Grad school? Do I need to go to grad school?

Can I take a year off to see the world?

Will it be hard to come back to school?

Should I get some work experience in a related field?

Should I take several streams or concentrate on one subject area?

Should I stay at McGill or go somewhere else?

Options

• Master’s Degree

• Professional Degrees

• Doctoral Degree

• Graduate Diploma or Certificate

3

Master’s Degree

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree

• Extensive Research and Analysis

• Advance Career and Earnings Potential

• Can sometimes choose Thesis or Non-Thesis option

4

Doctoral Degree

• Original research in a specific field with a supervisor (prof. advising on research)

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree

• Sometimes requires a Master’s Degree

• Research- and Work-intensive

5

What’s the Difference?

Master’s Degree (Academic)

• Average Length: 2 years• Career-oriented (usually)• Most require a thesis• Available Financial Aid:

varies by discipline, but most students pay most if not all of the tuition

Doctoral Degree (Academic)

• Average Length: 4-8 years• Research-oriented• Typically requires a

dissertation• Available Financial Aid:

various forms such as fellowships, research grants, RAships, TAships, and loans

6

What’s the Difference?

Master’s Degree (Professional)

• Focuses on earning the specific professional degree for your field of study

• E.g. Master’s of Science (Applied) in Occupational Therapy– Required for entrance to

field

7

Requirements• Bachelor’s Degree • Requirements vary by program

– LSAT (Law School Admission Test)

– GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

– GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)

• Minimum CGPA* over duration of Bachelor’s: 3.0• OR Min. GPA over last 2 years of Bachelor’s: 3.2• Int’l degree equivalencies available everywhere

* CGPA = Cumulative Grade Point Average

8

Considerations• Who will write your letters of recommendation?

– Graduate programs generally require letters of recommendation from professors

– Become involved in research throughout your undergraduate career

– Try to have something published

• Honours Programs will give you an “edge”

9

McGill’s Graduate Offerings

10

11

McGill’s Graduate Offerings

Useful Links

12

Arts OASIS: After a B.A. degree: What about graduate studies?

http://www.mcgill.ca/oasis/ba/graduate/

McGill Prospective Graduate Students Website

http://www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/