Interviews with Department Heads

Interview with Brian Slator – Head of the Computer Science Department

 

One of NDSU’s most popular graduate programs is in Computer Science.  Students can receive a master or PH. D. after gaining their undergraduate degree.  Currently there are roughly 200 graduate students.  Brian Slator, Head of the Computer Science Department, credits the success of the program to the fact that it is a full service program, which allows students to overlap between the technical and business side of computers with the cooperation of NDSU’s MBA program. Most grad students are from out of state or from another country and Slator believes that having Microsoft offices here in Fargo is a great pull to the area as well.  When asked why he thought having a masters degree would be beneficial in the area of computer science he replied, “The undergrads do the work, the masters call the shots.”

Interview with Connie Jadrny – Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator of Distancing and Continuing Education 

 

NDSU currently offers more than 20 graduate degrees online, including mass communication, construction management and software engineering.  Students are able to earn these degrees from anywhere in the world.  They will pay instate tuition and be taught by NDSU instructors.  Most people who take advantage of these opportunities are those currently working in their field and are looking to advance their careers but don’t have the abilities to come back to school full time.

There is also a newer program being offered, the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance or Great Plains IDEA which is a multi-institution degree program. You apply, and are admitted at one university where you take all of your classes and receive your degree.  However, your online courses are taught by the best faculty in the discipline from several universities. For more information regarding the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA) contact Karen Murie by email at karen.murie@ndsu.edu or NDSU Distance & Continuing Education at 1-800-726-1724 or 701-231-7015.

Interview with Dr. Paul Nelson – Head of Communication Department

Although he knows that you don’t need to go to grad school to get a good job after graduation he knows there are two main reasons students go on to obtain these higher degrees; the economy is bad and students use it as time to defer loans and have more qualifications when they do go look for jobs, or they are looking to earn a Doctorate degree.

The communication department is a pioneer in graduate programs at NDSU.  The Department was one of the first here at NDSU and over 40 people have earned doctorate degrees.  He credits the success of the program to the use of practical application in so many courses along with the tough requirements of those attempting to earn their Ph. D., requiring those people to teach, research and be published.

His advice for those interested in applying to grad school would be to have each person writing you a letter of recommendation write on a different skill you have.  That makes you stand out and highlights a variety of your abilities.

Questions and Answers

Graduate Students

1.       Why did you choose NDSU?

a.       Qualify grant (stay in state.) (Kimmie)

b.      More money in scholarships. (Lindsay)

c.       It was unrealistic for me to go to Harvard or Yale and I needed a master’s degree instead of a PhD. NDSU was a science based school and it helped to prepare me for a PhD program offered in Neuroscience. (Jon )

d.      Working in town at the Concordia Language Villages, I didn’t have to move my kids somewhere new and I had a teaching fellowship that really prepared me for it.(Karen)

e.      I did my undergrad here, and I enjoyed my professors and my advisor. Knowing my advisor was nice and most likely helped me ‘get in’, because all my strengths were already known. (Trista)

2.       Where you worried about the change in work for undergrad to grad school?

a.       No, actually there was less work. (Lindsay)

b.      I enjoyed it. It was much easier than the transition from masters to PhD. (Karen)

c.       Well I did everything the hard way, but it's much easier because you can focus on things you enjoy and you have more flexibility. The difficulty level had continuation and a lot of focus on specific stuff. The research heavily focused on what you were researching…even if the difficulty level is harder. (Jon)

d.      You know from your undergrad discipline if it will be a big transition, and I have come to enjoy research. (Trista)

e.      I like it because you can discuss your opinion, and your professors guide you. Sometimes I argue with my professor about what the answer should be. (Shashindra)

3.       What is a typical day for a grad student?

a.      Well I will go to work at 8:30 then have 3 sections before lunch, then campus meeting homework 5-7:30…In the beginning I worked really hard and now I don’t have to look for research to print; they look for me. (Karen)

b.      I usually just teach or just have meetings, but not before 3 p.m.  I usually have teaching 2-6 p.m., then MWF just a night class. (Lindsay)

c.       The schedule is really flexible, as long as you are doing work and updating your professors, they don’t bug you. Some positions you work and teach a certain amount of hours, however it depends on your section of interest. (Trista)

Other interesting facts:

a)      You don’t need to know how to teach before teaching lectures. (Lindsay)

b)      Some programs allow you to teach for different classes like some engineers who teach in the math department. (Shashindra)

PANEL OF SPEAKERS

Kimmie Burgess- Food Safety

Lindsay Merchant Erickson- Math

Jon George- Psychology

Karen Sorenson- English

Trista Manikowski- Exercises Science

Shashindra Pradhan- Civil Engineer