Graduate School Viewbook
Undertaking Graduate Study
Graduate study requires high academic achievement, and it will extend your
experience and capabilities within the advanced, specialized areas of your
chosen field. A common objective is to develop the capacities you will
need for independent study and research, since research is the mode of
learning at the limits of knowledge. All doctoral programs and most
master's programs develop your capacities through advanced course work and
through original research under the direction of faculty members who are
experts in their fields.
A crucial part of the process involves preparing and publishing your
research study in the form of a thesis or dissertation and defending it
before the faculty. In some professional master's programs the emphasis is on preparing you for professional practice, and although you will develop a thorough understanding of research and research methodology, you may choose a non-thesis option.
Students pursuing graduate studies are enrolled in the Graduate School and
are subject to the policies of the University's graduate faculty as well as the regulations of their specific programs.