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The tips and tools in this section will help you get started. When exploring options for graduate school, it is important to think about what is important to you. This should include your priorities for the academic discipline and the institution that you might want to attend.

When starting your search, it is a good idea to research 15-20 programs, and then narrow down from there.

from Northeastern University suggests that 鈥測ou should consider tailoring your search to include the factors that are most important to聽you聽in your educational experience. For instance, search programs by聽class size聽(i.e., 鈥渕aster鈥檚 in leadership聽programs with small classes鈥�),聽program structure聽(i.e., 鈥渙nline聽master鈥檚 in project management聽programs,鈥� or 鈥減art-time聽data analytics master鈥檚聽programs鈥�), or even the聽name of an industry leader聽you admire who you know teaches in your area.鈥�

• Trustworthy universities are approved by a state agency, an accrediting agency recognized by the , or the .

• Depending on your chosen major, you might also need to confirm that your program within the university is appropriately accredited.

• Check the website for your professional association or talk to your faculty advisor to determine if programmatic accreditation is needed for your career.

After completing your initial research, it is time to narrow your list to 5-10 schools in preparation for submitting admission applications. The questions outlined in the 鈥淲hat to Consider When Choosing a Graduate Program鈥� list above can help you identify programs you want to pursue. You will also want to pay attention to minimum admission requirements, keeping in mind that meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

If your dream program has requirements that you do not currently meet, you may consider delaying your application to work toward fulfilling these requirements, such as taking additional undergraduate courses. Conversations with your current academic advisor or faculty advisor, faculty within the desired program, and/or your admissions counselor could be helpful in determining your next steps in this situation.

As you eliminate programs from your larger list, it might be tempting to remove them altogether, however this could cost you time if you decide to revisit these programs later. Instead of removing programs, you could hide the row in your Excel sheet, move those rows to a different tab within the Excel sheet, or move them to a different document all together.

After you have narrowed down your list, it is time to prepare and submit your application materials!