Goals of Graduate Study

Independent scholarship, competence in research or other creative work, and the cultivation of teaching commitment and skill are the traditional goals of graduate study. Having acquired a broad education as an undergraduate, the student is expected to master a special field, to learn the methods of investigation employed therein, and to proceed toward making an original contribution to knowledge. Since many of those who earn advanced degrees find careers in higher education, the acquisition of skill in teaching and in directing research is also an essential part of graduate education.

These traditional goals gain renewed significance in changing times, while newly emerging societal interests and needs and new demands of the marketplace both underscore their importance and emphasize the necessity for flexibility in programs and accommodation in career objectives. Careers for graduates in many fields are more broadly dispersed, and the contributions of graduate study and research to society must become more widely spread and recognized in government, business and industry, and in diverse professions and arts. At the same time, entering students must realize that a change in employment patterns for graduates is under way in many fields where the major, if not the sole, employment opportunity after graduation was once to be found in a teaching career.