One of the first things to consider when choosing a college is what degree programs are offered.  Colleges offer many different programs.  Certificate and associates programs typically take two years, while bachelors programs typically take four.  Most masters programs are undertaken after a bachelors has been earned and vary considerably in duration, some can be completed in nine months while others take years.  Doctoral programs may be undertaken after a bachelors or after a masters has been earned and also can vary considerably in duration.

Historically, certificate and associates programs were offered at technical and community colleges.  However, more and more four year university programs are offering certificate and associates programs and more and more technical and community colleges are offering four year programs and masters programs such as the Washington State University education department that is located at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington near where I grew up.  This diversification in programs offered has been caused by the need for colleges to compete for students and dollars in a difficult recession and the needs of individuals and employers in the communities that are served by the colleges.

Many certificate programs prepare the student to take a state certifying examination for a specific career field such as Pharmacy Technician.  Others are highly regarded by hiring managers in their respective fields such as some culinary arts  and graphic design programs.

Most certificate and associate programs do not require a thesis (major research paper) or major project before completion, some bachelors programs do require this and most masters and doctoral programs make this a major requirement of the program.

Bachelors level work is typically referred to as undergraduate work while masters program work is most often referred to as graduate work.

Some colleges will have all or most levels of programs and some even blend some levels together such as the Masters of Architecture program at Washington State University in Pullman, WA which blends the Bachelors and Masters of Architecture into one continuous five year program.

If you have identified a career field in which you want to work, it is best to ask people in that field which schools have the most and best programs.  For example, if you want to become a medical research scientist, it would be good to ask some medical research scientists  and the people who hire them which schools provide the best preparation for that field.  By doing this you are likely to discover that some schools have special programs that combine the studies for medical doctor with the studies for research scientist and actually offer full funding of the program to students who are willing to have all the work they perform during the program become the property of the university and/or government.

Another good place to get information about specific programs are annual publications such as the US News and Reports ranking of best graduate schools.  According to http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools the best school for business currently is Harvard,  the best for education is Vanderbilt, the best for engineering is Massachussetts Institute of Technology, the best  for law is Yale, and the best for medical is Harvard.

If you don’t know what specific career you want, then it is best to look for a school that offers programs in several fields that interest you most.

If you have a general idea such as health care, then it is good to choose a school that has multiple programs in that field such as medical assistant, nursing, physician assistant, medical doctor, dentistry, health admininstration and public health so that you can continue to explore options while in school and more easily transition from one program to another.

As you consider schools it is good to shoot for the best without worrying too much about cost.  My mentors consistently advised me to apply to at least three schools – one that would be my ultimate dream school, one that would be a good next choice and one that would be a fairly sure shot.

Many of the best schools are”needs blind” which means they decide whether to accept you without knowing what your financial situation is and then once they accept you, they help you figure out how to pay for it.  So as you are first exploring which school would be your dream school don’t let your dream be limited by costs.  There are many people with very little money to go to college who’ve gone to the most expensive schools in the world because they had a dream and they let others partner with them about that dream.

When I was in the process of choosing a college I knew that I wanted a school that offered training in Christian ministry, specifically in ministering to youth within the denomination in which I grew up.  I knew I wanted to get a Bachelors level degree.  I had several mentors who were youth pastors.  I respected them and chose to go to the same school that they did.  I decided on the degree program and school before figuring out how to pay for it.  This sequence of decision choices paid off for me and so I recommend that others also decide on the program they want as one of their first criteria for choosing a school.