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Choosing your master’s program

Follow your bliss.

That may be sound like a New Age mantra, but it has academic relevance. Students considering graduate school may want to do some hard thinking about their professional goals before they lay down those tuition dollars.

There’s no question that a master’s degree increases job opportunities and earnings. Workers with a master’s earn 75 percent to110 percent more than high school graduates, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Schools design their own master’s degree programs, so even degrees within the same field can vary. Before you take on the academic load that graduate work requires, here are some steps to making an informed decision and getting the most out of your education investment.

Enter focused

Todd Holmes, a former Marine lance corporal, graduates in May with a master’s in security policy studies from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He said he believes prospective grad students should have some idea of what they want to do before enrolling.

“I wouldn’t advise getting into a master’s program just because you want that degree under your belt,” Holmes said. “If you don’t know how you want to use it, you may not have any more of an idea when you get out. It might be better for you to work somewhere for a while and learn what degrees people have who are doing what you want to do.”

Admissions counselors advise prospective grad students to consider their career goals before selecting a degree plan. Unlike a bachelor’s degree, a master’s won’t make you a specialist. Instead, it works like a career passport. It gets you in no matter what you want to do when you get there. A master’s degree validates your interest in pursuing knowledge and says you made the academic investment to prove it.

“Master’s degrees are about abstracts,” said Allison Curtis, student concierge for George Washington University. “They offer flexibility and options rather than one profession. You can have a bachelor’s in law enforcement or microbiology and get in a completely different master’s program. That way you can take all your professional interests and enter whatever position you want as a researcher or writer or teacher or administrator. The master’s degree is like a stamp of approval, and your career possibilities go beyond whatever the actual degree is in.”

Find the right fit

Holmes joined the Marine Corps in 1988, served as an artillery man, then served in the Reserves. He left the military in 1994 with a high school education.

“I worked full time as a butcher and went full time to community college at night to earn an associate degree in liberal arts,” he said. “I was accepted to the University of Massachusetts and earned a degree in political science because I was interested in politics with an international focus. I wanted to work in government service, like the CIA or NSA.”

Once you’ve settled on a professional interest, school selection can begin, Holmes said. He chose a master’s from George Washington University because of the college’s security policy studies program.

GWU students prepare to enter government and private-sector jobs with training in briefings, presentations and government relations.

“That’s important to know,” Holmes said. “I wouldn’t make a particular school a priority unless it’s producing graduates who are doing what you want to do. If you want a liberal arts environment, I wouldn’t choose Stanford. If you want to work in government relations, GWU is a good choice, and it’s also in a great location for jobs after you graduate. So first know what you want to do, then pick the school that fits your goals.”

Tailor your degree plan

Curtis frequently talks to prospective students who previously served in the military. She advises them that they are about to become the director of their own academic destiny.

“Master’s programs are very unstructured, which can be frustrating for service members,” she said. “No one is responsible for your education but you. You’ll be the one making the decisions. You couldn’t choose your commanding officer, but you do get to choose your professors and your course of study. It’s completely different from getting a bachelor’s degree.”

Now is the time for the following questions:

• How does your field of interest and learning style match the school’s program?

• Do you desire personal interaction with your professors?

• Do you want to work solo, or do you prefer teamwork? For example, students earning a master’s in business spend most of their time working in teams.

You can get answers from two equally good sources. Students enrolled in a program that interests you can explain what and how they’re learning. Most academic counselors will put prospective students in touch with student advisers to understand specific courses and faculty teaching styles. Another source is the faculty itself.

“In master’s programs, you’re interviewing them. They’re not interviewing you,” Curtis said. “They’ll let you know what their style of teaching is and what they’ve published. This is really helpful because you may find professors who have researched and written on very specific topics that interest you. You may find the opposite. So it’s a good idea to talk to department chairs and professors both.”

In addition, look at the curriculum, the kinds of research each individual program requires and the texts and books that must be read.

Online vs. classroom attendance

Technology has blurred the distinction between online and traditional classrooms, according to a study of Internet education trends in the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Traditional universities are becoming more like distance-learning universities, and they’re creating partnerships to share technology for courses.

“Students mix online with classroom instruction depending on their schedules and what the schools offer,” said Mark Teachey, a lieutenant colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard.

Teachey earned a bachelor’s degree in justice and public policy while on active duty. He’s worked as a police officer while a member of the Guard and finished his master’s degree in business administration in December. His goal is to become a police chief.

“You learn exactly what you did in the classroom, and you can still ask your professor questions by e-mail,” Teachey said, describing an online class. “I took one online class and the rest in the classroom.”

He explained that the only difference was timing. In class, he could ask questions immediately. In an online environment, he might think about his questions longer or even get them answered before posting a query to his professor.

What’s hot in graduate degrees?

The most popular master’s degrees are in education and business, which lead to corporate careers and positions in school administration, according to Education Online Search, an Internet search engine that helps prospective students find degree programs.

Increasingly popular fields include public health and psychology, which lend themselves to medical and public administration.

Whether you pick a popular degree or not, a master’s yields career opportunities. But it won’t come without a price. Be prepared to spend a minimum of 20 to 25 hours a week in addition to classroom time.

“It takes a lot of work,” Teachey said. “But the result is that you get to do pretty much what you want to do and get respect for it and a good salary.”

Accreditation

Before choosing any school, make sure it’s accredited. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation provides a list of accredited schools, along with information about degree mills that promise master’s degrees from institutions not nationally accredited.

Another source of information is “Peterson’s Guide to Graduate and Professional School.” It includes school and department rankings. Once you’re sure the school is accredited, you can assess its academic programs.

Admissions exams

Most accredited master’s degree programs require testing prior to admission. The following are some of the most common exams. Go online to learn about preparing for each test. Testing requirements vary depending on the school; check the requirements for colleges you’re considering.

• GRE: The standardized test most often required for admission to a master’s program is the Graduate Record Examination. It’s divided into verbal, quantitative and analytical sections. Schools sometimes require subject-specific GRE tests in place of the GRE General Test.

• GMAT: Most business schools require the Graduate Management Admissions Test. The exam measures students’ basic verbal, math and analytical writing skills. No specific business knowledge is tested.

• LSAT: The American Bar Association requires its approved law schools to evaluate candidates using the Law School Admission Test. It measures reading and verbal reasoning skills.

• MCAT: The Association of American Medical Colleges administers the Medical College Admission Test, and almost all U.S. medical schools require applicants to submit MCAT scores. The test assesses problem-solving, critical-thinking and writing skills and knowledge related to the study of medicine.