Locating a Graduate Program on the Internet

Parks & Recreation, Nov, 1998 by William L. Obenour, Susan Mary Wilson

Best of the West

We've followed the same format in reviewing our best of the West sites as we did for our eastern schools. Colorado State University provided biographical sketches of all of its faculty members. The University of Idaho also had a comprehensive faculty listing. Others, such as Arizona State University, provided a partial list of faculty members' information. All the departments in the West included the contact numbers (phone, address, and e-mail) of faculty members. California State University at Sacramento added office hours so students could deal with a "real person" when calling. This seemingly simple feature should help eliminate frustrating "phone tag" games between faculty and students. The University of Iowa and CSU both personalized their sites by including faculty photographs.

Most sites included a description of core and elective graduate classes. Some departments conveniently listed the courses on their sites (San Francisco State), while others (ASU) provided a fluid link to the graduate catalogue, which listed additional course descriptions. If the connections worked as planned, developing links with the graduate catalogue seemed reasonable (University of Montana). The University of Iowa featured a list of graduate classes for the coming two semesters, while SFSU catalogued scheduled classes through 2001. SFSU also developed a standardized course checklist to assist in course planning. Not only does the University of Utah feature a list of graduate courses, it also displays textbook requirements for current classes.

A few sites provided essential information that could potentially save a harried graduate coordinator's life. ASU described the application procedure and stated approximately how long it would take a student to receive a response to a submitted application. The university also described the three types of admission to its program. Texas A&M provided many online forms for graduate students. The University of Iowa noted that, in the future, it would provide an online graduate application form. Both ASU and Iowa provided the most complete information on departmental assistantships. CSU indicated the e-mail addresses and research interests of its current graduate students. Prospective students may find this especially helpful when making the adjustment to graduate life.

The University of Montana listed departmental research projects. Texas A&M provided abstracts of theses on its site. Although A&M's listing is incomplete, it will give students a better understanding of the research a department typically performs. Closely related to departmental research projects are the common cognate departments for the selection of elective courses and committee members, as described on the Web sites of the University of Iowa and CSU. The University of Idaho's site contained a graduate handbook that described the admissions process and services for students after enrollment. The University of Montana offered a few extra features such as information on a graduate computer lab; pictorial guides to professors' offices; and links to housing, research sites, community attractions, and area national parks. Montana accentuated two areas that were generally missing from the other sites: the availability of housing and the availability of computer resources for graduate students. Finding adequate housing is difficult for an incoming graduate student, and any information regarding on-campus graduate housing, married housing, or local apartment- or house-finding services can be very helpful.