Graduate School Basics: Colleges vs. Universities, Academic vs. Professional Degrees, and How to Evaluate Programs

Kelly Kistner, PhD
3 days ago
10 min read

Updated: 2 hours ago

Starting with the Basics

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my years teaching and mentoring undergraduates considering graduate school is that you have to start with the basics. As a first‑generation college student - now with a PhD - I didn’t even know what graduate school was when I began college. The world of graduate education can feel murky, and knowledge that some people take for granted is often invisible to others. In my experience, students are relieved when these fundamentals are made clear, even if it exposes more of what they didn’t know existed or hadn’t thought to ask.

This article offers a rundown of some key distinctions relevant to U.S. graduate education:

Colleges vs. Universities
Undergraduate vs. Graduate Studies
Academic vs. Professional Degrees
Specialized graduate programs
Possible future directions

It will wrap up with some guidance on how to evaluate graduate school programs and point you toward useful resources. In a related article, I’ll discuss how graduate school applications differ from college applications. Future posts will explore graduate education outside the United States, and you can vote in the poll at the bottom for other topics you’d like to see covered.

Colleges vs. Universities

In the U.S., “college” and “university” are often used interchangeably, but they actually aren’t the same.

Colleges typically focus on undergraduate education and award associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. Examples include community colleges, small liberal arts colleges (SLACs) such as Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Morehouse, and Bowdoin, as well as specialized institutions like Berklee College of Music, Rhode Island School of Design, Northwest Indian College, or West Point. Some institutions, like Dartmouth, Ithaca College, and Sarah Lawrence, retain the name “college” but also offer some graduate programs.

Universities, by contrast, usually have more infrastructure to support graduate and professional education, faculty research, and creative work. The Carnegie Classifications further distinguish universities by research activity (you may hear terms like “R1” or “R2” to describe their level of productivity).

The lines between colleges and universities can blur. Even at large universities, undergraduate education is often organized under an internal college. For example, UCLA has the College of Letters and Science in the Division of Undergraduate Education.

For some readers, these distinctions may feel obvious. But if you’re like I was as an undergrad, or like many students I’ve taught, this isn’t common knowledge - and that’s okay. If you’re currently in college, and it doesn’t matter what kind, there are ways you can optimize your preparation for graduate and professional schools.

Types of Graduate Degrees: Academic and Professional

Graduate school education in the U.S. (sometimes called post‑graduate or postgraduate education) includes a wide variety of degrees.

Hopscotch board showing graduate degrees from college to PhD [AI-generated image]. — **Image generated using Google Gemini (2025).**

Academic degrees focus on research or creative work and typically include:
- MA (Master of Arts)
- MS (Master of Science)
- MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
- PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Professional degrees* prepare students for applied or clinical careers and include:
- MD (Doctor of Medicine)
- EdD (Doctor of Education)
- DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
- DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine)
- PsyD (Doctor of Psychology – Clinical)
- JD (Juris Doctor, for law school graduates)
- MBA (Master of Business Administration)
- MPH (Master of Public Health)
- MSW (Master of Social Work or Social Welfare - the latter focuses more on policy)
- MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science)
- MEng (Master of Engineering)
- MPA (Master of Public Administration)
- MPP (Master of Public Policy)

*Important note: While we may colloquially categorize these as professional degree programs, new rules around U.S. federal financial aid loan caps ($200k total for professional programs, $100k total for graduate programs) have recently defined “professional degree programs” as restricted to pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, theology, and, clinical psychology.

There are also a range of dual degree programs (MD–PhD, JD–MBA, MSW–MPH, EdD–MBA) that cross multiple fields of study and application. While some professional programs include research components, they are typically oriented toward practice in industry, government, healthcare, education, or nonprofits.

Certainly, graduates of academic programs may go on to applied work, and graduates of professional programs may pursue research. It’s natural to discover new affinities while in graduate school, but it’s important to know what kinds of careers a program is designed to prepare you for. And if you are looking to pivot from academic to applied or public scholarship, or if you have had a career - or multiple careers - and want to bring that experience into academia, there are Another Degree mentors who have been there and can help guide you through that transition.

Specialized Graduate Programs

Increasingly, universities offer specialized master’s programs that are unique to the institution. Some are built around partnerships with industries likely to hire graduates, while others respond to new technologies and student demand for credentials in emerging fields.

Examples include:

UCLA’s Master of Quantitative Economics (MQE) and Master of Social Science (MaSS)
Carnegie Mellon’s Master of Entertainment Technology (MET)
Georgia Tech’s MS in Computational Media (MSCM)

Online and for‑profit institutions add even more options to the mix.

A Note of Caution

Here’s a not‑so‑secret truth: many professional master’s programs are “cash cows” for universities. They often charge higher tuition per credit than undergraduate programs, rarely provide funding packages or tuition waivers like most PhD programs, and cost less to operate. Universities have strong incentives to expand these programs, and they may not last long enough to build a strong reputation.

That doesn’t mean they’re all bad. In fact, I’d love to see more programs that blend the rigor of PhD research with applied training for non‑academic careers. But it does mean that prospective graduate students need to be savvy consumers of an unfamiliar, expensive product that can take years of your life.

With universities facing budget pressures and record application numbers, expect to see more new graduate programs and certifications. Below, I’ll share tips on how to evaluate graduate school programs wisely.

Don’t Go It Alone

My biggest tip: don’t go it alone. I know prospective graduate students are smart, resourceful, and information‑savvy. There’s a temptation to dive deep into the internet and figure it all out yourself - I know I was that way. But graduate and professional school is often an unfamiliar landscape, and it’s undergoing rapid changes. You’ll want to talk with people who can see the forest for the trees and know how to navigate it. Other people often have better awareness of what we don’t know, questions we didn’t know to ask, and variables we didn’t think to consider.

Tap Into Your Network

If you’re currently enrolled: Take advantage of advisors, professors, instructors, and teaching assistants (TAs). They can help you clarify your goals and point you toward reputable programs that fit.
If you’re no longer in school: Reconnect with potential reference letter writers. You’ll need them anyway, and bringing them into your program decision‑making process helps them craft stronger letters. Request a meeting or virtual appointment, and show you’re serious by sharing a concise outline of the programs you’re considering, your rationale, and desired outcomes.
Non‑academic references: Supervisors or internship mentors may not be accustomed to writing graduate school admissions letters, yet they can provide valuable insights and a distinctive perspective on your skills, professional dispositions, and long‑term goals. Talking through your plans with them ensures they understand how to frame your strengths.
Another Degree mentors: Our mentors are available to help at any stage of the process - whether you’re just starting to consider graduate school or evaluating offers. We can also help you structure outreach to your reference writers.

Above all, remember no single person will know all the options or what’s “right” for you. There’s value in multiple perspectives. A good mentor listens, helps you sift through advice, and supports you in finding clarity.

Consider More Than One Program

Just like it’s good to have multiple perspectives, it’s also good not to put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to graduate school applications. It’s fine to have a preferred program, but many times when I’ve encountered students focused on one program, their interest was based on limited familiarity - an advertisement, a friend or family member in the program, or a scholarship they heard about - without awareness of other programs that might be a better fit or offer more financial support.

As you’re reaching out to your network, ask for suggestions of other programs to consider. Keep in mind there’s no one right number of programs to apply to. If you’re pursuing something very specialized or restricted to a particular location, maybe you’ll apply to two programs. For others, there may be ten relevant programs. Graduate admissions often come down to fit, so tailor your application to each program’s strengths and your long‑term goals. Avoid stretching yourself too thin or taking a scattershot approach that dilutes the care you put into each application.

Gathering Useful Program Data

Once you have a set of potential programs, there are good ways to get valuable information to assess whether a program is worth applying to. This information will also help you create stronger application materials and later decide which offer to accept.

Start by creating a spreadsheet that includes:

Program deadlines
Required application materials
What interests you in the program
What will make you a strong applicant
Potential contacts

This is not only useful for you, but also for your letter writers.

Among those potential contacts, look for someone with a title such as program director, coordinator, or student affairs officer. They can often provide useful data such as:

Typical cohort sizes
Graduate outcomes like average time‑to‑degree
Job placements and time to job placements
Internal funding opportunities (fellowships, scholarships, assistantships)
External funding sources where past students have found success

Avoid asking questions already answered on the program website.

Should You Reach Out to Faculty?

For a long time, the “hot tip” preached by graduate school prep programs and consultants was to reach out in advance to faculty in the programs you plan to apply to - especially for PhD applicants. I even recommended this to my own students - despite not having done it myself when I applied to my PhD program. The assumption was that students who connected with faculty beforehand were more successful in getting offers. But, as any good scholar knows, correlation doesn’t equal causation. Reaching out doesn’t automatically make the difference; often those students had a good reason to reach out, or a soft introduction from a mentor.

After years of working with faculty inundated by these kinds of inquiries - some of whom now have blanket policies of not responding just to be fair to everyone - I now advise applicants to reach out only with sincerity and purpose. Unless you’ve already engaged in research‑related conversations with them before, consider carefully: Is this question truly critical to my decision to apply? It may be useful to hear a potential mentor’s thoughts on the strengths of their program or how they work with students, but those questions might be more relevant once you are evaluating multiple offers.

Professors are busy, and some can be prickly. You don’t want to risk leaving a bad impression by:

Asking questions that are already answered online or can be addressed by program staff
Writing to fawn over their work without any substantive question
Sending more than one follow‑up if they don’t respond
Writing overly long emails that would require an equally long response

Asking outright for a meeting can sometimes be valuable, but without a soft introduction from a shared colleague, some faculty may find it off‑putting if they’re uncertain whether your questions are time‑sensitive or essential. (My guidance is a little different if you are applying to a graduate program at an institution you already attend, where faculty may be more open to meeting.)

Here are a few good reasons to reach out to faculty - and to keep your inquiries direct:

PhD or research‑related Master’s programs: If you're applying in a STEM field or other area where faculty typically have labs, ask if they are taking new students. However, do this after you’ve learned about the program structure, which you can usually find online or from the program director or coordinator. Some programs don’t match students with a faculty researcher right away, or it may be possible to start in one lab and later switch.
- Funding realities: Suppose you learn a program can’t admit you without faculty bringing you onto a funded project, or the program isn’t offering PhD admissions at all this year. While disappointing, you could collegially ask if the professor can recommend someone else in their program or another one. They may even facilitate an introduction.
Course offerings: If you are genuinely interested in a topic they teach, ask how frequently the course is offered and if they would be willing to share a syllabus. This can be valuable both for deciding on a program and shaping your own academic interests.
Graduate student connections: Ask if they can suggest particular graduate students or recent alumni who might be willing to speak with you based on your interests.

It’s also worth noting that program structures differ internationally. In the United States, many PhD programs admit students as part of a departmental cohort, with faculty matches occurring later, usually through mutual agreement. In contrast, the European model often treats PhD admissions more like applying for a job: you apply directly to work on a particular faculty member’s funded project. With increasing funding uncertainties in the U.S., I wouldn’t be surprised if more American PhD programs begin adopting aspects of this model. Understanding these differences can help you frame better questions and set realistic expectations when reaching out.

Remember: don’t take it personally if a faculty member doesn’t respond. Silence is common, and it doesn’t mean you aren’t a strong candidate. If you’d like additional guidance on how to appropriately reach out, Another Degree has mentors who are current faculty and have served on selection committees, and they can provide personalized guidance and tips. Check out professors Meghan, Garry, Josh, Kennetta, and Jacob, with more to come!

Connect With Current Graduate Students and Alumni

Graduate students and alumni are often the best sources of candid information. They’re usually happy to speak with prospective admits and can share intel you won’t find elsewhere - like a prominent faculty member planning to retire, a major grant just awarded, or insights on quality of life and finances.

Ways to connect:

Graduate program websites often list current students and alumni profiles.
Platforms like LinkedIn and Academia.edu make it easy to reach out.

Final Thoughts

I see a lot of prospective students preoccupied with a program's average test scores, GPAs, and admit rates. And while those things matter, numbers shift from year to year and they aren't the whole story. Don’t let numbers alone stop you from applying. If you can craft a compelling application that highlights your fit and potential, you may stand out regardless of averages, and our mentors at Another Degree are here to help you shape that story.

I want to hear from you! Do you have feedback, comments, or follow‑ups on this article? Join the discussion on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit.