Employers are seeking employees who are engaged in their professional development and staying on top of trends in their industry.
There are countless ways to get up to speed and develop the skills you need to compete in a changing labour market. From graduate programs, post-graduate programs to online MOOC learning, there is an option for everyone.
Step 1: Reflect
- What is your motivation for going back to school?
- What is the best time in your career for you to pursue graduate/professional school?
- What is your career vision?
- Will going back to school help you achieve your professional goals?
Step 2: Explore your options
- Research your program options from online resources
- Career Cruising An online education and career information directory.
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McMaster Continuing Education: Learn the skills employers want with online professional programs in business, technology, health and social service.
- universitystudy.ca Search Canada’s universities to find the right program
- ontariocolleges.ca Search Ontario colleges for programs. Find post-grad co-op programs
- Online Learning Opportunities – An overview of some of the most popular MOOC’s, and ideas how to build your professional skill set.
- CanLearn – Excellent way to search Canada’s education programs.
- Professional association websites specific to your career area of interest
- Talk with people to learn more than what is on the website to gain an advantage. Professionals working in the field, professors or students in the programs of interest, admission coordinators and alumni can be valuable resources.
- Talk to your employer, if applicable. It is possible to work and study with options of part-time, online and night classes. Some employers offer financial support if the program is aligned with your career.
- More Options: Research intensive or course-based Masters, professional programs with internships, post-graduate certificates at college, many more. Some require subject knowledge in the same field and some will accept a wide range of backgrounds.
Networking Tips
- Find past graduates, current students on LinkedIn. Customize your search based on program. On the school’s page, click ‘See Alumni’ to find examples of graduate outcomes. Search 3,000+ advisors of Mac Alumni connections for conversations https://mcmaster.firsthand.co/
Step 3: Research and evaluate the school and program
- Program and courses – make sure the program content and structure meets your personal and professional needs
- Professor and research focus- reach out to professors during application.
- Admissions, financial supports, (scholarships, bursaries), and student support and opportunities
- Research based scholarships occur early, usually in the summer or start of fall of the year before E.g. NSERC, SSHRC.
Step 4: Get organized – Create a chart to help with comparing programs
- GPA – How do they calculate it? Minimum vs reality of those accepted?
- Required or recommended courses?
- Reference Letters – Academic or Professional?
- Resume or CV? – What information do they want? Follow guidelines.
- Personal Statement or Letter of Intent? They are different!
- Entrance Exams? Exam dates fill up quickly so register early to get convenient time/location.
- Work/volunteer experiences needed?
- Interviews – what type and when?
- Deadlines? Costs of applying? Cost of program? Extra costs?
- Co-op, internship, placement – which one is offered? What support is offered?
Gather the program details to compare your ideas. Use this further education spreadsheet template to help you get organized.
Step 5: Put the Plan in Place
- Contact your references – ask them about their time frame, provide info on the programs and deadline and follow up (and send a thank you note!)
- Prepare your resume or letter of intent as applicable to your application – many students underestimate the amount of time this takes!
- As new questions emerge, make a note of them and source out an answer.
- If you have done your research, meet the requirements, clear about why you want further education, then you are ready to apply!
Step 6: Seek Support
We have a variety of tip sheets to guide you in your applications such as personal statement/letter of intent, interview tips, CV among others.
Book a meeting. Individual support is available with alumni career counsellor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Increase your GPA is by taking more courses or a second degree. Contact the admissions office of the program to which you are applying to confirm the best strategy.
- The way admission GPA is calculated varies with each program. It is highly recommended to calculate your GPA (Then, calculate # of courses + hypothetical grades that you would need to obtain competitive GPA).
- Best way to confirm is to contact the program admissions office. For some programs you may take classes after graduating. Some programs will give a conditional offer dependent on their completion before you start. For others, pre-requisites have to be done during your undergraduate degree.
- Contact the program admissions office to inquire if the course will count. Some programs will include a list of pre-requisites from different schools on their website. If the course you want to take is not included, contact the admissions office with the course description.
Request information by email to create a record of communication.
- To make your application standout, incorporate insights from your work experience and discuss transferable skills in your application as appropriate.
- View your work experience as a resume builder even if it’s unrelated to the program you’re applying to.
- Standardized tests are part of many application processes for professional and graduate programs. Be sure to research if your program(s) require standardized testing. The majority of US graduate schools require some form of standardized testing (mostly GRE) and there are some select Canadian programs that will require testing.
- Studying abroad can be an enriching and life changing experience, but do your research.
- If you are studying abroad for a regulated profession (rehabilitation, law, medicine, etc.) and plan on returning to Canada upon completion, research to ensure that the program is/can be recognized by the regulatory association in the Canadian province you wish to work in. Become familiar with the process you will need to go through once you return to Canada.
- Talk to other students who have studied abroad and successfully returned to Canada.
- Remember to look up the application for international students (usually different than regular application process).
- Consult with international education consultants who can help with your application and their knowledge of programs at their partner schools. This should be free of charge. E.g. OZtrekk, Austra Learn.
- It’s natural to be nervous but remember professors want to support further education goals.
- Reconnect well before the deadlines. Choose those who knew you best and excellent grades.
- Expect to reintroduce yourself, let them know what you have been doing since graduation and why you want to return to education. Ask them if they could write you a positive recommendation.
- Once they agree, offer additional materials, like your resume and statement of intent to help with personalization.
- Provide them with all the information they require: program name, brief synopsis, deadline and method of reference (electronic or mail). If mail, you can provide an addressed, paid postage that can be tracked.
If you have been out of school for more than 5 years, contact the program you’re applying to and let them know your situation.
- When selecting a professional reference, identify who can speak to your suitability for the field. Give them an overview of the program and what to include in the reference letter as well.
- Don’t be surprised if your professional reference asks you to write the first draft.
- Please feel free to connect with us through additional resources on our Student Success website
- Book an appointment with our career professionals (self-booking on OscarPlus – appointments).
- Check with the school’s financial office to inquire about scholarships. Some Masters and PHD programs offer funding through Teaching or Research assistant jobs. Consider lost income during your time at school and reflect on your budget.
- Talk with a finance professional at Mac’s Money Centre. Book a meeting using Oscarplus.
- They offer a wide range of programs to help you keep up to date in this labour market. For a full program list, please visit their website.