Graduate School
Interested in continuing your educational journey after earning your bachelor’s degree? We’ll help you prepare for your next academic endeavor.
Continuing Your Education After CSUMB
Many Otters pursue an advanced degree after earning their bachelor’s at Cal State Monterey Bay. Whether you’re looking to stay on campus for one of our graduate programs or want to explore master’s and professional programs elsewhere, we’re here to help you prepare.
Graduate School Checklist
You can begin preparing for graduate school as early as your freshman year at CSUMB. We put together a year-by-year checklist to inspire you and help keep you on track — from researching your options to confirming your acceptance and every step in between.
View Graduate School Checklist
Letters of Recommendation Tips
No matter where you plan to apply, you’ll likely need to submit a few letters of recommendation from faculty mentors, internship site supervisors and other people who know you academically and professionally. Here are a few tips for this process:
- Start early. Build relationships with professors, advisors, and supervisors throughout your undergraduate career.
- Request letters of recommendation from prospective writers at least one to two months before the application deadline.
- Select recommenders who know you well and can evaluate your ability to succeed in graduate school.
- Give recommenders an updated résumé, a draft of your personal statement, and specific reminders of your relationship (e.g., class taken, project details).
- Clearly communicate the specific requirements of the letter (e.g., format, content) and the submission process (online or mail) to the recommender. Some schools want confidential letters sent directly from the recommender to the school, so be sure to check the requirements carefully.
- Provide a date you would like the letter completed, ideally before the program's actual deadline.
Don’t forget to send a note thanking your recommendar after they’ve completed the letter!
Graduate School Tips
Some info to help you along the way, wherever you are in the grad school process.
Questions to Ask Before Applying
Consider the following questions as you think about applying to graduate school:
- Have I had sufficient academic and career exposure to make this commitment?
- Does my field of interest require a graduate degree?
- Will I have more opportunities with a graduate degree than with a bachelor’s degree?
- Can I afford it?
- Am I psychologically and emotionally prepared to return to formal academic studies?
- Do I want to attend graduate school right after receiving a bachelor’s degree or should I take time off?
- If I enter the job market and find a job that I enjoy, would it be difficult to continue my studies?
- Am I flexible in terms of geography and handling personal relationships while in school?
- Does this education align with my career goals?
Deciding Where to Apply
After you’ve done some research and found graduate schools you would like to apply to, here are a few key factors to consider:
- Identify faculty in the program with whom you share research interests.
- Investigate how the graduate program’s specific strengths or focus matches up with your academic and professional interests.
- Determine the quality of the program by talking to faculty members and graduate students in the field.
You may consider graduate school rankings; however, keep in mind that rankings may be based on criteria different from your own.
Organizing Info and Tracking Progress
So you don’t miss a deadline or overlook required application materials, be sure to develop a system to track your applications early on.
- Track the requirements and deadlines of every program you plan to apply to in one place.
- Keep track of your requests for letters of recommendation and official transcripts.
Considering Cost and Financial Aid
Graduate schools tend to have higher tuition rates than undergraduate schools. Fellowships, assistantships and tuition reimbursement from employers can lower the cost.
- Fellowships typically include graduate scholarships or grants, awards that do not have to be repaid.
- Assistantships, similar to work-study programs, provide students with a stipend to help cover educational costs; some may come with teaching responsibilities for one or more courses.
- Tuition reimbursement is when employers invest in their employees’ education by covering a portion of tuition and fees.
- Employers often have terms and conditions related to this benefit; make sure you understand them.