Today, on the one hand, the majority of school graduates strive to obtain higher education. But the prospect of obtaining a bachelor's degree first and then a master's degree somewhat delayed the prospect of studying in graduate school. Even before, only a few became graduate students.
But at the same time, on modern stage development of society, our state needs fresh scientific solutions in the field of economic modernization. That is why it is necessary to find out who a graduate student really is and whether it is worth becoming one.
Translated from Latin language“graduate student” - striving for something. Literally, a graduate student is a person who strives to gain new high-quality knowledge.
IN Russian Federation Postgraduate students are trained in postgraduate schools at universities and research institutions. A citizen of the Russian Federation who has received a higher professional education with a specialist or master's qualification can enroll in graduate school.
Also, the applicant must have creative achievements in science, documented. Candidates must pass competitive entrance exams in their specialty, philosophy and foreign language.
Graduate student learning process
During the training, the graduate student prepares to defend a dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Sciences. The dissertation is written under the guidance of a supervisor: doctor of science or professor.
The educational activities of a graduate student are strictly regulated by an individual work plan, which defines the deadlines for passing exams for the candidate minimum. Compulsory subjects for visiting in the first year is English language and philosophy. It is also equally important to participate in the work of the department.
Failure to comply with the plan will result in expulsion. Receiving the coveted candidate minimum and defending the dissertation depends only on the graduate student himself.
Government support
Postgraduate students are young scientists who have chosen a long path to improve their knowledge. That is why the Government of the Russian Federation provides support for graduate students who have a number of government guarantees.
Postgraduate students in full-time receive a monthly stipend. Its size is determined state regulations and differentiated depending on the results of the interim certification and the absence of debt from the graduate student.
Employers must pay part-time workers an annual additional leave lasting 30 days, as well as one free day per week for classes with 50% payment.
Additional features
In addition, government authorities and the business community provide grant support for graduate students. By correctly proposing your scientific ideas, you can already receive serious support for their implementation. Graduate students also have the opportunity to do internships at enterprises in the country and abroad.
It should be noted that many universities also solve the housing problems of graduate students by providing the right to live in dormitories. This is especially important if the graduate student already has a family.
Thus, a graduate student is a certified specialist studying full-time or part-time in graduate school, where he receives preparation for future teaching and research work. Defense of a candidate's dissertation earns the applicant the status of candidate of science.
A candidate of sciences has significant opportunities in professional activities, getting decent wages and defense of a doctoral dissertation. That is why, if a person is confident in his knowledge, he must strive to become a graduate student.
There is one pattern - the clearer the outlines of the diploma and the closer the day of its defense, the more often the thought comes to you: “Should I go to graduate school?”
The first thing worth saying is that not all graduate students defend their dissertations and not all candidates devote their lives to science. But then why do we need graduate school? The most common reasons are deferment from the army, a place in a dormitory, many are simply due to inertia, because of the habit of studying and living in a university environment, pride, or generally “just because.”
Others need these 3 years to determine their place in this life, to understand what they really need. One of my friends went to graduate school precisely for these reasons; as a result, she was so fascinated by scientific life that she could not imagine herself in any other activity. She goes to conferences, teaches German and Russian, conducts a special course in her specialty... And she’s very pleased.
But there may also be more practical considerations. If you have, say, a diploma in history, and you work as a manager, graduate school will become real alternative second higher education and will give you the opportunity to reinforce your practical skills with theoretical knowledge and a degree. One of my friends graduated from the physics department, worked during his studies and after as an analyst, and a couple of years later he entered a correspondence graduate school in economics. To my question "why?" I received a logical and expected answer: “Improve your qualifications.” One could ask again “why?”, but it’s clear - for the sake of career advancement. I think he will succeed.
Many girls get a degree for the sake of a teaching career at a university, so as not to sit at home and be exhausted from work from bell to bell. It’s interesting, not dusty and, it seems, still prestigious... A very worthy and enjoyable occupation if you don’t need to support yourself and anyone else.
There is an opinion that any academic degree and even the very fact of studying in graduate school is your additional advantage in the labor market. This is a rather controversial statement; there is no consensus on this matter. Much depends on the specialty and how related the work is to it. If connected directly, it may turn out an indispensable condition, if it is not connected in any way, it is logical that your HR degree (short for “Human Resources” - HR manager, i.e. the one who recruits new employees) will not impress and he will prefer a person, albeit less educated, but more experienced And, for example, abroad (our “PhD” is equivalent to a Western PhD) can even turn into a disadvantage: you will be considered “overqualified”, i.e. “too qualified”... In any case, do not delude yourself that the degree is will open all doors for you, but if presented correctly, it can be useful. So if you look more closely, you need graduate school!
Full-time or part-time?
The form of training depends on your goals. Do you want to have an extra “bow” on your resume, satisfy your own pride, prove to yourself and the whole world that you are capable of this? - Then it’s probably better to choose correspondence. Many people perceive it as a “defective” option for full-time study, but if you have everything in order with self-discipline and the problem of conscription into the army, as well as a place in a dormitory, is not relevant for you, correspondence graduate school clearly has more advantages. Firstly, you are not obliged to attend classes and/or teach, which means that over time you are much more free. Secondly, you have not 3 years, but 4, to write your dissertation. Remember how often you were missing one night, one month... so, one year will be missing in the same way.
By law, part-time graduate students have the right to additional paid leave, and your employer is obliged to provide them to you. But in reality, if it is not the organization that guides you, but you went to study on your own initiative, it will take a long time to achieve legal leave and it is not a fact that you will achieve it. It's easier to quit. Employers can be understood - 30 calendar days for entrance exams, an additional vacation of 30 calendar days every year + one day a week with fifty percent pay and three paid months to complete the dissertation... According to my calculations, it turns out to be about 11 months for all 4 years. Personally, I don’t know of a single example where a part-time graduate student spent all his time allotted vacations(except for my mother, but that was 20 years ago). Full-time postgraduate study is the choice of those who are aimed at a scientific or teaching career. A significant disadvantage is that experience shows that successfully combining full-time graduate school with full-time high paying job almost impossible (but not everyone cares about this, right?). It is clear that doing science is pleasant and prestigious. Another question is what a scientific career gives in material terms. It's been a long time commonplace that “in Russia they don’t pay for science.” But, firstly, there are knowledge-intensive areas - and large companies working in them need their own developments, and therefore good specialists. First of all, this is IT, some areas of physics, chemistry, geology. One of my geologist friends went to graduate school precisely for this purpose - higher professional education gives her the opportunity practical work V large company, and the degree will allow you to study there theoretical research. That is, to implement the well-known formula: “satisfy your own curiosity at someone else’s expense.” And secondly, a specialist high level in ANY field, if desired, he will provide for himself.
In addition to full-time and part-time postgraduate studies, there is also the opportunity to apply for a job. You are assigned to the department (without entrance exams) and for 5 years you pass the minimum candidate exams, write and defend your dissertation. We are not talking about any kind of study; in fact, it is something like an external study.
Will they take it?
As for the admission conditions, the main requirement is that you must have a higher education diploma vocational education(5 years). A bachelor's degree is usually not enough (a bachelor's degree is 4 years, and its logical continuation is not graduate school, but a master's degree). Age restrictions - no older than 35 years for full-time, and 45 for part-time. Study at budgetary basis You can only do it once and only if you have Russian citizenship.
What do we rent and how much do we pay?
Everything is standard here: specialty, foreign language, philosophy. Most likely, another 30-page abstract on the specialty and an interview with the proposed supervisor. If you have a master's degree and you took philosophy or a foreign language as your final exams, they can be counted. A definite plus is the presence of publications, but their absence is not critical. If you are applying for budget financing- you will have to go through a competition. What it is depends on the popularity and openness of the institute - about some you can say in advance that even submitting documents is useless. That is, they will, of course, accept you, but you still won’t be able to get in - all the places have long been distributed among “our own”. Competition for admission to RAS institutes ( Russian Academy Sciences) can reach up to 4-5 people per place, in some departments of the Russian Civil Academy of Civil Art (Russian Academy civil service) - 5-7, at departments of faculties of Moscow State University - rarely exceeds 1.5, but usually this is just the case when “all are our own”. Competition in paid graduate school Usually no, you just need to pass the exams. Ideal option- if you manage to convince your superiors that the company is interested in your training. Then it will be called “targeted graduate school” and your employer will pay for it. If not, you pay yourself and this pleasure will cost on average from 1000 to 2000 USD. e. per year; correspondence is cheaper, but not much. And be prepared for the fact that your investment may not end there; for example, you will be required to pay for the dissertation council fee or the work of your opponents. The timing of the exams depends on the institute, usually it is either from the end of May to the beginning of July, or September-October. Rarely - in January.
So, who needs graduate school?
Postgraduate study is needed - not only for those who dream of becoming a “great scientist” or simply miss out on leaving the army, this additional opportunity your professional and personal development. Ultimately, you do this for yourself, for your pride and to satisfy your own ambitions. Plus - you get experience in analytical work, writing scientific articles, preparing reports and reports. By the way, many people simply like the process itself: communicating with smart, educated people is worth a lot.
What will graduate school give you besides moral satisfaction and additional method self-expression? Education is important not only to receive, but also to be able to use it. Clearly understand what you are doing and for what purpose. Maybe there will be nothing as a result except another unnecessary diploma in the back drawer of the desk. Or maybe you’ll get another promotion, marry an academician, become a laureate Nobel Prize... Everything depends only on you. As always.
Admission to graduate school to obtain postgraduate professional education and dissertation writing are important decision that will affect your life in the future.
Reasons to understand what graduate school offers
Most often, teaching and scientific personnel require an academic degree, which is a necessity when obtaining this vacancy.
This does not mean that they should plunge into work immediately after completing their university education. Just make sure you have good reason, How scientific novelty of the research for admission to graduate school.
Some of the reasons listed below are more valid than others, but they all have common reasons why people determine what graduate school offers:
The downside or disadvantages of studying in graduate school
- High competitiveness. There is competition for places in research positions related to departmental politics.
- Requires the ability to prioritize. It takes a lot of discipline and vision. This can be a strain on family and personal relationships, not to mention yourself.
- Relationship strains. If you're married, housing can be an issue. You may be offered a position and free training, but not dorm housing for your spouse.
- Stress. Emotionally exhausting – finishing graduate school as a PhD student requires emotional maturity.
- Writing a dissertation. Writing an original thesis is not easy compared to a term paper or dissertation and it often takes much longer than studying.
- Needs support. You may need a strong support network to get through everything emotionally.
- May take 2-7 years of its life. Not everyone will end up with a dissertation in the typical 2 or 3 years. Personal obligations often interfere or lack of funds makes the defense difficult.
- Additional cost of training. If you do not intend to work while studying or do not get a job as an assistant or exemption from tuition fees.
- Does not guarantee a high salary. Earning a PhD doesn't necessarily mean you'll be offered a job with a much higher salary.
- Limited employment opportunities. If the PhD is in an academic field, finding work outside of teaching or research may be difficult.
- Overqualified. During an economic downturn, if you find yourself looking for a job, having an advanced degree can be a liability. You may hear "sorry, you're overqualified."
Is it worth going to graduate school?
The structure of training is different than at a university. There are virtually no lectures, all or almost all classes will be small seminars with a few graduate students. Even just 2-5 people in a class is not uncommon.
You must be prepared to conduct seminars, speak and engage in intellectual conversation. Your professors will be interested in hearing your findings. Expected high quality papers, presentations and group projects. You will be able to devote much more time to each discipline than you could at the university.
This is what graduate school provides - an advanced training program focusing on a specific scientific discipline or profession with the opportunity to defend a Ph.D. dissertation.
Good day, dear reader! This article is for those who can’t decide whether or not to go to graduate school after graduating from university? Many former and current students are afraid of their future uncertainty.
Once they graduate from university, what then? After all, you are unlikely to be hired for a high-paying job right from the training threshold. So? So. And now no one wants to work for pennies. After all, Russia is a country of opportunity after all. You don’t want to vegetate in a low-prestige job in your younger years, do you?
Maybe it would be better, before joining the ranks of working people, to improve your education in order to be more competitive in the labor market? Let's figure it out, you still need to go to graduate school and, if necessary, why.
For those who are not aware, graduate school is postgraduate education. As they say in English speaking countries- postgraduate (“after graduation”). Typically, graduate students study for 3 years (sometimes 4). There are budget and paid places, everything is like at a university.
Should I go to graduate school or not?
The life of a graduate student is somewhat different from the life of an ordinary student, although both gain knowledge. Only in graduate school, by and large, will you obtain knowledge on your own, for the needs of your candidate's dissertation, while students, for the most part, receive new information through listening to lectures and attending seminars, i.e. from some teacher.
What actually happens in graduate school, and how can it help you when applying for a job?
A good question that requires a detailed answer. If you go to graduate school, then something like the following awaits you.
If at a university you have to write a graduation project that confirms that you have mastered the skills of your specialty, then in graduate school the bar is raised. There, at the end of your training, you must present your own scientific work on a question that interests you.
What does it mean? This means that over the years of your graduate studies you must “shove through” more than one hundred different books, scientific journals, articles, etc.
Then, based on the material you have read, form your own scientific vision of the problem you are working on. Then you present your thesis to the commission, which decides whether to award you academic degree candidate N of sciences or not.
What does their decision depend on? First of all, it depends on whether you can prove that your PhD work reflects a completely new (your own) view of the problem under study, i.e. Is there anything in your work that moves science one step forward on this issue?
If you are at a university, you can, with almost no fear, “copy-paste”, i.e. insert into supposedly your own thesis“pieces” of text from different books, then such a trick will not work in graduate school. There are very strict requirements for using other people's thoughts. In short, you are unlikely to be able to pass off someone else’s property as your own. You have to work, and work hard.
But if you defend your work before a strict commission, you will be very far intellectually from most people, i.e. from your potential competitors.
Typically, those people who graduate from graduate school with good or excellent results no longer think about the money problem. It simply won’t exist, so why think about it?
Although there are many examples where candidates of N sciences work as ordinary workers on construction sites, factories, janitors, etc.
Why, you ask? After all, they managed to defend themselves before the commission, which means they have more knowledge than the average person? But no. Most likely, such “candidates” ordered their dissertations from some office (fortunately, there are a dime a dozen of them now, average price candidate's degree: 25-40 thousand rubles).
Having defended their thesis, they come to work, reasonably expecting that they will be given a well-paid position. Annette! Even if yes, then after a short amount of time, such an ungodly “candidate” will be identified and asked for on all 4 sides.
After all, identifying a false candidate is very simple. It will simply not correspond to the declared competence.
Here is the explanation for the low salaries of the intelligentsia. It’s just that these are not intelligentsia at all, but ordinary people who decided to break through to the top of society through deception. And, by and large, self-deception. The system rarely misses non-conforming items. Like Kaspersky, it blocks viruses.
However, if a person is truly capable and honest, if he has truly proven through his PhD work that he is worth something in scientific society, the system approves of this and “shoves” him into upper class. Everything is just crazy.
Therefore, the next time they tell you that after graduating from graduate school a person works as an ordinary manager in an ordinary company, hinting that graduate school is a waste of time, remember this article. Maybe the person they are telling you about is the very “virus” that the system does not allow further.
We hope you understand that graduate school is a serious undertaking that requires serious people and a serious approach to learning. Are you that kind of person?
You strong-willed, purposeful, but still thinking about whether to go to graduate school or not? Then look at what you will face if you decide to go to study after university. Are you ready for this?
Disadvantages of graduate school
First, let's start with the cons of going to graduate school. There are not as many advantages as there are, however, we want to warn you against hasty decisions. So, let's go!
1. To study in graduate school, you need analytical skills and a desire for knowledge. Do you spend hours poring over books looking for the information you need? No? And this will have to be done if you are going to study in graduate school. In addition to searching for information, you still have to analyze it, “isolate” the main thing, and “discard” the secondary.
How did you get on with higher mathematics at university? It will be very useful to you in graduate school. Do you have a desire to delve deeper into any issue? Be sometimes “boring”, proving your point of view to others?
You will need these and other qualities if you are aiming to study in graduate school. Take a good look at yourself and honestly say: do I have similar qualities, or at least the beginnings of them?
If not, and you are not yet a university graduate, but only a far-sighted student (well done!), but the desire to study there is very great, then you need to try to develop them. How? And it's very simple. Participate in all scientific conferences taking place at your university. “Instill” in yourself the habit of scientific work.
2. Money problem.
If you are planning to study in graduate school, then, most likely, at first you will be faced with the fact that you will be very tight with money.
You will already be about 22-23 years old, and naturally you will really need money. You can, of course, work in parallel, but it will be the same as in the saying about two birds with one stone. Concentrate on one thing (better, graduate school) or look for a job that will distract you from the educational process to a minimum.
It won’t be difficult to find such a job now. For example, working as a freelancer can bring you good income at first.
At the end of graduate school, graduate students are usually given legal permission to earn money. You have to teach students intelligence. Yes, maybe they will pay “crumbs” there, but at least it’s something.
Therefore, if you decide to enroll in graduate school, then think in advance about the options for your financial support during the 3 years of your study. Most young people don't go to graduate school precisely because money worries scare them away.
We hope you are not a “simpleton” who thinks “like everyone else.” IN modern world you can find countless opportunities to make money. Therefore, we very much hope that you will not deviate from your intended path to enroll in graduate school because of a money problem.
If you are talented and smart, then give your talent a path, don’t destroy it in the bud!
3. Long “exhaust”
Well, and probably the most important disadvantage of studying in graduate school is that you will have to reap the fruits of your labor after some time. While your friends and acquaintances are working and earning money, buying different things with it, you will read books. You will learn.
But this minus is, as it were, fictitious. In fact, you will be investing in yourself. And investments are the key to success for almost any rich and successful person. Only few people know that rich and successful people first invest...in themselves. And not money (although there is that too), but knowledge. After all, knowledge is now very expensive.
The modern world is overflowing with goods and services, but people with quality knowledge are not. Information - yes. But knowledge - no.
Damn, now you can download almost any book for free, take any video course without paying a penny. The necessary knowledge is so easy to obtain and “absorb” it into yourself. But it's also easy not to do this. The choice is yours
Therefore, do not worry that everyone around you has money, and you are still like a poor student. Firstly, you are far from poor (in spiritual terms, certainly), and, secondly, you are 1000 times more likely to become a “big and respected” person after graduating from graduate school than your friends without a PhD. The main thing is to remember that you should always devote yourself completely to your favorite activity, then the “exhaust” will happen more powerfully and noticeably faster.
Pros of graduate school
Now it’s your turn to tell you about the advantages that studying in graduate school promises you. There are many more of them than there are minuses. Below we will present only the most significant ones to show you that self-education, which involves studying in graduate school, is the key to your future success.
1.Increasing education.
Today, educated people are valued more than ever. A lot has already been created: there are technologies and experience. There is no main thing - people who can successfully manage and coordinate all this.
Therefore, the demand for highly educated people is now greater than ever. On truly highly educated people, and not on “viruses”. Therefore, if you choose to further enhance your education by enrolling in graduate school, you will likely be one step closer to success.
The experience you will gain by studying scientific works the best scientists on your problem, you will find it very useful in your practical activities.
You will be more competent than any average specialist in your field. The time of the Soviet “equalization” has passed, the time has come successful people and... "simpletons". It's up to you to decide who you want to be! Graduate school moves you up the social ladder and it's hard to argue with that. Therefore, if you want your intellectual abilities meet the needs modern society, then it is vital that you attend graduate school.
2. Personal growth.
In addition to the in-depth knowledge that graduate school will give you (and really, your self-education), you will also grow as a person.
After all, during your studies you will have to participate in a huge number of various scientific conferences, where the best minds gather.
And among the best personalities, your personality will grow willy-nilly. You will feel this very soon for yourself. If you become strong personality, then you will be less disturbed life problems. Why do you think influential people became like this? This is because they have a strong core that successfully resists external threats.
Another proof that personal growth is now a very important component of your life is that on almost every corner you can find advertisements for courses on improving self-esteem, public speaking skills, stress resistance, etc.
All this together is personal growth. Since the Internet is replete with such advertisements, it means that there is a demand for such services. And if there is demand, then it is important for modern people.
After all, now everything is changing very quickly, a lot of new things are appearing. All this leads to the fact that people cannot live normally, because... they are subject to various stresses, problems, etc.
However, this will threaten you to a lesser extent, because after graduating from graduate school you will know how to relate to everything that happens in this world. You will know, the feeling of knowing the functioning of the system (the world) will definitely overtake you.
Therefore, if you are planning to study in graduate school, then you have taken a step towards self-improvement. This quality is highly valued in the modern world.
3. Career opportunities.
Of course, most people go to graduate school in order to later be a person with a high-paying job. Money, of course, rules the world, but that’s part of it.
They rule the world reasonable people who make the most important decisions. After graduating from graduate school, you will join an unofficial club of “steers.” It is those who manage who always receive more than the common worker. Always!
But money should not be your end in itself. The most important thing for you is that you can apply the acquired knowledge for the benefit of society.
If you work conscientiously, the money will come by itself. Once you gain deep knowledge in graduate school, apply it to benefit people. And then our world will become a little better. It is from such seemingly small things that great things are made. Remember this.
4. Forget about the army.
This point concerns the male part.
Firstly, if you enroll in graduate school immediately after graduating from university, then you automatically receive a deferment for the entire period of your studies (if, of course, this is full-time graduate school).
And secondly, if you successfully defend your Ph.D. thesis, and you are awarded the academic degree of Candidate of N Sciences, then you can completely forget about the army. By Federal law"ON MILITARY RESPONSIBILITY AND MILITARY SERVICE" dated March 28, 1998 N 53-FZ, you are exempt from service in the Armed Forces of Russia. Just like that.
Conclusion: In this article we examined an issue that interests university graduates - to go or not to go to graduate school after graduating from university.
If you still decide to go there, then you should know what awaits you there. Firstly, upon completion of your studies, you will have to present your PhD thesis on a scientific problem that interests you to the certification commission.
This is about the meaning of learning. Secondly, you must soberly assess your abilities: will you be able to study there or not? And thirdly, we told you about the privileges that graduate school can give you after graduation. The choice is yours!
Do everything conscientiously, and our world will become a better place!
The training is coming to an end, and you look at some of your classmates with sincere surprise. Why did they decide to go to graduate school? After all, freedom is here, already on the threshold! Meanwhile, they know a little more than you. Let's fill this small gap and find out why go to graduate school.
What benefits does graduate school provide and who needs it?
The main goal of graduate school is to obtain the most in-depth knowledge within the chosen topic, and to scrupulously study problems in the chosen direction. And sometimes graduate school aims to make a discovery. It all depends on your own aspirations and beliefs.
Many people think that the only advantage of the whole event is that graduate school provides a deferment from the army. Well, of course, you can’t argue with that – it is true! But there are other advantages of graduate school:
Cons of graduate school
As we said earlier, studying in graduate school has not only pros, but also cons.
When you get tired of "studying"
The first is a rather long path to the final goal. In addition to regular university education, you will have to study in graduate school for a long time, and then successfully defend your Ph.D. dissertation. And all this time you will need to go to the same classes, spend hours in libraries, study and conduct various studies, work through the problems you study down to the smallest detail, and then also pass candidate exams.
All this can get pretty boring even before graduation, which is why not many people have enough strength and desire to continue this “hell” after university. But if you’ve already decided to do it, then it’s final. We recommend reading about.
And here is another point (pleasant for some, unpleasant for others) of what studying in graduate school provides: in addition to all the above-mentioned activities, the graduate student will have to conduct seminars or practical classes with students.
However, if your planned activity is in no way connected with the world of science, then you don’t have to know what graduate school gives when finding a job in real life. Sometimes it is enough for students to find out whether graduate school provides a deferment from the army in order to go there to study. And in this case, they will quickly come to your aid - they will take on all the burdens of academic activity, and all the merits will remain with you.
