Grad school not always necessary, some say
By Meghan Youker
Staff Reporter

Going to graduate school may seem like the right move, but some students may want to think twice.

The field of study, perceived quality of the program, cost of attendance and job opportunities should be important considerations for those contemplating graduate school, said Bill Stowe, associate director of University Career Services at TCU.

Most jobs do not require graduate school at the entry level, but a student wanting a job such as a doctor, lawyer, counselor or social worker, will need a graduate degree, Stowe said.

In fields where a specific degree or license is not required, the probability that a person without experience would get a job is not that much greater if they have a graduate degree, he said.

“People might even hurt themselves,” Stowe said. “Companies do not want to hire people without full-time job experience and have to pay them more money.”

The Employment Policy Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, estimates that the lifetime earnings of those with a professional degree will total about $4.4 million, while those with bachelor’s degrees will make about $2.4 million. However, students seeking master’s degrees in liberal arts, the sciences or engineering, should expect earnings of only $500,000 more over a lifetime than those with bachelor’s degrees, the EPF estimates.

Earnings also depend on where a student earns a graduate degree. For example, an MBA from Arizona State or Vanderbilt University might bring a base salary $20,000 less than one from Stanford, according to the September issue of Business 2.0. U.S. News & World Report ranked Stanford’s business school second, Arizona State 37th, Vanderbilt University 45th, and TCU’s business school was not listed in the top 50.

Hiring the best faculty members possible and carefully considering any future graduate programs will keep TCU’s programs competitive, said Chancellor Victor Boschini.

“Our students should be taught by experts in their field, by people doing cutting-edge things,” Boschini said.

Maria Monica De La Cruz, a graduate student in the radio-TV-film department, said she decided to get a master’s degree because the communication field is competitive and there is an increasing need to be more specialized.

“I can’t be really picky right now about choosing jobs,” said De La Cruz, who is specializing in media analysis. “Especially when the economy is not so great.”

Students should realize the demands of graduate school and not attend just because they don’t know what else to do, Stowe said.

“People need to stop and figure out what they want to do first, and then figure out the appropriate route,” Stowe said.

Students wanting careers in which graduate degrees are not required should know exactly why they want to go to graduate school, Stowe said.
“The bottom line is that students need to know what their occupational goal is before committing themselves to graduate school,” Stowe said. “And that’s what we are trying to help them do.”