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Graduate school takes many more years of hard work and is not the right choice for everyone. Graduate degrees can provide more opportunities for advancement into administrative positions. Lab scientists often have master's degrees and directors usually have a doctorate. Pursuing a master's degree takes about 2 years to complete. Most master's programs require that you pay your own tuition. Pursuing a doctorate takes an average of 5.5 years to complete. Many PhD programs provide a stipend and pay for your tuition in exchange for your work in a lab. Once you have decided to pursue an advanced degree, you must choose a graduate program. If you have been in the workforce for a few years, you may have a specialty in mind already. Choose a program that focuses on that specialty and is well-known for job placement. Many of the factors to consider are similar to those of choosing an undergraduate university. Attending a university is a very expensive endeavor. Public schools in the state you reside may be cheaper than private schools, but public schools outside of your resident state may cost just as much as the private school. Schools should be able to provide you with data and job placement following graduation. You should look into these statistics while trying to decide which school to attend. Where does the program you're looking at rank compared to other schools? You don't need to go to the number one program, but choose a school that has the ability to get you the type of job you're hoping to achieve. Graduate school applications require reference letters. You want to make sure they are going to be positive letters. If you ask someone and they hesitate, they may not be the best person to write a recommendation for you. Ask professors you had a strong bond with or someone you did research with. Employers also make good references if they are in the correct field. A retail manager is not the ideal reference, but can work if you are trying to change fields. Friends and family are not generally accepted as valid references. Give your references a few months to complete their letters. Gently remind them closer to the deadline if you know they haven't been submitted yet. The GRE is the standard entrance exam into graduate school. The test takes almost four hours to complete and is administered on a computer. You must have basic computer skills to take the exam. Spend an appropriate amount of time studying for the exam. You can purchase study aid books or you can take a special class to prepare for it. Consider taking the test a second time if you didn't achieve the score necessary for the school to which you're applying. It's good to be confident, but you want to make sure you get into a program after spending all of that time preparing. Apply to more than one program to increase your chances of being accepted into at least one. Make sure you get your applications in by the deadline. Check with your references to make sure they have submitted their letters of recommendation on time.
Decide if graduate school is the right choice for you. Choose a graduate program. Ask for positive letters of recommendation. Take the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). Apply to multiple graduate programs.