You should evaluate your interests and goals and be clear about your reasons for pursuing a particular degree before you consider graduate school as an option. There are two excellent reasons for attending graduate school. There are careers such as medicine, law, and college and university teaching that require specialized training and, therefore, necessitate advanced education. In other cases, it may be to your advantage, for your particular career goals, to specialize in a particular discipline - to broaden your expertise in that area, to do research, and to gain credentials that will enhance your chances of employment in a field. Once you have completed a self-evaluation and decided that graduate school is your best option, you must tackle the application process.
Requirements vary from one field to another and from one institution to another.
Read each program's requirements carefully . Application deadlines also vary for different programs and from one institution to the next, but most deadlines for the fall's entering class are between January and March. Other more specialized publications, listing graduate programs in a particular field, may be available through academic departments or at CDC or can be requested through national associations. Asking faculty for advice can give you inside information on individual programs and the qualifications required. Graduate students studying in your field may also give valuable advice, especially on the strengths and weaknesses of their particular program.