All undergraduate Elon students chose to come here for one common goal: a college bachelor’s degree. But while some choose to work after graduation, others decide to attend graduate school. A recent article questioned while graduate school is the best decision for some, is it right for everyone?
eCampus.com, an online resource for buying and selling textbooks, as well as providing information about the nation’s universities, released a guide about graduate schools to help students with their decision of whether or not to attend. The chart features comparisons of private and public tuition, as well as specific information about schools and studies for the most popular programs in graduate school, which includes law, engineering, education, business and health and medicine.
The decision to go to graduate school depends on the field of study, according to Sean Johnson, the online advertising manager for eCampus.com.
“More and more students are choosing to go to grad school because they are concerned about the job market,” Johnson said. “A majority of students looking for business jobs could benefit with a graduate degree.”
The infographic on eCampus.com was created using information from the U.S. News and World Report's Best Graduate Schools 2013 guidebook. The website partnered with the guidebook to generate a graphic for students.
“We wanted to make sure the students have the information to make the right decisions for themselves,” Johnson said. “An infographic is easy for students to digest the information. We want it to help students decide whether or not to go to grad school.”
One main reason for students choosing to go to grad school is that they hope the economy will get better once they graduate, according to Bill Burpitt, associate dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and professor of management. Burpitt said he believes everyone can benefit from attending graduate school.
“We are past the point where a bachelor’s degree is enough,” said Burpitt.
According to Burpitt, master’s degrees are becoming required for more careers, and more people will feel graduate school is a necessity to achieve their desired job.
But one major factor in deciding not to go to grad school is finances, and with the current economic problems, graduate school is becoming less of an option for some, Burpitt said.
“People are choosing not to enroll in MBA programs because they don’t want their jobs to be gone when they graduate,” Burpitt said.
For Masters of Business Administration programs, on average, at least two years of work experience is required.
At the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, the number of applicants who apply annually has remained the same, but the country average has decreased in applicants. This year’s part-time MBA program at Elon has 140 students, according to Burpitt, which is higher compared to the national average.