Mari Montelongo, a UTRGV graduate recruiter, gives a presentation about Graduate School requirements Oct. 6 in Sabal Hall on the Brownsville campus.
BY Nubia Reyna | The Rider
The UTRGV Graduate College offers more than 100 programs in disciplines ranging from art and chemistry to electrical engineering and disaster studies.
The general requirements to apply for graduate school are a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in undergraduate studies, a letter of intent, letters of recommendation, résumé, a waiver of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for those with a master’s degree or doctoral degree.
“These are general requirements. I recommend to visit our website and look at the requirements for the particular program of your interest,” said Mari Montelongo, a graduate student recruiter.
Montelongo said the Graduate College offers help creating a professional résumé.
The college’s website lists requirements for each program along with deadlines, contact information and the number of hours each requires, she said.
At graduate school level, financial aid only offers loans; however, there are some grants, scholarships and assistantships available.
“For any scholarship or any loan, you have to submit the FAFSA,” Montelongo said.
Engineering Professor Alley C. Butler said that having a graduate degree can give students some personal satisfaction that they might not otherwise have.
“I am doing a lot of things that I could not have done with a bachelor’s degree,” Butler said. “Job opportunities are better with a master’s degree.”
Hector Aguilar, a 2015 UTRGV Master of Science in Biology graduate, said that people with a master’s degree get paid more.
“If you normally get paid this amount, you would get the amount plus a little bit more,” Aguilar said. “It gives you an advantage over people.”
Spanish senior Ana Zapata is planning on attending graduate school.
“I think grad school is a great way to explore further your career path and expand your knowledge,” Zapata said.
The next graduate fair will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Cortez Hall 118 on the Brownsville campus and at the same time Oct. 27 in the ITT Building for the Edinburg campus.
For more information about graduate school, visit www.utrgv.edu/graduate.
