MU celebrates Graduate Education Week

Students will learn about the benefits of furthering their education.

By Angela Case

Published April 20, 2009

Students interested in attending graduate school got a little extra help Monday when Graduate School Associate Dean George Justice presented a seminar on the basics of getting into graduate school.

Justice covered the basics of choosing a graduate program of study, selecting a school, filling out applications and obtaining financial aid.

In addition to Monday's seminar, a variety of other events will be held this week in recognition of Graduate Education Week. Justice will host a follow-up seminar Wednesday called "Making Your Application Stand Out." Saturday, Adventures in Graduate Education, a free public event with activities aimed at elementary school children, will take place in the Jesse Hall rotunda.

Justice said some of the most popular graduate programs at MU include psychology, English, education, business and nursing. He said the variation in the number of applicants accepted into each program is caused by differences in the number of assistantships or scholarships that require students to teach classes 20 hours a week in return for a tuition waiver and a small stipend, each department can provide.

"Many departments won't accept students unless they can support them with assistantships, and they only have a limited number of assistantships, so those programs are small," Justice said, citing most programs in the College of Arts and Science as an example.

He also said many graduate programs are small because the departments are focused on maintaining the quality of the program.

In Monday's seminar, Justice advised potential applicants to talk to a variety of people, including students and faculty members from the programs they are interested in.

"Get as much advice from as many people as you can," he said.

Justice also told attendees what to expect once they enter graduate school. He said graduate students are expected to take much more responsibility for their education. Professors give more attention to each student in graduate courses.

No one sits in the back of class in graduate courses, Justice said. In return, though, Justice said students are often seen as colleagues as well as students.

In his presentation, Justice outlined three main motivations of graduate school applicants: increased earning power, increased career satisfaction and personal growth.

Kristine Malotte, a 2007 MU graduate who plans to attend pharmacy school, cited a desire to help others among her reasons for earning her Ph.D.

"I really want to work in health care and have that more personal connection with people that I'm helping," said Malotte, who works full time in a medical research lab at MU. "What I'm working on is very important and could possibly lead to new medical discoveries, and I'm very proud of being associated with that, but I still feel like there's something lacking."

She said she wants a personal connection with the people she helps, rather than working in the background.

Ellen LoCurto-Martinez, who will receive a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Columbia College in fall 2009, plans to return to school in fall 2010 to earn a master's degree in public affairs.

LoCurto-Martinez said personal growth is one of her main motivations for earning a graduate degree.

"My husband is getting his Ph.D. and I just like the excitement involved with pursuing more knowledge," she said.