A graduate education provides the student with a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of the subject matter based on scholarly theory. All application and practice should be founded on theory. Students are expected to master the skills of the discipline well enough that they can teach the subject matter at the undergraduate level.
Graduate students are expected to think critically, which is defined as the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion. Graduate programs train students to challenge knowledge and think for themselves.
As a vital part of graduate and professional programs, students conduct intense research in order to advance knowledge in their selected fields. This teaches students to not only learn in-depth concepts, but also to develop writing and presentation skills. The research is usually compiled and presented in a final paper or project. A thesis is completed for a master's degree, while a dissertation is the final paper for a doctorate.
Within the discipline, students should be exposed to a variety of perspectives. Strong graduate programs seek students with diverse backgrounds and experiences in order to provide classmates with exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking. Since most graduate programs tend to be relatively small, this allows for classmates to work very closely with one another and develop long-lasting communication and problem solving skills, as well as provide students with networking opportunities.
Many graduate and professional education programs offer students some form of financial aid. This is typically done in the form of research, teaching or practical assistantships. These provide students with paid tuition and hands-on experience in the field under the close supervision of a faculty member. The faculty member acts as a mentor to the graduate student. This allows graduate students the opportunity to pay for school while doing work that directly relates to why they are studying.