Graduate Education in a Globalized Economy

A Road Map to Success

By Jocelyn Jones

The importance of graduate education in a globalized economy has two elements. Globalization generally refers to the set of changes in the international economy and in the domestic economies of nations that tend toward the creation of a single world market for wages, capital, goods and services. In a comprehensive perspective, globalization could be likened to the emergence of global society in which economic, political, environmental and cultural events in one part of the world quickly have significance for people in other parts of the world, according to Dr. Cosmas U. Nwokeafor, Interim Dean Graduate School.

That was the message coming out of the Department of History and Government's seminar "The Importance of Graduate Education in the Context of Global Economy and When Cultures Collide" on April 22 in CLT 102.

Nwokeafor discussed the importance of students being prepared to compete on a global level during the hour-long gathering. He said that it is best to be employed with a graduate degree(s), and value the competition, because students have to understand that students in their school are not their only competition: they are competing against students who from other schools in the same academic discipline from across the globe.

 Once they enter the workplace, Nwokeafor encouraged young professionals to be aware of their competition in order to make the company they work for more marketable. Young professionals with an advanced degree are considered to be more knowledgeable about their field.

Think about it, if a student comes out of college with a bachelor's degree - that's great - but think about applying for a dream job with a bachelor's degree and finding out that another applicant has a master's degree? Who will get hired first? Having an advanced degree goes a long way and a doctorate goes even further.

Other issues discussed at the session included the graduate school admissions process. Students were encouraged to develop strong writing skills and research skills which will help in preparing a solid thesis or dissertation. Undergraduate students were also encouraged to continue their graduate education at Bowie State University because they are already familiar with the campus and professors who may already be aware of a student's strengths and weaknesses.

Undergraduate students were also encouraged to take a GRE preparation course and to take a practice exam as early as their sophomore year because the GRE is more challenging than the SATs. Additionally, students were advised to make their application deadlines and turn in your transcripts early, write a strong statement of purpose and include information about community service projects because it all shows what a student has to offer a graduate program. It is not all about a student's GPA anymore when it comes to a lot of graduate programs because the global market is more knowledge based. The bottom line is that students need to prepare because they are the future leaders of tomorrow.