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| The FSU Alumni Center, which deals with, as you might expect, Alumni |
Graduate Programs at Frostburg State University
Frostburg State University offers a plentiful amount of different graduate programs available for all students with all different types of interest. Some of these programs include Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Science in Nursing, among many others. Rather than stopping at a bachelor’s degree, some students feel an urge to continue for personal, academic or even convenience reasons. Certainly, the graduate programs at Frostburg are aimed to help students achieve higher goals than they would have anticipated. Registration for the graduate program is done in much as the same way as it is for the undergrad. Graduate students must still register in the PAWS account and choose classes from there; an advisor is picked for them as well. Being a graduate student does not exclude one from applying for the FAFSA and in fact, this method of student aid should be taken advantage of. Typically, a graduate student can borrow up to $20,500 in a Federal Unsubsidized Loan. The good thing about this type of loan is that it does not have an eligibility ceiling. This being said, if the student is receiving other financial aid, the amount offered may be limited. In addition, there is credit check to prevent “bad” loans from being taken out. As is the case for undergraduates, graduate students must apply for financial aid yearly. In order to remain in the program they choose, they must consistently be enrolled in at least six credits and maintain at least a 3.0. GPA.
Frostburg’s graduate program offers three different financial programs to help students maintain relatively low debt. The first plan, known as ten month plan, commences throughout the months of April through July. The way this plan works is that the cost of spring and fall tuition are added together as well as financial aid and then divided by ten. The enrollment fee for this plan is 75 dollars a year. The next plan, the five month plan, is aimed at students enrolled in just a single semester. The amount of money for the semester, plus the financial aid is divided by five. This plan continues from July 1st to November 1st. The enrollment fee is 75 dollars for this
plan as well. The last plan is known as the three month plan and is also geared towards students planning on taking one semester. The first payment is due as soon as the participant enrolls in the program, the second one is due thirty days later and the third one thirty days after that.
In order to alleviate some of the costs of grad school, graduate assistantships are offered each year to exemplary students. Those who choose to be graduate assistants, receive a stipend in the amount of $5000 for the entire academic year. Moreover, they can also be eligible for a tuition waiver which can be anywhere from $10,710 to $13,770. The job of the graduate assistant usually consists of research studies, helping professors, etc. During their time employed, they are expected to reserve 20 hours each week their duties as an assistant. Sometimes training must begin before the semester starts. Assistants are given a paid week of 20 hours to full time employees and those with a full 12 month contract. Although assistants must devote a lot of their time to their job, they are allowed another part time job provided the job does not interfere with their studies or their current employment.
If the student wishes to end their time as an assistant, a notice must be received prior to two weeks before the student ceases to work. In a case such as this, the student will have the tuition waiver voided. If termination is sought by the University, then there must be a justified cause. For instance, if the supervisor feels that it is within their best nature to terminate an employee due to disrespect on the part of the assistant or because of negligence than that is the best route to take.
In general, to graduate with a master’s degree from Frostburg State, one must be enrolled in a graduate studies, admitted to degree candidacy when prompted to and the program must have thirty credits for a master’s and sixty credits for a doctoral. The student must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in the studies and the workload needs to be completed in at least six years. Typically, the average graduate student takes nine to twelve credits per semester. However, if the student wishes to take more credits, they can ask their program coordinator and work something out.
Independent study is also taken advantage of by some students. Not usually used as a substitute for a class, independent study allows student to do their own personalized research and discover new ideas. Under the supervision of a faculty member, they are allowed to participate in research that could benefit the university. Many students feel that this fresh take on homework makes them feel invigorated and empowered. Generally, a proposal is written up by the student and approved by the coordinator or faculty member. Ultimately, the department chair is responsible for the final approval of the project.
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| Sand Spring Hal, home of the Career Center Of course, going to grad school or not going to grad school is a tough choice. As seen above, it not an easy task to be a graduate student. The workload and the extensive hours studying certainly deter some people and motivate others. As seen in the interviews below and the thoughts of former students, attending grad school or not can be a rewarding experience in both ways but also very stressful. It is important to remember that time and money are always invested in furthering one’s education. Some individuals have reported regretting it and not feeling preparing to deal with the burden of grad life. As a university, Frostburg State, needs to understand what they need to do to better develop their graduate programs to better assist their students. Those who abandon graduate school for a career, sometimes find themselves more comfortable and yet others find themselves out of their comfort zone. As a school, it is important to identify what helps and what does not. |
Interviews with Grad Students and Their Advice for Undergrads
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| The FSU Graduate Studies Office, sadly closed at time of photo |
In an interview with Lauren Holland, a graduate student who is graduating this year in counseling psychology from Frostburg State, she talks about the fact that she felt very prepared for grad school. “It wasn’t Frostburg per se that prepared me, but I did feel academically prepared to move on in my life.” She also talks about the fact that as an undergrad she was a mass communications major with a minor in psychology. She discovered around her senior year that she would much rather delve more into psychology than communications. Upon the aspect of working and going to school, she says, “I did do twenty hours in a graduate assistantship at Beall Elementary School. The work consisted of helping professors deal with better methods of assisting school aged children and better discipline methods.” Upon offering advice to undergrads, she comments with a laugh, “Be prepared for the next step in your life and be aware of your major. For me, I needed to go to grad school to pursue my interest in psychology. Put your best foot forward and remember that nothing comes easy.”
Kim Bibbs, another graduate student from Frostburg who graduated in 2010 with a focus in Business Administration believes that she felt very prepared for grad school, both mentally and physically. She also says she held a job during that time in her life. “I worked at the student center and I did substitute teaching at Beall Elementary.” Her advice for undergrads, particularly at Frostburg State, mirror’s Lauren Holland’s suggestion. “My advice would be to network as much as you can on campus,” she says, “Be certain that you know what career path you would like to take. Stay focused and put your best foot forward in all you seek to do.”
Although choosing to attend graduate school works for some students, starting a career after undergraduate studies has proven to as be a successful option as well.
Reference: frostburgcareercenter.com
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| Graduate School Metric, provided by Justice Sifford |
500 WORD INSERT BELOW
written by Mia Williams
Frostburg State is a liberal arts nationally accredited University that offers 48 undergraduate majors. These majors range from things like accounting to cultural anthropology to mechanical engineering and much more. Along with the various list of majors offered, students get the chance to further their education due in part to the graduate studies program offered here at FSU.
Frostburg State opens its doors up to many students all over wishing to attend grad school. These students do not have had to attended their undergraduate studies at this University but all students, regardless, have to follow the same procedures when it comes to applying. The Director of Graduate Services, Vickie Mazer gave some insight to the requirements that need to be met in order to apply for this program. “To get into most graduate schools you must have a 3.0 GPA, you must take in many cases, depending on the graduate school and the type of school, an entrance exam. Either the GRE, MAT, LSAT or MCAT, whatever the test of that particular field is or the GRE which is the general test for graduate admissions. A lot of times you are now competing in the admissions process against students that have that criteria met and even if it says 3.0, there are many graduate programs that say that in the catalogue but it is not going to be enough. Our programs are open to everyone, some of our programs are cohort program or open admission program. Cohort means they have a deadline they have to apply by, these are usually competitive. If you have 65 students that apply, then those 65 students are sort of whittled down through the application and admission process to make the decision of which for example, 14 get into the program. On the other hand, we have programs like our MBA program which is more open admission. That says, if you meet these criteria you can come into the program. So we have many different programs, depending on the design of the program those programs all have different admission criteria. Some of which include the GPA, some of which include the admissions test, some of which include a resume, letters of reference, an interview possibly, so it depends on the program.”
There are many reason why it is important for students to continue their academic journey. Some include things like, becoming more qualified in your directed field of interest, providing more job opportunities and investing in your future. Mazer noted, “The difference between undergraduate school and graduate school, in my eyes, is that grad school prepare you to develop a career track. Undergraduate is going to do that as well but in some majors you may not have that career track. What I see graduate school to do is to actually refine your career path. So u need to know coming in as an undergraduate or have some ideas of whether or not graduate school should be an opportunity that you need to consider. In many cases now and in today’s society the master’s degree has become the staple degree.”
Although attending grad school can be a long journey, one of the many rewards it provides, is helping to further prepare students for life after college. The transition may be a little difficult for undergrad students but fortunately, Mazer was able to provide some tips on something that can help. “I believe students who are entering college as an undergraduate student fall into a spectrum of where there are and what they want to do when they finish. Some are very focused and know exactly what they want to do. For example, they want to go to law school.
Some are coming in and know that they want to be a social worker, some come in and they don’t really know, they might have three or four different opportunities that they want to explore, so each of those students, even though they may or may not know what they want to do need to consider whether or not graduate school is in their future.”
Receiving a graduate degree is surely not for everyone but the benefits that it provides confirms reasons why students should consider pursuing that next degree. If anyone is interested in finding out more information concerning FSU’s Graduate Studies Program, you can call 301-687-7053 or visit their office in Pullen Hall room 141.
Frostburg State is a liberal arts nationally accredited University that offers 48 undergraduate majors. These majors range from things like accounting to cultural anthropology to mechanical engineering and much more. Along with the various list of majors offered, students get the chance to further their education due in part to the graduate studies program offered here at FSU.
Frostburg State opens its doors up to many students all over wishing to attend grad school. These students do not have had to attended their undergraduate studies at this University but all students, regardless, have to follow the same procedures when it comes to applying. The Director of Graduate Services, Vickie Mazer gave some insight to the requirements that need to be met in order to apply for this program. “To get into most graduate schools you must have a 3.0 GPA, you must take in many cases, depending on the graduate school and the type of school, an entrance exam. Either the GRE, MAT, LSAT or MCAT, whatever the test of that particular field is or the GRE which is the general test for graduate admissions. A lot of times you are now competing in the admissions process against students that have that criteria met and even if it says 3.0, there are many graduate programs that say that in the catalogue but it is not going to be enough. Our programs are open to everyone, some of our programs are cohort program or open admission program. Cohort means they have a deadline they have to apply by, these are usually competitive. If you have 65 students that apply, then those 65 students are sort of whittled down through the application and admission process to make the decision of which for example, 14 get into the program. On the other hand, we have programs like our MBA program which is more open admission. That says, if you meet these criteria you can come into the program. So we have many different programs, depending on the design of the program those programs all have different admission criteria. Some of which include the GPA, some of which include the admissions test, some of which include a resume, letters of reference, an interview possibly, so it depends on the program.”
There are many reason why it is important for students to continue their academic journey. Some include things like, becoming more qualified in your directed field of interest, providing more job opportunities and investing in your future. Mazer noted, “The difference between undergraduate school and graduate school, in my eyes, is that grad school prepare you to develop a career track. Undergraduate is going to do that as well but in some majors you may not have that career track. What I see graduate school to do is to actually refine your career path. So u need to know coming in as an undergraduate or have some ideas of whether or not graduate school should be an opportunity that you need to consider. In many cases now and in today’s society the master’s degree has become the staple degree.”
Although attending grad school can be a long journey, one of the many rewards it provides, is helping to further prepare students for life after college. The transition may be a little difficult for undergrad students but fortunately, Mazer was able to provide some tips on something that can help. “I believe students who are entering college as an undergraduate student fall into a spectrum of where there are and what they want to do when they finish. Some are very focused and know exactly what they want to do. For example, they want to go to law school.
Some are coming in and know that they want to be a social worker, some come in and they don’t really know, they might have three or four different opportunities that they want to explore, so each of those students, even though they may or may not know what they want to do need to consider whether or not graduate school is in their future.”
Receiving a graduate degree is surely not for everyone but the benefits that it provides confirms reasons why students should consider pursuing that next degree. If anyone is interested in finding out more information concerning FSU’s Graduate Studies Program, you can call 301-687-7053 or visit their office in Pullen Hall room 141.
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