The idea of going to graduate school can be daunting, but Elizabeth Gosney knew it was the change she needed.
Her job with a corporate retail company, where she had worked for more than four years, made her feel more like a cubicle drone than a creative writer. She scoured graduate programs across the nation until deciding on attending Oklahoma State University’s School of Media and Strategic Communication.
“I had been toying with the idea of going back to school for several years before I came to OSU in 2019,” Gosney said. “It was such a perfect fit in terms of location, cost, and opportunity, that every other schooling option I was considering fell away.”
During the 18 months that followed, Gosney flourished. She refined not only her communication skills but also further developed the ability to be personally effective in applying those skills in fluctuating communication environments.
Now, three months away from graduating with her master’s degree in mass communications, Gosney is poised to realize her life dream of serving others through nonprofit work.
“I felt stagnant in my career before applying to graduate school, but more than that, I didn't feel like I was helping anyone,” Gosney said. “Time will tell how my master's degree will help me with my career, but I definitely feel more capable than I ever have before.”
Gosney’s reasons for returning to school mirror those of thousands of graduate school applicants across America. As the world of work rapidly changes, many individuals are applying to graduate school to maximize the opportunities they will have throughout their lives.
With the many advantages of earning an advanced degree, such as higher income potential, career advancement, specialized expertise, and sharpened critical thinking skills, it’s no wonder that more than 19 million people in the U.S. — about 13 percent of the population — now have a master's degree.
Increasingly, master’s programs are tailored for today’s action-packed personal and professional lives. Oklahoma State University, in particular, is continually looking afresh at how it can better provide ongoing educational opportunities to students seeking advanced degrees in any phase of life.
With over 200 master’s, doctoral, and graduate certificate programs on three campuses and online, OSU is a superior option for anyone looking to expand their knowledge and enrich their career opportunities.
To learn more about graduate opportunities at Oklahoma State University, visit https://gradcollege.okstate.edu. For more information about Oklahoma State University’s School of Media and Strategic Communication’s graduate program, check out https://media.okstate.edu/graduate-studies.