Career Planning for A&S Students

Guide for Arts & Sciences Students

Career planning is important at every stage of your college career. Early career planning will allow you to select a major or minor relevant to your interests, polish your resume to get that summer job or internship, or prepare you for the graduate school or job search process. We encourage you to discuss your career interests with your advisor, faculty, staff, alumni, career counselors, or other people working in the field you want to explore.

Career Exploration

Use the A&S Career Guides on the right or the links below to explore possible careers. You may also wish to talk to your advisor, faculty in your department, someone working in the field already, or a career counselor for more information.

Set Goals & Develop Your Experience

What Are Your Career Goals? (be flexible)

What are your personal and professional goals?
What do you need to do to achieve those goals?
Remember to be flexible with your goals as you may discover a new career field you have never heard of before.
If you struggle in your chosen field, don't be afraid to try a different one.
- - What experiences may be relevant to your goals?
    - Do you need a certain major, minor, or graduate degree?
    - Do you need to gain certain experiences to achieve your goal?
    - Do you need to earn a certain GPA requirement or take certain prerequisite courses to get into graduate school?
  - Gain practical Experience while exploring possible careers
    - Internships & co-ops (A&S Version)
    - Cooperative Education (Career Services Version)
    - Research, Labwork and Presentations
    - Volunteer to gain related experience through Learn & Serve, Clubs & Activities, or Community Organizations.
  - Resume writing
  - Cover letters
  - References
    - Always ask your references, before listing them on your resume.
    - Log into FERPA on myNU (Alumni click here) to to grant them permission to discuss your record.
    - Talk to your references or give them a copy of your resume so they know more about you.
  - Credential files
  - Interview skills
  - How to request an official transcript
  - Searching for Jobs
  - On Campus Interviews
  - Find out more about required exams (GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, Miller's Analogy Test, etc.)
  - Niagara offers some testing on-campus
  - Niagara, via Kaplan, periodically offers practice tests on-campus
  - Take graduate courses as an undergraduate student if you qualify
    - 5-year B.S./M.S. program in Criminal Justice (up to 3 graduate courses)
    - Seniors with a 3.0+ GPA can take up to 2 extra graduate courses
      - Must be full time with at least 4 UG courses
      - Must be extra courses beyond your degree requirements
  - Ask about prerequisite courses
    - MBA prerequisite courses can speed up your degree completion
    - Education requires a language/ASL course
    - Secondary Education requires 36 credit hours in content areas
  - Niagara's Graduate Programs
    - Criminal Justice Administration
    - Interdisciplinary Studies
    - MBA - Business Administration
    - Education & Counseling
    - Leadership & Policy
  - If your NU GPA is high enough, it may excuse you from some of the standardized tests required for graduate admissions.
  - Things to consider when applying to graduate programs
    - Prerequisite courses, majors, minors, experiences
    - GPA requirements
    - Exams required
    - Recommendations and cover letters (see above)
    - Deadlines (yearly deadline or rolling admission)
    - Cost (some fields and Ph.D. programs have more assistantships, grants, etc., than master's programs)
  - Searching for graduate programs
    - Career Services
    - External Resources