During the journey toward a doctorate in sociology at the University of Oklahoma, Rin Ferraro “hit the jackpot.”

The windfall came in the form of numerous opportunities to conduct research, be mentored by top-tier faculty members, teach undergraduate students, develop career skills and network with people around the world.

The result was a Ph.D. and a tenure-track faculty position at a regional university and the expertise to build a rewarding career.

Graduate education at OU is strong and growing, with thousands of master’s and doctoral students pursuing their degrees on the Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa campuses and through online programs. Like Ferraro, they are surrounded by support and afforded an experience that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

“I feel like I received every opportunity that OU had to offer,” Ferraro says, “and I got to do everything I wanted to do. That’s who I want to be for my students—a mentor who pays attention to what they want to get out of their education.”

Just as OU supports its graduate students, they, in turn, give back in abundance. Graduate students are the engine of the university’s workforce development efforts and contributions to economic growth, as well as research productivity, supporting faculty investigations and publishing in high-impact journals. 

“Graduate education is fundamental to our mission as a research university,” says OU’s recently named Vice President for Research and Partnerships Matt Hulver. “Graduate students bring energy, expertise and fresh perspectives that elevate the quality and impact of our research. Their contributions are felt in every corner of our academic and research community.”

Step into any laboratory at OU and you’ll find graduate students conducting research. According to one analysis of a high-performing university program, graduate students served as first author on nearly half of all that program’s published research, in addition to serving as secondary authors on other papers. Such contributions are crucial for OU’s aim to lead as a top-tier research university.

“Graduate students play a major role in the overall research productivity of the institution, working together with their faculty mentors,” says Randall Hewes, dean of the Graduate College on OU’s Norman campus.    

“The effort is a collaboration, but it also serves as an apprenticeship for graduate students. They are the innovators, scholars, scientists and creators of the future.”

“Graduate students are very valuable in workforce development, which is a key part of OU’s Strategic Plan, Lead On, University: The Next Phase,” adds Anne Pereira, dean of the Graduate College on the OU Health Campus. 

“Some will go to biotechnology companies or into the pharmaceutical industry,” Pereira says. “Others are interested in opportunities in federal offices such as the Food and Drug Administration or working for lobbying and advocacy firms. Still others will find themselves working with patents, and some will go into scientific writing. Once they are educated as a graduate student, their mind has been opened to critical, independent thinking, and they can follow their passion in any area.”

Some students, like Ferraro, aspire to a career as a university professor; others seek employment in wide-ranging fields. Whatever their choice, they receive professional development that sets them up for success. Students can attend career panels, learn how to network, develop a CV or resume, write grants, present their research at meetings and much more.

Students who want to take an entrepreneurial path may avail themselves of partnerships with OU's Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth. The economic development program specializes in technology commercialization, software business development, social entrepreneurship and product design, as well as OKBioStart, which advances biotech solutions by supporting researchers and entrepreneurs in central Oklahoma.

“Students gain an understanding of what it is like to build a business plan, and they interact with people who are integral to making a business work,” Pereira says. “They can have a brilliant idea, but unless it’s marketable or commercially viable, it’s only an idea.”

Nationally, about 20% of graduate students will go into academia, Pereira says. The rest will enter fields as varied as their skill sets.

No matter their path, students are immersed in the art of explaining their research in a way that anyone can understand. Students on the Norman campus participate in an exercise called the Three-Minute Thesis, while Health Campus students engage in Flash Talks.

“It’s important to have an elevator pitch ready to go because they never know who they’ll be talking to, whether it’s family and friends or legislators and donors,” Pereira says. “Communicating your science gets the facts out in an accurate and understandable way.” 

The university has employed significant resources toward recruiting top graduate students, particularly by increasing stipends. On the Norman campus, the university has invested $11 million over the past seven years toward reducing out-of-pocket fees and increasing stipends, Hewes says. This commitment brings OU nearly in line with the average graduate assistance among Association of American Universities (AAU) member schools. Similarly, at the OU Health Campus, investments have brought doctoral stipends to or above the average of peer universities.

“Many students apply to multiple universities, and while the stipend isn’t the only factor that determines where they go, we can drive away good students if we aren’t competitive,” Hewes says.

Hewes and his team are benchmarking degree completion rates, as well as the time it takes a student to earn a graduate degree. Doing so is an important step before adding graduate assistantships, for example, or expanding enrollment.

His office also tracks where graduates end up in their careers. “It’s something we’ve spent a lot of time working on because it will help us better link our current students with OU alumni who have been successful in various fields, whether at companies, non-profits or the government,” Hewes says. “We can better interface with our alumni to help prepare our students for career success.”

Such resources were extremely valuable for Ferraro, who authored seven research papers during college and successfully defended a dissertation while earning two graduate certificates. Ferraro was also involved with programs like OU’s Graduate Student Senate and participated in a multitude of workshops and seminars through the Graduate Student Life Office.

“I attended every workshop and opportunity that I could find on campus,” Ferraro says. “I got to do so many things besides coursework and research, and it all prepared me well for my career. That’s why I feel like I hit the jackpot.” 

April Wilkerson is OU’s Senior Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Health Sciences Research.

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