Each year about 40% of students graduating from Augustana College head directly to graduate/professional school. In Career Development & Vocation we consider graduate/professional school a stepping stone along the way to achieving an initial career goal. Whether you are considering graduate/professional school or you are certain that is your next step, we’ve provided some resources to guide you through the process.
Considering Grad/Prof School
If you’re deciding if and when to go to grad school, there are several factors for you to consider, particularly during a pandemic. Ask the following questions to help determine what route is best for you.
Identifying Your Criteria
Before researching programs and institutions it’s important for you to figure out what qualities you want in a program/institution. Use this resources to help you set your criteria before researching programs.
References and Letters of Recommendation
A reference is someone who can talk about your skills, experience, abilities, and work ethic. Letters of recommendation are written evaluations of an individual’s performance whether at work or in the classroom.
Researching Grad/Prof School Programs
One of the best ways to learn more about a graduate school program is through research. Learning all there is to know about a specific program/institution assists in making decisions, customizing application materials, and preparing for interviews for funding, assistantships, and fellowships.
Target List: Graduate School Programs
A target list is a list of graduate programs you would like to attend. These may be schools that offer programs that fit your academic goals and interests.
Applying to Graduate/Professional School Programs
Once you have determined the best type of experience for you it’s time to prepare your application materials.
Graduate/Professional School Funding Options
Learn how to research scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, grants, and loans.
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By Laura Kestner-Ricketts
Laura Kestner-RickettsExecutive Director, Career and Professional Development
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Labor Market InsightsIn partnership with
Explore occupations by career categories and pathways and use real time labor market data to power your decision making.
First, choose an industry of interest, then filter for occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)
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Occupation Description
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Employment Trends
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Top Employers
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Education Levels
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Annual Earnings
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Technical Skills
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Core Competencies
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Job Titles
Occupation Description
Employment Trends
The number of jobs in the career for the past two years, the current year, and projections for the next 10 years. Job counts include both employed and self-employed persons, and do not distinguish between full- and part-time jobs. Sources include Emsi industry data, staffing patterns, and OES data.
Top Employers
These companies are currently hiring for .
Education Levels
The educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold Bachelor’s Degrees vs. Associate Degrees). Educational attainment levels are provided by O*NET.
Annual Earnings
Earnings figures are based on OES data from the BLS and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
Technical Skills
A list of hard skills associated with a given career ordered by the number of unique job postings which ask for those skills.
Core Competencies
The skills for the career. The "importance" is how relevant the ability is to the occupation: scale of 1-5. The "level" is the proficiency required by the occupation: scale of 0-100. Results are sorted by importance first, then level.
Job Titles
A list of job titles for all unique postings in a given career, sorted by frequency.