Why Attend Graduate School?
In today’s professional environment, a graduate degree can lead to advancement; in some fields, a graduate degree is essential for licensure or other entry level jobs. Evidence shows that people who hold a graduate degree are more likely to increase their earning power upon graduation and in the years that follow. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that people who have a master’s degree or higher have lower unemployment and higher wages.
In Tennessee, the same trends hold true: “In 2015, people in Tennessee with a professional degree made over $25,000 more than those with a bachelor’s degree and nearly $45,000 more than those with a high school diploma” (Tennessee Graduate Schools: Building the Workforce for the Future). Read the full report for more detail on the return on investment a graduate education can make.
Why Attend Graduate School at ETSU?
- Quality. ETSU offers high quality graduate and professional degrees. For example, 100% of the employers of our Public Health graduates rate them high or highest in competence. On a 3-year average, 100% of Speech Language Pathology master’s and Doctor of Audiology graduates passed their board exams and are employed in their fields.
- Success. At ETSU graduate students learn in classrooms, field sites, clinics, research labs, archives, studios, and other spaces appropriate to the discipline. These types of learning environments lead to greater student success and the ability to adapt theoretical knowledge to applied situations.
- Flexibility. Many ETSU graduate programs allow students to attend on full-time or part-time status. In 2018, 57% of our graduate students attended full-time while 43% attended part-time. Some of our programs are completely online and others are offered at convenient off-campus sites such as Asheville, NC; Abingdon, VA; Sevierville, TN; and Kingsport, TN.
- Value. Our high-quality academic programs are offered for an affordable tuition. Available scholarships and graduate assistantships provide graduate students ways to make a graduate education financially within reach in a region with a low-cost of living.
- Quality of Life. For those programs offered at our main campus in Johnson City, TN, the location is unbeatable. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the area has incredible outdoor opportunities on hiking and mountain bike trails, lakes and rivers. The cost of living is affordable in a city that is big enough to have shopping, restaurants, public transportation, and cultural events, but small enough to be easy to navigate.