Earning a master's degree can be the difference between scoring a job interview and continuing the job hunt.
According to the 2000 census, less than 10 percent of the U.S. population has earned a graduate or professional degree. Earning a master's degree can significantly increase your income. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that individuals with a master's degree or higher can earn from $2,000 to $3,000 a week on average. A 2.0 undergraduate GPA (grade point average) should not prevent you from achieving this goal.
Online Master's Degree Programs
According to AOL adviser Regina Lewis in a 2003 interview with CBS News, more than 4 million students participate in on-line learning, a number that CBS news reports is growing by 30 percent each year. Online colleges offer master's degree programs. Kaplan University reports accepting students who have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited university with no clear GPA requirement.
Non-Degree Graduate Courses
Taking non-degree graduate courses can be helpful when applying for a graduate program. Though it requires a 3.0 (or B average) GPA for enrollment into the graduate school, the University of Arizona recommends that students who are interested in a graduate degree but have not met this requirement take up to 12 semester units as a non-degree-seeking student. While taking these courses, the student should maintain a 3.0 GPA. The student can then apply for admission into a graduate program and the university will consider the GPA earned while taking the non-degree graduate courses.
Applying with a Purpose
Though important to many programs, the GPA is not the only requirement for admission. In "Gain Advantage for Getting Into Grad School," the website Grad Schools.com reports that most graduate programs require scores from a graduate assessment exam like the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or (GMAT), letters of recommendation from previous professors and a personal essay. Spending time preparing for a graduate assessment exam and polishing your personal essay can increase your chances at acceptance into a specific program. In their masters of business administration program, Governors State University reports that applicants must take the GMAT and prepare a personal career goals statement. They also mention that the GMAT may be waived if the applicant has a 3.5 GPA or higher, but that a 3.5 GPA is not required. Instead, the university's Graduate School admissions requires at least the completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited post-secondary institution with no specification on GPA.
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