What Is Graduate School? Meaning, Degrees, Length & Cost

Graduate school is the level of study that comes after a bachelor’s degree, and the name for the part of a university that runs it. It leads to a graduate degree: a master’s (usually one to two years), a doctorate such as a PhD (often five years or more in the US), or a professional degree in fields like law, medicine, or business. In the UK and many other countries, the same stage is called postgraduate education.

That’s the short answer. The rest of this guide explains the main types of graduate degrees, how grad school differs from college, roughly how long it takes and what it costs, and how to start if you decide it’s for you.

Degree type	What it is	Typical length (full-time)	Common examples
Graduate certificate	A short, focused set of graduate courses	Often under a year	Certificates in data analytics, project management, public health
Master’s degree	Advanced coursework in one field, sometimes with a thesis	1–2 years	MA, MS, MEng, MBA, MPH, MSW, MFA
Research doctorate (PhD)	Original research leading to a dissertation	Often 5–7+ years in the US; often 3–4 in the UK; varies by field	PhD in Computer Science, Economics, Biology
Professional degree	Training for a licensed or specialized profession	Usually 3–5 years, plus residency or licensing in some fields	JD (law), MD (medicine), PharmD, PsyD, EdD

Table of Contents

Graduate school meaning: a quick definition

In the US and Canada, “graduate school” (or “grad school”) is a general term for any study beyond the bachelor’s level. Students are called graduate students because they have already graduated from an undergraduate degree.

You’ll also see “The Graduate School” used as the name of an office at a university, the unit that manages admissions and policies for its master’s and doctoral programs. When someone says they are “in grad school,” they mean they’re enrolled in one of those programs, not attending a separate institution.

Graduate school vs postgraduate education

If you studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Australia, or much of Asia and Africa, you probably know this stage as postgraduate study, and the degrees as postgraduate degrees. “Graduate school” (US) and “postgraduate study” (UK and Commonwealth) describe the same level. “Graduate studies” is another common name, often used by universities for the office or website that lists their programs.

A few differences are worth knowing if you’re applying across systems:

Master’s length. Many UK master’s degrees take one year full-time; most US master’s take one and a half to two.
PhD entry. Most US PhD programs admit students directly from a bachelor’s degree and include a master’s-level coursework stage. Many UK and European PhDs expect you to hold a master’s first and to apply to a specific project or supervisor.
Structure. US PhDs usually begin with one to two years of coursework and exams before full-time research; UK PhDs are often research-only from the start.

What is a graduate degree? The main types

Master’s degrees (1–2 years)

A master’s degree gives you advanced knowledge in one field. Some are research master’s (often an MA or MS with a thesis) that can lead toward a PhD. Others are professional master’s (MBA, MPH, MEng, MSW) designed for a specific career, usually with coursework, projects, or a placement instead of a thesis.

Doctoral degrees / PhD (often 5–7 years in the US)

A PhD is the highest academic degree. Its core is original research, written up as a dissertation, under the supervision of a faculty advisor. In the US you don’t need a master’s to apply to most PhD programs; you can apply straight from your bachelor’s degree. If you’re comparing fields by career outcome, our guide to the highest-paying PhD degrees is a useful next read.

Professional degrees (usually 3–5 years)

Professional degrees train you for a specific profession, often one that requires a license: law (JD), medicine (MD), pharmacy (PharmD), clinical psychology (PsyD), and education leadership (EdD), among others. Some people use “professional school” to mean these programs and reserve “graduate school” for academic master’s and PhDs. In everyday use, both count as graduate study.

Graduate certificates (often under a year)

A graduate certificate is a shorter credential, usually a handful of graduate-level courses in one area. It’s not a degree, but credits can sometimes count toward a master’s later at the same school. Certificates suit people who want a specific skill without committing to a full program. Check with each school whether credits transfer before you enroll.

Graduate school vs college (undergraduate): what’s different?

	College (undergraduate)	Grad school
Focus	Broad: general education plus a major	Narrow: one field, often one sub-area
How you learn	Lectures, set readings, exams	Seminars, independent reading, projects, original research
Class size	Often large introductory classes	Small cohorts and seminars
Relationship with faculty	Instructor and student	Closer to junior colleague, especially in a PhD
Admission	Based on school record and tests	Based on degree, grades, statement of purpose, letters, and fit with the program
Paying for it	Loans, family, scholarships	Master’s mostly self-funded; many full-time PhDs funded

The biggest shift is from learning what’s known to producing something new. Even in coursework-heavy master’s programs, you’ll be expected to read critically, write at a higher standard, and work more independently than in college.

What are graduate school courses like?

Graduate courses are usually small seminars rather than large lectures. A typical week means a heavy reading load, discussion led partly by students, and assessment through papers, presentations, or projects instead of multiple-choice exams. Master’s students often take three or four courses a term. PhD students in the US take courses for their first year or two, then sit qualifying or comprehensive exams and move to full-time research. In professional programs, courses are paired with practical training such as clinical rotations, case work, or internships.

You can study full-time or part-time, in person or online. If you’re weighing the trade-offs, see full-time vs part-time grad school.

How long it takes and what it costs: the quick numbers

Length. A master’s usually takes one to two years full-time. A PhD takes longer and varies a lot by field: according to the NSF’s Survey of Earned Doctorates, the median time from starting graduate school to finishing a research doctorate was 7.3 years for 2024 doctorate recipients, ranging from about 6.0 years in the physical sciences to 12.3 years in education (that figure includes any master’s study and breaks along the way). Law school is typically three years and medical school four, plus residency. For a program-by-program breakdown, see how long grad school takes.

Cost. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, average graduate tuition and required fees in the 2021-22 academic year were about $12,600 at public institutions (in-state) and about $29,900 at private nonprofit institutions, before living costs. Prices at individual schools and programs vary widely; professional degrees like the MBA, JD, and MD often cost much more.

Funding changes the picture. In many US research fields, full-time PhD students are admitted with a funding package: a tuition waiver plus a stipend, usually in return for teaching or research work. Master’s students are funded far less often. Before you rule grad school out on cost, read what a fully funded PhD includes, how much grad school costs, and how to pay for grad school.

Is grad school worth it?

It depends on what you want it to do for you. Grad school tends to make the most sense when:

Your target career requires it. Medicine, law, university teaching and research, licensed counseling and psychology, and many senior research roles in industry need a graduate degree.
It opens a door you can name. A specific job, promotion, visa pathway, or career change that the degree makes possible.
The funding works. A funded PhD or an employer-sponsored master’s carries far less financial risk than a fully self-funded program.
You want to go deep. Grad school rewards people who are curious about one subject and enjoy working independently.

It’s worth waiting when you’re mainly unsure what to do next, when the cost would rely on large loans with no clear payoff, or when a year of work or research experience would make you a much stronger applicant. Many applicants say a gap year was the best decision they made; what I wish I knew before applying to grad school collects lessons like that.

How to get into grad school: the first steps

If you’ve decided to apply, here’s the order most applicants follow:

Choose the degree and field. Master’s or PhD, research or professional, full-time or part-time.
Build a shortlist. For a PhD, look for faculty whose current research matches your interests; that fit matters more than a school’s name. Our guide on how many grad schools to apply to explains how to balance reach, match, and likely programs.
Check requirements. Most programs ask for transcripts, a statement of purpose, two or three letters of recommendation, a CV, and a fee. Many programs have made the GRE optional, but some still require it, and international applicants usually need an English test. See grad school requirements and which grad school test you need.
Contact potential advisors if your field expects it: how to email a professor about a PhD position.
Plan around deadlines. For Fall 2027 entry, many PhD deadlines fall between December 1, 2026 and January 15, 2027, with master’s deadlines running later. The Fall 2027 grad school deadlines tracker lays them out month by month, and when to apply for grad school covers how early to start.
Track every item with the grad school application checklist.

See what grad school admissions really look like

Universities publish requirements, but rarely when decisions go out or what admitted applicants’ profiles looked like. That’s what the GradCafe results database is for: applicants report their own outcomes (accepted, rejected, waitlisted, interview), with dates and, often, GPA, test scores, and a note on their background.

Search a program to see a real cycle in action, for example Computer Science, Psychology, or Economics, or search any school or program. These reports are self-reported and self-selected, so treat them as a guide to timelines and typical profiles, not as official acceptance rates.

Frequently asked questions

What does graduate school mean?

Graduate school means any study you take after completing a bachelor’s degree, leading to a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree, or a graduate certificate. It can also mean the school or department within a university that runs those programs. In the UK and many other countries, the same stage is called postgraduate education.

Is a master’s degree considered graduate school?

Yes. A master’s degree is a graduate degree, so a master’s program is part of graduate school, just like a PhD or a professional degree such as a JD or MD.

What is the difference between graduate and postgraduate?

There’s no difference in level. “Graduate” is the usual US and Canadian term; “postgraduate” is used in the UK, India, Pakistan, Australia, and many other countries. Both describe degrees you study for after a bachelor’s.

Do you need a master’s degree to get a PhD?

Not in most US programs, which admit students directly from a bachelor’s degree. Many UK and European PhD programs do expect a master’s first. Check each program’s admissions page.

Is there an age limit for graduate school?

No. Graduate programs don’t set age limits, and students start at every stage of life. According to the NSF’s Survey of Earned Doctorates, the median age of US research doctorate recipients in 2024 was 31.4, and about 12% were over 40 when they finished. Many master’s students return after years of work.

Can you go to grad school without a bachelor’s degree?

Usually not, since most programs require a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent. A small number of programs consider work experience or other qualifications instead; see master’s programs that don’t require a bachelor’s.