Is Grad School for You? Lissa Matyas Director, Recruitment and Retention Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies McGill University 1.

Is Grad School for You?

Lissa Matyas

Director, Recruitment and RetentionGraduate and Postdoctoral StudiesMcGill University

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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”

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McGill’s Graduate Offerings

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McGill’s Graduate Offerings

Useful Links

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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/