A Message From the Dean

In today’s world, master’s degrees have become de rigueur for career advancement. Employers know that candidates with a master’s have a deeper understanding of content and better skills within a discipline because more than eight advanced courses are taken beyond the bachelor’s. Knowledge built with a master’s degree facilitates greater application to novel problems within the area of specialization and provides more context for social and ethical responsibilities. And employers appreciate the advanced level of discipline-tailored communication and collaborative skills that come with a master’s degree, which gives students a stronger foundation for career flexibility.

Yet business, industry and government organizations seeking specialized knowledge increasingly look beyond the master’s level and hire people with PhDs, which are more than “academic.” Doctorates build specialized knowledge and skills and generate new knowledge via rigorous and sophisticated application of research methods while transforming knowledge through writing, teaching and application.

To obtain a doctorate, students must understand other disciplines and how to communicate across traditional boundaries, thereby building workplace skills and cultural understanding, attributes that any organization values.

Today, an advanced degree — whether master’s or doctoral — is the starting point for more and more careers. To give Binghamton University students an edge, the Graduate School needs funding support in key areas.

Nancy E. Stamp, Vice Provost and Dean