Nearly one in five Bradley students are pursuing graduate degrees at the university – but most Braves still think of the school as an undergraduate institution.
This mindset was noted by the admissions office, and their solution was simple: awareness.
Angie Cooksy, Bradley’s vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications, highlights the disparity.
“We have really great graduate program offerings here at Bradley, and one of the things that I’m always excited about is elevating the visibility of those programs,” Cooksy said.
That visibility isn’t limited to campus. The enrollment team also gets the message to those who would need an airplane to commute.
“We go to other colleges and do college graduate fairs there to expose Bradley to those students,” Cooksy said. “We’re also doing international travel as part of that, to make sure that students internationally are aware of our graduate options as well.”
But inside Bradley, that commitment to raising awareness wasn’t prioritized – until Oct. 29, when the admissions office hosted a master’s program meet-and-greet to directly open the door for students’ questions.
“We hadn’t historically been doing a ton around our graduate programs, so this was an opportunity for us to say, ‘let’s see where we can start,’” Cooksy said. “It is a very cluttered world, and we’re getting messages all day, every day, from so many different channels. So it’s always about taking a step and reevaluating where our messages are landing.”
Inside the Student Center ballroom, students were greeted by academic advisors in a wide range of fields that offer master’s degrees. One of them was Nutrition and Dietetics Department Chair Teresa Drake, who has a different attitude toward master’s degrees than many students.
“In order to become a registered dietician, students have to have a master’s degree,” Drake said. “So graduate school is a must if you want to become a registered dietician. [But] we accept students from other undergrad programs – you don’t have to have a bachelor’s degree in nutrition.”
Drake noted that students interested in many different professions could benefit from a master’s degree in nutrition.
”We have three different concentrations in our master’s program. One is sports dietetics, or sports nutrition,” Drake added. “Students interested in athletics or performance tend to be interested in both physical activity and nutrition.”
The meet-and-greet attracted students looking for more academic exploration. For sophomore mechanical engineering (ME) major Matthew Krause, a master’s was an important part of his time at Bradley.
“Originally, I was in computer science. I was looking at the BS/MS four-plus-one program there,” Krause said. “After looking and reconsidering, I wanted to do ME; I still want to do a master’s program, and I’m trying to figure out how to make that work here especially.”
“Whether that’s going to be an ME master’s or doing something else like data science alongside that … I want to have something besides a bachelor’s degree.”
As the workforce changes, so does Bradley’s masters programs
For students interested in data science, Babu Baniya, an associate professor in the Computer and Information Science (CSIS) department, attended the event to discuss the growing demand for graduate programs in the field.
“We have two graduate programs on computer science and computer systems and another one in data science,” Baniya said. “We are planning to offer a master’s in artificial intelligence (AI), because we already offer the bachelors in AI.”
“It’s high-demand and widely popular, so we’d like to catch this momentum,” the professor explained.
On the other hand, the English department views a master’s as a way for students to navigate a workforce that uses AI more frequently for skills their students learn in classrooms. Alexander Lalama, an associate professor and coordinator of graduate studies in the English department, emphasized the enduring value of a master’s degree in the field.
“What’s unique to English studies is that it cultivates really important skills that are good for any professional path: clear communication, that’s in writing or verbally, and critical thinking – which is really important now when a lot of people are offloading thinking to things like AI,” Lalama said.
“Having that skill sets you apart.”
Awareness isn’t the only hurdle
Despite the benefits of a master’s degree, one of its biggest deterrents is the cost. However, Bradley offers tuition remission to faculty and staff looking to expand their education with an advanced degree.
And students are already utilizing the opportunity.
“I’m a resident assistant currently, and the really good thing about that is if I become a hall director, I get free graduate school,” Krause said.
Getting a master’s degree is a choice that students have at Bradley, and with the awareness of the options and aid available, they can make an informed decision. For more information about master’s degrees at Bradley, visit the graduate admissions website.
