P1246341505pYWuU

1
Considering Graduate School?
2
What is Graduate School?

• An institution of higher learning, usually a
  division of a college or university, that grants
  advanced degrees such as
• MA MBA MD
• MEd MPA MS
• LPN PhD JD

3
Graduate School vs. Undergraduate School

• Graduate school differs from work on a bachelor's
  degree. In graduate school, one will study in a
  single field, often working closely with
  professors in your area.

4
Why Graduate School???

• Monetary benefit
• According to the US Census Bureau, Americans with
  graduate degrees can earn an average of 10,000
  more than those with a bachelors degree
• Allows for specialization in a particular field
• Preparation for leadership positions
• Upper-level positions may require a graduate
  degree
• Widens employment opportunities

5
Getting Started

• Narrow down your interest areas
• Ask professors and professionals
• Start looking early
• Most universities and departments have websites
  with useful information
• For example, The University of Akrons graduate
  school homepage is found at http//www.uakron.edu/
  gradsch/
• Visit schools
• Use available resources

6
Choosing a Graduate SchoolThings to Consider

• Benefits
• Location
• Cost
• Quality and Size of Program
• Faculty Alumni
• Work experience required?

7
Financing Graduate School

• There are numerous ways to finance graduate
  school
• Fellowships
• Graduate, Teaching Research Assistantships
• Loans
• Scholarships
• Military Assistance
• Employers

8
Assistantships and Fellowships

• A fellowship pays for the students cost of
  tuition, similar to a scholarship, and is usually
  awarded to outstanding students by their
  department
• An assistantship requires a student to work as a
  research or teaching assistant for their
  department approximately 20 hours a week but is
  paid hourly and receives free or discounted
  tuition
• Assistantships are not always limited to ones
  department, students should check with other
  offices and departments on campus for
  assistantships

9
The Admission Process

• Take the required entrance exams
• Fill out the application entirely
• Request your official transcripts
• Obtain three letters of recommendation
• Formal interview process (Optional)
• Wait for the final decision

10
What do Graduate Schools Look At

• Undergraduate GPA
• Standardized Test Score
• Recommendation Letters
• Personal Statement
• For guidance, please see our webpage at
  http//www.uakron.edu/gradsch/
• Interview (Optional)

11
Entrance Exams

• LSAT(Law School Aptitude Test)
• GRE(Graduate Record Exam)
• GMAT(Graduate Management Admission Test)
• MCAT(Medical College Admission Test)

12
Timeline Completion Chart

13
What to Expect in the Interview

• Be prepared to meet with professors,
  administrators and graduate students
• Be prepared to answer problem-solving,
  hypothetical, situational or research related
  questions such as "What if.." or "Tell me about
  a time when"

14
Available References

• Internet is a great tool for researching graduate
  schools
• Most university departments have their own
  websites
• www.collegedegreeguide.com
• www.princetonreview.com
• http//gradschool.about.com
• http//www.usnews.com
• http//www.ets.org (testing information)
• http//www.gmat.com
• http//www.uakron.edu/gradsch/
• Click on Apply Online

15
Apply Online

• Many schools like The University of Akron allow
  you to apply online
• Allows student to save and go back to application
• Student may submit or receive
• Fee
• Recommendation form
• Assistantship application
• Personal statement
• Allows student to check status online

16
The University of Akron

• At the Graduate School, we believe you will find
  your experience at The University of Akron to be
  professionally rewarding, intellectually
  stimulating, practical and challenging
• The University of Akron offers over 100 advanced
  degrees to over 4,000 current graduate students
• A complete listing of our programs can be found
  at http//www.uakron.edu/gradsch/degreeprograms.p
  hp

17
Nationally Ranked Programs

• Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering program
  is ranked second in the United States according
  to the U.S. News World Report
• Akron's program in Industrial/Organizational
  Psychology is ranked 6th nationally
• College of Business Administration offers
  students one of the top five graduate sales
  programs in the United States, according to Sales
  Marketing Management magazine

18
College of Engineering

• Masters Degrees
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Management
• Mechanical Engineering

• Doctoral Degrees
• PhD Engineering (Interdisciplinary with
  Departmental Emphasis)
• PhD Engineering Applied Mathematics
• MD/PhD degree in conjunction with NEOUCOM

19
College of Engineering

• Outreach to Industry/Government include
• General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE)
• Lockheed-Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors
• NASA Headquarters and NASA-Glenn Research Center
• Air Force Research Laboratory
• Akrons Engineering team, one of only 17 schools
  in North America chosen by General Motors, placed
  second overall in in the first Challenge X
  competition to build a better SUV

20
College of BusinessAdministration

• The College of Business Administration is among
  the 10.5 percent of business schools in North
  America that have earned all four levels of
  accreditation offered by AACSB in graduate
  business and graduate accounting.
• Rated one of Princetons Reviews Best 143
  Business Schools in the world for 2005
• The entrepreneurship program is listed as one of
  10 "first tier" programs at regional universities
  for entrepreneurship education in Entrepreneur
  magazine, 2005.

21
The University of Akron School of Law

• Two national publications have rated our School
  of Law as a best value in their latest rankings.
  In 2004, both the National Jurist and the Pre-Law
  Insider magazine ranked U of As School of Law 2
  on their lists of Best Value Public Law Schools
  in America.
• The School of Law has partnerships with the
  Masters of Taxation program and the Ray C. Bliss
  Institute of Applied Politics.

22
The University of AkronSchool of Law

• The National Institute for Trial Advocacy ranked
  University of Akron trial teams fifth in the
  nation in the ranking for 1999-2000 and
  categorized them among the "best of the best"
  champions. In 2000, for the 11th year in a row,
  Akron's trial program was named as one of the top
  16 programs in the nation by the institute.

23
Buchtel College of Artsand Science

• The Ray C. Bliss Institute Applied Politics is
  one of the nation's premier centers of research
  and instruction on the "nuts and bolts" of
  applied politics. The University of Akron is one
  of only five institutions in the United States
  that offers such a program.
• The Department of Sociologys research program in
  the past five years have brought the state more
  than 13.5 million dollars in funded research.
  This places us first in Ohio in funded sociology
  department research and in the upper percentile
  of sociology programs in funding nationally.

24
College of Education

• Only university in Ohio that is accredited at the
  master's and doctoral level by the American
  Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
• Offers a masters or doctoral program in a wide
  variety of areas such as curricular and
  instructional studies, counseling, educational
  foundations and leadership, and sport science and
  wellness education.

25
College of Fine and Applied Arts

• In partnership with Kent State University and the
  Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the Speech-Language
  Pathology program offers the Doctor of Audiology
  degree.
• The graduate program in Arts Administration is
  one of approximately twenty-five programs across
  the country with a curriculum designed to prepare
  students for successful careers in the business
  of not-for-profit arts.

26
College of Nursing

• The College of Nursing has a nationally
  recognized Center for Nursing that enables
  multidisciplinary academic learning and the
  provision of quality and specialized services to
  underserved and underinsured members of the
  community.
• Accreditation includes
• National League for Nursing Accrediting
  Commission
• The Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthesia
  Educational Programs for the Graduate Anesthesia
  Program
• Approval from the Commission on Collegiate
  Nursing Education for the Bachelor's and Master's
  Programs

27
Have Questions?

• Contact the Graduate School at
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail gradschool_at_uakron.edu
• Mail The Polsky Building, Room 469
• Akron, OH 44325
• Fax [phone]