Ranked as the No. 1 innovative school by U.S. News and World Report, ASU is continuing its innovative efforts with the recent policy change allowing for students to use undergraduate scholarship money for a graduate program at ASU.
If students complete undergraduate degrees in less than four years, they could then apply scholarships to a master’s degree, allowing more students to afford a graduate education rather than wasting unused scholarship money.
A master’s degree has become more vital and beneficial for a successful future. Master’s students, on average, make 33 percent more per month than those with bachelor’s degrees. Jobs are becoming more specialized and master’s degrees specify your interest and forte, often times influencing an employer to select the more highly educated student.
While a masters is more specialized than a bachelor’s degree, it is typically more academically focused, generally used as a bridge between an undergraduate and a doctorate program. Traditional master’s degrees center on a thesis, a professional research paper that is peer-reviewed by select professors and defended.
Classes are structured around understanding influential leaders in their respective field of research and developing skills for a professional career in academia. The process of grant applications, developing research papers and learning research methodologies is the center point of the graduate lifestyle. Although this is helpful for the brave few who attempt a doctorate, most people pursue a career outside of academia.
In my eyes, ASU has taken note of this reality and has begun to develop its master's in a way that is suitable for a variance of post-graduate careers. First off, ASU no longer requires students to do a thesis. Instead, there are a plethora of options such as a portfolio or an applied project. These options can be more career focused and are often more technical based. Master's at ASU also include an interactive Plan of Study (iPOS). This allows a student to work with the faculty advisor on their planned program in a manner specific to their interests.
For example, should a student want to go into museum upkeep, they can formulate their masters around archival and digital research, with an advanced research skill (ARS) focused on museum object preservation, and coupled with an internship at a local museum. When the time comes for said student to apply for an archival research position at a prestigious museum, their resume will look significantly better than the student who simply wrote a paper on the subject, rather than hands-on application.
ASU’s overhaul of their graduate program seems to be working quite successfully. Their website boasts that 91 percent of graduate students obtain a job within 90 days of graduation, and in a world of increasing competitiveness that is a rather impressive feat. Allowing for students to develop a specialization in a more career-oriented manner is appealing to many employers.
ASU also has many connections as a public research institute by working with many companies. Master’s classroom sizes are typically very small with some courses only containing four students. This allows for direct interaction with professors and a possible glowing letter of recommendation for when the time comes, separating themselves from the other candidates for a prestigious job.
Being enrolled in the 4+1 program here at ASU, friends and colleagues ask me if getting an ASU graduate degree is worth it. I say for those who have the opportunity, go for it. For both academic and career-oriented students, ASU has a credible graduate program that allows for students to succeed and focus on work specific to their interests.
ASU is the most innovative school, which means that it will continue to renovate its design to produce top tier students. Whether it be a stepping stone to Yale (my dream school) or using it to secure that dream job, ASU and its academic reinvigoration is becoming the place to be. Do not miss out on the opportunity; success passes on those who do not take action. With the ability to receive leftover scholarship money plus the push for online courses, getting a master's at ASU is more affordable and accessible than ever before.
Related:
Study: 'ASU is model for higher education reform'
Focus Forward: ASU to offer full scholarships to M.B.A. business students
Reach the columnist at jeffery.brooks@asu.edu or follow @abrooks14 on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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