Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/07/2024
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location
4010 JFSB
Category(ies)
Join us on Thursday, November 7 at 3:00 pm in 4010 JFSB, for a public debate on the topic “The ‘Joys’ of Graduate Education” where participants will explore the rewards and challenges of pursuing advanced degrees. This event promises to spark engaging discussions and provide diverse perspectives on the graduate school experience. Both faculty and students are invited to attend.
Title: “The ‘Joys’ of Graduate Education”
We have recently had a discussion in the Humanities Center about the value of graduate education and how to promote graduate study among our undergraduate students. As we have discussed various activities that we might sponsor in the Humanities Center to promote the graduate programs of our college, we have realized that there exist important differences of opinion among our faculty about the purposes of graduate education. Consider the following:
- Some of our colleagues believe graduate education should focus primarily on preparing students for doctoral programs.
- Some colleagues think graduate education at BYU should even more narrowly prepare students to replace us at BYU.
- Some of our colleagues think that graduate education should be discouraged at all costs given the difficult realities of the academic job market.
- Some of our colleagues think we should revamp and revitalize our graduate programs to help prepare students for work outside of academia.
These divergent attitudes reflect larger trends under discussion throughout our profession. And of course the way that a department answers these questions holds significant implications for the structure of both undergraduate and graduate programs.
To help educate each other and prospective students about the current state and value of graduate education, the Humanities Center is pleased to sponsor a public panel this fall on November 7 on the “joys” of graduate study.
Please note that the discussion will not be premised on whether or not a student should go to graduate school. The question, rather, will be this: why should students go to graduate school in the humanities?
We hope that this conversation might help colleagues from across college departments expand their understanding of the purposes and benefits of graduate study. We also hope that this panel will offer prospective students with insight into the benefits of pursuing graduate study at BYU.
