Graduate students hold up their diplomas on graduation day in 2022. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo.

As seniors in high school, students were faced with the decisions of where to apply to school, what major to choose and ultimately where they would spend their undergraduate career.

Now, as upperclassmen, and with graduation creeping closer, students are weighing a similar choice: whether or not they should pursue a graduate degree. With different types of degrees, programs and everything in between, everyone has a different post-grad plan.

Ohio State has over 11,000 graduate students enrolled, according to the 2025 University Report.

Ella Magaw, a fourth-year in public management, leadership and policy, is pursuing a master’s in public administration through a combined program at Ohio State, the MPA-DC.

The program consists of two years of graduate studies, beginning during senior year of undergrad. The first year consists of taking classes in Columbus or online, followed by a second year living, learning, and working in Washington, D.C., according to the John Glenn College of Public Affairs’ website.

“Combined programs are a really affordable way to get another degree, so this is something I knew I would pursue around my senior year of undergrad,” Magaw said. “I will be completing the last year of the program in Washington, D.C. and the job market there is a little terrifying, so I’m hoping the extra degree will give me a leg up.”

For Magaw, the decision to complete the program was accompanied by application requirements, waiting for a decision and being aware of the responsibility that comes with taking graduate courses along with undergrad.

Gigi Hanner, a fourth-year in public policy analysis, is also working toward

a MPA, though not through the same program as Magaw. Hanner said she discovered the program by chance during a meeting with her advisor, and that’s led to her getting involved with the coursework.

“I’m hoping that my combined degrees will give me a bit of an edge over other jobseekers and also show that my education has been bolstered,” Hanner said. “Ohio State’s MPA program is the best in Ohio, so that added credential will hopefully look good on my future job applications as well, though I didn’t consider that as a factor when applying.”

For both students, being aware of the benefits, stress and work required for a graduate degree is something to consider, especially as the choice between finding a job or higher education gets closer.

“I think you just have to be personally aware of when the extra degree is not necessary,” Magaw said. “One of my good friends dropped out of the MPA program that I’m in, because she realized that she didn’t need it to work the job she wanted. So, it then became the smarter choice to just jump into the workforce. It’s different for each student.”

On the other side of the spectrum are students who already know they will not be going to graduate school, or looking into an additional program.

Ryan Uher, a fourth-year in accounting, considered going to grad school, but decided against it after consulting with advisors, coworkers and looking into changes to licensing requirements.

“I talked with current people in the accounting industry during my internship and they told me how a masters degree doesn’t really make you more competitive for entry level accounting roles, and it doesn’t unlock new job opportunities that weren’t available with only a Bachelors,” Uher said.

For Uher, the expectation of having a masters degree isn’t something that he used as a factor when making his decision.

“I think it’s nice to have, but no one expects you to have one,” Uher said. “The best thing about a masters degree is telling people you have [one], rather than it providing competitive advantage in the workforce.”

Regardless of student opinion or decisions made towards moving toward a masters degree, the choice is one to make yourself based on multiple factors, according to Hanner.

“I spoke to career advisors, academic advisors, basically any faculty member I could, about the degree and what they thought,” Hanner said. “No matter what anyone says though, you have to listen to your gut to decide what is right for you.”