research-based GRADUATE
PROGRAMS AND CAREERS

One of the ways that a research-intensive graduate degree prepares professionals for cutting-edge leadership positions is through research collaboration. Research collaboration — that is, research between disciplines — provides “opportunities for investigators to learn how approaches from complementary disciplines may be applied to existing problems, and lead to the development of innovative solutions” for all fields of study involved.

In other words, collaboration between researchers is crucial because it leads to novel, cutting-edge solutions or answers to complex, challenging problems.

Here are just a few of the career fields that require or benefit from research-based graduate degrees:

In addition to developing students as innovators in their field, there are a variety of benefits to participating in a research-heavy graduate program. For instance, students pursuing a research-intensive graduate program can expect to:

R1 institutions are recognized as the best research universities in the country — 

And west virginia university is one of them

At R1 institutions, research study spans the academic spectrum at these universities, engaging grad students with research opportunities from the creative arts and humanities to the social sciences and applied sciences.

• R1 institutions graduate more doctoral students than R2 institutions.
• R1 institutions receive significantly more funding than R2 institutions.
• R1 institutions produce more accomplished researchers than R2 institutions.

Students at Carnegie R1 institutions have the opportunity to engage in research at the forefront of their discipline. Students at R1 universities also work with faculty who remain active in the discovery of knowledge and who bring the latest findings from their research and that of their colleagues into the classroom.

Students who graduate with a degree from an R1 institution have the most current understanding of the state of the art in their major field of study.

In other words, R1 classified schools are up-to-date with the most recent findings and trends impacting that area.

“It’s the graduate students that drive the research enterprise at WVU. They’re the ones doing the frontline work, the research in the labs, and the creative activity in our studios.

Our students and the faculty they work with are engaged in scholarship at the cutting-edge of their disciplines. They are creating new knowledge — looking at what has been discovered and making their own discoveries.

At WVU, students can expect to go out and be a leading scholar in their area, and they will be on the forefront of the next generation of people who are discovering great new ideas and changing and shaping the world.

My biggest piece of advice for prospective graduate students at WVU, explore the faculty and think about who you would want to work with. At WVU, you will go through a huge transformation, where you’ll move from being the student to being the professional — and then you’ll be ready to make a mark on the world.”

—Dr. Fred King, Vice President for Research
at West Virginia University

Many doctoral students from our department have obtained tenure track positions at colleges and universities including the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Longwood University, Monmouth University, and Wright State University. Graduates from our PhD and MA programs have also found employment with government agencies and non-profit organizations, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the U.S. Department of State.

Here are a few other graduate degrees that are rooted in research:

Graduate Assistantships

For researchers at wvu

West Virginia University awards approximately 1,600 graduate assistantships annually to incoming and continuing graduate students. All graduate assistants must be accepted into a graduate degree program and are required to be enrolled full-time while employed during the fall and spring terms (9 credits or more). Those committed to a research-intensive program will ideally choose a graduate research assistant position.

• Graduate teaching assistants teach courses, laboratory sections, and recitation sections, or provide other forms of instructional assistance.

Note: Research assistantships are primarily funded by grants and other third party sources. Because the arrival of these funds at the University may not coincide with the beginning of an academic term, University policy is that the deadline for research assistant appointments is no later than the end of the fifth week of classes in the fall or spring term. Depending on the source of funding, some research assistantships may not be available to non-US residents.

While students enrolled in a research-heavy graduate program will more than likely choose a graduate research assistantship, WVU does offer two other kinds of graduate assistantship positions for qualified students:

• Graduate teaching assistants teach courses, laboratory sections, and recitation sections, or provide other forms of instructional assistance.
• Graduate service assistants typically work in one of the administrative or service offices of WVU in positions related to their program of study and that contribute to their educational experience.