Graduate School

Graduate education involves a much more narrowly focused program of study than undergraduate work. There are a great variety of programs for graduate study. Degrees may be either academic or professional in nature.

Academic degrees (M.A., M.S., Ph.D) involve acquiring and communicating new knowledge through original research, and are awarded in virtually all liberal arts disciplines (e.g., arts and humanities, languages, natural sciences, and the social sciences).

Professional degrees stress the practical application of knowledge and skills, and may be acquired in such areas as business (M.B.A), law (J.D.), medicine (M.D.), and education (M.Ed.). Other fields offering professional degrees include the fine arts (M.F.A.), library science (M.L.S.) and social work (M.S.W.).