Is a Graduate Degree Right for You?
It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves: should I get a graduate degree? When you’re thinking about going back to get your master’s degree or doctoral 
degree, it’s important to know why you want to earn your higher degree, along with knowing what you’d like to do after graduation.
There are a range of advantages to earning your master’s degree or doctorate, but it basically boils down to the opportunities that you’ll have both in school and after graduation that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Educational Opportunities
No doubt, the best part about earning your master’s degree or doctoral degree is the ability to focus on the subject that you find most interesting, and committing to studying it deeply. You can broaden your intellectual horizons while making significant contributions to your field through your own work.
For graduate students, intellectual growth is by far the most rewarding part of earning a graduate degree.
Research Opportunities
As a student earning your graduate degree, research will be a large part of your educational experience. All of our graduate students take on significant projects based on their own interests, and all doctoral students complete a dissertation.
Along with conducting your own research, you’ll have chances to collaborate on research with professors in the lab and in the field. Whether you’re earning a master’s degree or a doctoral degree, working with these experts and mentors will help you hone your own interests and expertise.
Career Opportunities
It’s no secret that having a graduate degree translates into a higher earning potential and a wider range of career choices.
Let’s start with that higher earning potential. The median salary for adults with a master’s degree is more than $10,000 higher than for those who have only an undergraduate degree. The unemployment rate for adults with a master’s is also lower than for adults with only an undergraduate degree.
A master’s degree can also put you on the fast track to a management position, or help you make a career change. Having a master’s degree makes you a standout candidate for a range of jobs, and that helps whether you’re looking to advance in your current field or are looking to transition somewhere new.
If you’re looking to join the world of academia, a doctoral degree is required for most jobs as a professor or university researcher. But even if you’re not looking to teach and research for the rest of your career, a doctoral degree in many industries will get you another bump in pay and higher positions of authority in your organization.
Opportunities at UL Lafayette
Earning your graduate degree at most universities in the U.S. will give you a chance to study what you love, conduct research, and earn more after graduation. So why earn your master’s or doctorate at UL Lafayette?
Along with our acclaimed faculty, our location in Lafayette, LA, is one of our biggest assets for students looking to earn a master’s degree or doctoral degree. Lafayette is the heart of Cajun Country, home to a unique and vibrant Francophone culture. Our graduate programs in the humanities, like our PhD in Francophone Studies, master’s in history and the English master’s and doctoral programs all include research and exploration into our local traditions, language, and history.
Our close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the swampy waterways of South Louisiana is a huge benefit to biologists and social scientists. Our engineering and geology programs work closely with the oil, gas, and petroleum industries to fuel research for new and efficient energy sources. Lafayette is also attracting more and more companies and organizations to our Research Park, working on everything from technology to education and economics.
We’re also one of the most affordable universities in the country for both bachelor’s and graduate degrees. There are additional opportunities to qualify for graduate assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships, which can help ease the burden of paying for your master’s degree or doctorate.
And our joie de vivre here in Lafayette is contagious. You’ll find that everyone is family here, and our unique Francophone culture is filled with great music, food, and fun.
Master's Degrees / Doctoral Degrees