What is Graduate School?
Graduate school opens doors, minds, and opportunities. Learn why graduate school may be the perfect choice for you.
What's the Difference Between Undergraduate and Graduate School?
Most people know what an undergraduate education is. It’s the classic four years of the college experience we see in movies and TV shows.
- According to the most recent United States Census, 23.5% of the population age 25 and older hold an undergraduate degree as their highest degree, while only 14.4% have an advanced degree, like a graduate degree.
- In other words, an undergraduate degree is the most common form of educational attainment in the U.S. That doesn’t mean that a graduate degree isn’t worth it.
- On the contrary, a graduate degree can greatly increase your lifetime earning potential by over one million dollars.
It’s obvious that a graduate degree is worth the time and effort, but what exactly does that look like? How different is a graduate degree from an undergraduate education?
Rigorous Studies: Understanding Expectations of Graduate Students
Graduate school represents a significant step up from undergraduate education, with distinct differences in academic expectations and difficulty. While undergraduate programs often provide a broad foundation of knowledge, graduate programs demand a deeper understanding of a specific field.
Graduate students:
- Engage critically with complex concepts. Graduate students engage critically with complex concepts by analyzing, questioning, and evaluating existing knowledge and data, rather than simply accepting information as presented. Grad students achieve this by participating in in-depth seminar discussions, conducting exhaustive literature reviews, designing original research experiments, and articulating evidence-based arguments in their thesis or dissertation.
- Apply theoretical frameworks to real-world problems. Graduate students get to translate their advanced, specialized knowledge into practical, innovative solutions for complex real-world challenges through rigorous research and application-based projects.
- Demonstrate advanced analytical skills. Graduate students demonstrate their advanced analytical skills by analyzing data, identifying complex patterns, and troubleshooting research challenges to form original, evidence-based conclusions which they then communicate through writing, presentations, and lectures.
If an undergraduate education introduces students to a broad range of knowledge, graduate school is the first step in becoming an expert in a specific field.
One of the biggest differences between the two levels of education is the classroom experience. Graduate students don’t just sit in class and take notes, they’re expected to engage in class, bringing their knowledge, creativity, and cutting insights to the discussion.
Let’s take a closer look at the classroom experience for graduate students.
An Exciting Classroom Experience: Understanding Graduate Classes
Between undergraduate and graduate education, teaching styles and learning environments are hugely different. In undergraduate courses, students often experience a lecture-based format where professors present material and guide discussions. Graduate level classes take the student experience to a totally different level. Graduate classes foster a collaborative, exciting, and often groundbreaking classroom environment, where students are part of cutting edge research and each and every class can break new ground.
- Graduate professors encourage dialogue and debate, drawing on students' experiences and insights. This shift, from passive to active learning, promotes a more interactive and engaging educational experience, allowing graduate students to take ownership of their learning and start changing their field from the first day of class all the way to and beyond graduation.
- Classes and coursework in graduate school let graduate students focus on their own research and promote independent, self-guided study. Think of it this way: graduate coursework is a structured framework that helps students explore, refine, and execute on their unique ideas and research interests.
While undergraduate programs may include some research components, graduate students in many programs are required to conduct original research and contribute new knowledge to their field.
- This focus on research not only enhances a student’s understanding of their discipline but also equips them with valuable skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and professional communication skills they’ll need for the rest of their careers.
Ultimately, graduate school is a transformative educational journey that prepares students for the professional world and scholarly pursuits. Once you get a graduate degree, you’re ready to change the course of your life for the better.
What Types of Graduate Degrees Are There?
Graduate school is a step up from the undergraduate experience. Not only are you expected to add to the classroom experience and conduct your own cutting-edge research, but also in the added economic benefits. But you should know that graduate school is made up of a few unique types of degrees. The differences in these degrees may help you make the final decision when it comes to advancing your career.
Graduate programs can generally be divided into research and applied degrees.
- Research degrees, like Master's programs or the Ph.D., emphasize research, critical thinking, and scholarly contributions, preparing graduates for careers in academia, research, or advanced professional roles. Research degrees are highly independent and often focus on research design and methodology, and culminate in independent research projects like dissertations (for Ph.D.) or theses (for Master’s) that present original ideas and research.
- Applied degrees, like our Master's of Social Work (M.S.W.) or our Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in Play Therapy, emphasize practical and job-ready skills for a specific profession. Applied degrees are practice-oriented, meaning students focus on case studies, project-based learning, and learn tools specific to their industry. These degrees often culminate in capstone projects or internships that allow the student to demonstrate their skills in real-world applications.
Graduate school offers a diverse set of programs designed to cater to various academic and professional goals.
- At the master's level, students can pursue degrees such as a Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), or Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.). In addition, we offer several applied master’s degree options such as the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Accountancy (M.Accy.), Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) or Master of Education (M.Ed.).
- Doctoral programs, including the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), are more research-intensive and can take anywhere from three to seven years to complete. They culminate in a dissertation that contributes original knowledge to the field.
Is Grad School Important?
Now that we’ve gotten the differences between the undergraduate and graduate experiences out of the way, we still have to answer our question: “What exactly is a graduate school?”
- In the simplest terms, graduate school is an advanced level of education that follows the completion of a bachelor’s degree.
- Its primary purpose is to provide students with specialized knowledge and skills in a particular field of study, preparing them for professional careers or continued academic research.
Graduate programs typically include master’s and doctoral degrees, and can include graduate certificates and online opportunities as well. Regardless of the class you take or how it's offered, graduate programs are designed to deepen the students' expertise and enhance their critical thinking abilities.
If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school, you shouldn’t make this decision lightly. It’s a huge commitment often requiring a lot of your time, and possibly moving to a new place to complete your degree.
- Before you can finally decide, it makes some sense to ask the question, “Is graduate school important to my life?”
As stated earlier, a graduate degree can increase your lifetime earnings by over a million dollars, which is a huge jump in earning potential. But let’s break that down a little bit to better understand what that means.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, graduate degrees not only help increase your earning potential, but they also protect you from unemployment.
- Increase your weekly earnings. While the median usual weekly earnings of a bachelor’s degree are $1,543, a master’s degree increases those earnings to $1,840, and a doctoral degree to $2,278.
- Someone with a master’s degree earns over 19% more than someone with a bachelor’s degree. An employee with a doctoral degree makes even more, with an increase of over 47%.
- Protect against unemployment. The unemployment rate for an undergraduate degree was 2.5% in 2024. If you compare that to master’s degrees at 2.2% and doctoral degrees at 1.2% it’s easy to see how a graduate degree can help secure high-paying and dependable jobs.
When it comes to increased earning potential and continued employment, it’s easy to see that a graduate degree can be extremely important to your life.
Why Graduate School is Right for You
There are plenty of reasons to choose graduate school as your next step. From the exciting classroom experience, the chance to follow your own research, and the ability to earn more money for your future. But there are plenty of other reasons to choose graduate school that are still incredibly important.
Regardless of what your future holds for you, a graduate degree is a way to broaden your abilities, hone your skills, and prepare for whatever comes next.
Graduate school will help by:
- Increasing your networking and collaboration toolset. When you’re in graduate school, you may get a chance to teach or attend conferences all over the world. These aren’t just experiences to check off a list, but important chances to build relationships with future business leaders and scholars. Not to mention the lifelong relationships you can make with your professors and your cohort.
- Honing your credibility and leadership skills. A graduate degree lets employers know that you aren’t playing around. It shows a high level of discipline, specialized expertise, and an intense commitment and determination. Any employer, whether they are in the academic or professional world, will immediately know that you will be a positive influence on their team and will see any project to its full potential.
- Providing you with a sense of mastery and fulfillment. This may not seem that important at this stage in your educational journey. But I’d argue that it’s possibly one of the most important things that graduate school can give students. Once you complete your final project and you walk across the stage, accepting your diploma, you’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt just how far you’ve come.
Graduate school is more than the next step after your bachelor’s degree; it’s a transformative commitment to innovation, career acceleration, and to yourself. It doesn’t matter what degree you ultimately choose; the result will be the same: once you complete your graduate studies, you’ll be an invaluable asset to any team.
If you’re ready to move past general knowledge and start the next chapter of your career, browse our graduate degrees and see what’s out there.
If you’re still on the fence or want more information, fill out our information request form, and we’ll get in touch.