Is Grad School for You?

Consider McGill!

Graduate and Postdoctoral StudiesMcGill University

1

2

Should I go to Grad School?• The decision-making basis should be:

• A genuine interest in your area of studies

• Thorough analysis of your long-term goals

• NOT to avoid making career planning decisions

* Having a Master’s or PhD does not automatically make you more or less employable.

Things to do first

• Explore career possibilities upon bachelor graduation

• Consult career advisors and alumni in your own faculty

• CaPS offers excellent advising services and career planning resources

• Conduct a self-assessment of the “soft”, transferable skills you would need in your future career

• Where can you best develop them?

Things to think about• Can I take a year off to ‘see the world’?

• Will it be hard to come back to school?

• Should I get some work experience in a related field?

• Should I take several streams or concentrate on one subject area?

• Should I stay at McGill or go somewhere else?

Options

• Master’s Degree• Professional Degree• Doctoral Degree• Graduate Diploma or Certificate

5

Master’s Degree

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree• Extensive Research and Analysis• Advances Career and Earnings

Potential• Can often choose Thesis or Non-

Thesis option

6

Doctoral Degree

• Original research in a specific field with a supervisor (prof. advising on research)

• Requires a Bachelor’s Degree• Normally requires a Master’s

Degree (some exceptions)• Research- and Work-intensive

7

What’s the Difference?

Master’s Degree (Academic)

• Average Length: 2 years

• Career-oriented (usually)

• Most require a thesis or a project

Doctoral Degree (Academic)

• Average Length: 4-7 years

• Research-oriented• Typically requires a

dissertation

8

Application Considerations• Who will write your letters of

recommendation?– Graduate programs generally require letters

of recommendation from professors – Become involved in research throughout

your undergraduate career– Try to have something published

• Honours Programs will give you an “edge”

9

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding School

10

Founded: 1821 Associated with

8 Nobel laureates 2 Canadian prime ministers 128 Rhodes Scholars (more than any Canadian university)

Ranked 18th in 2009, 20th in 2008 and 12th in 2007 in the Times Higher Education Supplement ranking of the world’s best universities, along with Harvard, Oxford, MIT and Caltech

Named best public university in North America Named Canada’s top medical-doctoral university in

Maclean's magazine‘s Ranked 1st in Canada by U.S. News & World Reports

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Students

11

34,208 students total Highest average entering grades among Canadian

universities at 88.9% 6,392 (18.7%) international students

from over 160 countries 7,635 (22.3%) graduate students

highest proportion in CanadaEnrolment by Place of OriginEnrolment by Mother Tongue

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Faculty

12

1,616 tenured and tenure-tack faculty

163 Canada Research Chairs allotted

135 members of the Royal Society of Canada

On average, full-time McGill professors publish more peer-reviewed articles than colleagues at any other Canadian university

Nearly 60% of the faculty are recruited from outside Canada

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Faculty

13

McGill professors have won many prestigious international and national awards:

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Research

14

11 faculties and 10 schools; more than 300 programs of study

Most research intensive university in Canada

International reputation for scholarly achievement and scientific discovery

Encourages interdisciplinary approaches

$375.75 million awarded in research funding in 2006-2007

147 international research and development partnership

180 contracts worth $14.7 million signed between McGill and industry in 2007-2008

the largest patent estate of all Canadian universities

15

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Research

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Facilities

16

Nearly 50 distinct research centers and institutes, all on the cusp of groundbreaking research

Life Sciences Complex high-tech music building Macdonald Campus living laboratories four affiliated hospitals in Montreal

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Facilities

17

Many external research stations, including Gault Nature Reserve, Mont-Saint-Hilaire Bellairs Research Institute, Barbados McGill Sub-Arctic & Arctic Research Stations

McGill At A Glance: Outstanding Opportunities

18

In Quebec, a student visa allows you to work for three years after graduation

McGill University maintains important global connections with other universities, hospitals, governments, industry and NGOs

MIDAs Program: international doctoral students pay same tuition as domestic students

Reasonable tuition rates compared to peer institutions in Canada and the U.S.

McGill’s General Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree • Requirements vary by program

(http://coursecalendar.mcgill.ca/gps200910/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm)

• Minimum CGPA* over duration of Bachelor’s: 3.0 out of 4.0 OR minimum CGPA over last two full-time years of Bachelor’s: 3.2 out of 4.0

• Int’l degree equivalencies available http://www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply/prepare/requirements/internationaldegree/

* CGPA = Cumulative Grade Point Average

19

Useful Links

20

Arts OASIS: After a B.A. degree: What about graduate studies?

http://www.mcgill.ca/oasis/ba/graduate/

McGill Prospective Graduate Students Website

http://www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/

CaPS: Applying to Graduate Studies and Professional Schools

http://www.mcgill.ca/caps/students/graduate-studies/