Choosing a Program

So you have decided that graduate school is for you, but now you wonder which program you should choose. You are absolutely right! No two schools are exactly alike.

Some questions to ask about the university or program you are considering:

• Does the faculty exhibit special strengths and research qualities through their graduate advisees, published work, and funded research?

• Are the libraries, laboratories, computers, and other research facilities adequate for your educational needs?
• Are the graduates of the school or program sought by employers?
• Does the department of interest offer a sufficiently large and varied curriculum to allow you a broad offering of courses and options?
• Are potential advisors likely to have a place in their research group should I wish to join it?
• What are the degree requirements?
• Is financial support available?
• Are support services adequate to make campus life conducive to the needs of minority students?
• How long will it take for me to complete my program?
• How are the advisors assigned and selected? Will I have a choice of who my major advisor will be?

How can I find out the answers to these questions?

• Talk with other graduate students. Find out what they like about their schools, departments, and research group.
• Consult the American Chemical Society Directory of Graduate Research, which is an important source of information on graduate programs in chemistry and related areas. You can use this directory to find out about the individual professors whose work appeals to you.
• Check out on the Internet graduate school department websites and individual faculty home pages.
• Visit the institution to find out whether it has adequate facilities and resources to allow for meaningful research projects.
• Find out whether the schools of interest have at least three professors each with whom you’d like to work. This is so called "Rule of Three".
• Consult other sources of information including graduate school department websites and individual faculty home pages on the Internet.

Don’t automatically commit to a graduate school simply because it has offered you a large stipend or other inducements. While graduate stipends are a great privilege, allowing you to be paid for doing something interesting, challenging and enriching, don’t forget that the most important thing about a graduate program is its suitability in meeting your educational and professional goals.