 | Fall 2006 |
Perspectives: "Attend Graduate School at SVSU, Why Not?"
"What lies before us and what lies beyond us is tiny compared to what lies within us." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
If you have been considering making a career change or going back to school to get your master's degree, here are a few things to consider in deciding what your goals are and how to determine which University program is right for you.
Many individuals complete their graduate school education for the following reasons:
Career Goal: Some careers simply require an advanced degree, or at the very least, advancement and growth is dictated by a master's degree.
Increased Compensation: Most studies show that people with advanced degrees earn more on average than people with baccalaureate degrees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2000), a college graduate can expect to earn $2.1 million working full time between ages 25 and 64; a master's degree-holder is projected to earn $2.5 million.
More Marketable: Keeping training and skills current simply makes an employee more marketable and competitive for career advancement. Nationally, only 8.9% of individuals over 25 years of age hold advanced degrees.
What should you be looking for in your search for a school or a graduate program?
Experts suggest there are a variety of factors to consider and weigh:
- Accreditation and reputation of the university and graduate program
- Faculty credentials and experience in their field
- Location and accessibility from home and work to accommodate your busy life
- Price of the program
- Class size and class make-up of the graduate program. Graduate school is more like the workplace than it is like undergraduate school. It requires a great deal more teamwork and consensus building so it is important to weigh not only what you study but with whom, and how many!
- Course delivery such as online, hybrid and in-class learning environments. Blending learning environments is likely the best way to learn.
Why SVSU for graduate school?
Just as important a decision as whether to go to graduate school is the decision of where to go to graduate school.
Skills-based learning: The practical reasons most people consider graduate school are related to career goals, compensation and marketability. SVSU's programs are practical and skills-based, and designed to respond to the needs of this regional public and private sectors. With graduate work at SVSU, it's not just learning for learning's sake; it's learning for you and your future!
Accreditation and reputation: SVSU is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Its colleges are also accredited by appropriate state and national accrediting agencies. The College of Business & Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; only 25 percent of business schools worldwide are accredited by the AACSB. The College of Education is recognized by the State of Michigan and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), which also gave an "exemplary report" in 2002. In the College of Nursing & Health Sciences, accreditation is from the National League for Nursing and the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy.
Faculty: The majority of SVSU's faculty are Ph.D.s and many bring both academic credentials and professional experience to the classroom. Graduate programs at SVSU are organized not primarily around faculty research, but around the community needs, so course work and learning is pertinent and appropriate. It should also be noted that the graduate programs employ some adjunct faculty members who have extensive professional experience in their fields.
Campus and location: More than 70 percent of the SVSU campus has been constructed in the last 15 years. What this means for our students is that classrooms are state-of-the-art, and technology is available virtually everywhere (classrooms, library, "tech" center). SVSU has twice as many computers per student as the national average.
Price: SVSU offers the lowest graduate tuition of any Michigan public state university.
Class size and class make-up: Undergraduate class size averages 25; many graduate classes are even smaller. The majority of SVSU students are from the region so many of your peers will also become vital to your professional networking, business relationships and career opportunities.
Course delivery: SVSU is committed to being a "teaching" university. This means our emphasis is on face-to-face learning and interaction. So much of your SVSU education will support what you need in the workplace: team work, group projects, honing communication and analysis skills. Still, we are sensitive to the demands of a busy life and so balance our classroom education with on-line courses and "hybrid" courses (class and on-line).
Culture: Just like your decision on undergraduate school, graduate school is about the right fit for you. SVSU is about a practical, yet quality, education, caring faculty who are here because they love to teach, small classes and lots of help! We offer tutoring and "help" centers that include math, writing, and technology. SVSU also has a rich campus culture with concerts, guest lectures, and theatre performances throughout the academic year.
SVSU offers the following graduate programs:
College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences:
- Master of Arts Communication and Multimedia
- Master of Arts Administrative Science
College of Business & Management:
- Master of Business Administration
College of Education:
- Master of Arts in Teaching
- Master of Education
- Education Specialist (for individuals with an M.Ed.)
College of Nursing & Health Sciences:
- Master of Science in Nursing
- Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
- Master of Science in Health Leadership
We cordially invite our alums holding bachelors degrees to explore the exciting options for a masters level professional education at SVSU. Attend graduate school at SVSU? Why not?
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about SVSU's graduate programs or would like to apply please call us at (989) 964-6069 or email us at gradadm(at)svsu.edu.