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Graduate education considered a necessity to advance career

Contact: Karen Klomparens, MSU Graduate School, (517) 353-3220, kklompar@msu.edu; or Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, (517) 353-8819, ander284@msu.edu

Linton Hall. Photo by Kurt Stepnitz. Hi-res jpg

Today’s master’s degrees are the bachelor’s degrees of the 1950s, says Karen Klomparens, dean of the MSU Graduate School. A growing number of employers in all sectors desire, or even require, education beyond the bachelor’s level for many careers, especially if employees want to advance their careers.

“For a good career, which is different from a ‘job,’ more education and lifelong learning is, and will be needed,” says Klomparens, who also is a professor of plant biology. “And, without a strong graduate education program, the country’s leadership in the international education and economic fronts will be at risk.”

China, India and members of the European Union have studied American graduate education programming and have seen what economic and other benefits graduate education offers in terms of resources, job creation and improving quality of life, Klomparens says. “Other countries increasingly are expending more and more of their financial resources toward developing their own quality graduate education programs.”

While U.S. colleges and universities may now be viewed as the best in the world, it’s time to strengthen our efforts and re-invest in advanced education programming and partner with educational institutions worldwide, according to Klomparens. If that doesn’t happen, we may find some of our best and brightest students and faculty leaving the country, she says.
 
“If Michigan wants to get out of its economic doldrums, it’s time to make strategic investments in higher education,” Klomparens says.

“Society has increasingly complicated problems to solve concerning the environment, food and health, economic inequities, community well-being and globalization to name just a few. Colleges and universities cannot rest on their laurels to meet the career and job demands of the 21st century,” she says.