thinkadvancedstudy.htm

You may not know that some of our best PhD students were also some of our best MS students, who completed their master's program, returned to teaching, and came back into either the CAS (Certificate of Advanced Study) or the PhD program.

On occasion, a student who's just completed the master's degree will apply directly to enter the PhD program.

We do encourage you to think about advanced study, but we also think that having several years of teaching experience is valuable preparation for a PhD program, and students who come into the advanced programs immediately after their master's degrees typically have had this experience before and during their MS program.

If you are even thinking about the possibility, don't be afraid to come in and talk with us about your interest. Advanced study is demanding and it's not for everyone, but we can help you understand what's involved, the potential benefits in terms of opening up career choices, and answer your questions about costs and time to completion. We are proud of our advanced programs, and they have recently been completely revised to improve their quality, relevance to current issues in research and pedagogy, and time-to-completion.

You should also explore the two webpage areas devoted to the CAS program and the PhD program on our home page. If you read the documents there, you'll get a clear picture of each of the programs. After perusing these, if you're interested in talking with us about p[ossibilities, just contact Linda Papa (LPapa@albany.edu), and she'll put you in touch with an advanced program advisor. Or, you can start this conversation with one of the full-time faculty you've had as an instructor or advisor. Some of our part-time instructors are our graduates, and they, too, will be happy to talk with you.