Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday! And a warm welcome back to our students.

As workforce demands in advanced technologies evolve, deeper domain knowledge in any field of science and engineering favorably positions job applicants in high-tech sectors. Accordingly, last year, universities’ graduate enrollment grew in almost all states. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that nearly 15 percent of Americans decided to extend their education beyond bachelor’s degrees.

A master’s degree alone can enhance one’s job security and career advancement opportunities, increase earning potential, and pave the way to doctoral studies and lifelong learning. In fact, graduates with a master’s degree earn 16 percent more than those with only a bachelor’s degree, while workers with a doctoral or professional degree earn 45 percent more, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here at S&T, on average for the last three years, our bachelor’s degree graduates’ starting annual salary was $75,000, while master’s degree graduates fetched an average starting salary of nearly $90,000 and doctoral graduates commanded nearly $100,000. The starting salaries for engineering graduates were even higher.

For universities, the challenge has been communicating the significant advantages of graduate education degrees. Understandably, excited graduates might not be willing to delay hard-earned gratification of a job at hand in exchange for prospects of higher income, faster career growth and higher positions of responsibility. The same message is historically better received in times of job market softening, and graduates can continue their education while searching for jobs. 

Interestingly, in most science and engineering fields, students can earn a master’s degree in one additional year of study. In fact, here at S&T, our current students can speed up their time to a graduate degree through our accelerated Grad Track Pathway and Dual Enrollment programs. To learn more, I encourage our students to sign up for virtual graduate education information sessions. As an incentive to better understand the virtues of graduate education, participants will receive a waiver of their application fee for programs listed on the directory of master’s degree programs offered at S&T. Alternatively, consult with your favorite professor, a current graduate student, your department chair or the Office of Graduate Admissions for a deeper conversation about pursuing a graduate degree at S&T, or, for that matter, at any institution.

Reflecting on my own graduate education, I was fascinated with the process of designing mechanical systems and wanted to learn more about computer aided design (CAD) tools and numerical analysis of failure mechanisms. To give you an idea, think of CAD systems like you do AI and its potential impact on engineering of today and tomorrow. Oh, those exciting days and how glad I am to have pursued my graduate education under the guidance of my favorite professor.

By the way, I hear from so many of our graduates who are certain that they will return to pursue their master’s degree “after a few years of work.” There is a lot of merit to that, but often they find out that life intervenes and that the best time to have engaged was right after graduation. 

Nearsighted or farsighted, clearly, we don’t have 20/20 vision, but it behooves us to consider graduate education if we are able to delay gratification of immediate employment for the pursuit of deeper domain knowledge and in preparation for a higher-level career journey.

Warmly,

-Mo.
 
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• Gary Forsee joins Kummer Missouri S&T Foundation Board

Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu