Thinking About Pursuing a Graduate Degree in History

Thinking About Pursuing a Graduate Degree in History Are you considering a masters or doctoral degree in History? The decision to pursue graduate study in History, like other fields, is a complex one that is part emotional and part rational. The emotional side of the equation is powerful. The pride of becoming the first in your family to earn a graduate degree, being called Doctor, and living a life of the mind are all tempting rewards. However, the decision of whether to apply to graduate programs in History also entails pragmatic considerations. In a difficult economic climate, the question becomes even more perplexing. Below are a few considerations. Remember that this is your choice - a very personal choice - that only you can make. Competition for entry to graduate study in History is stiff. The first thing to recognize when it comes to graduate study is that it is competitive. Admissions standards for many graduate programs, especially doctoral programs, in History are tough. Peruse applications for the top Ph.D. programs in the field and you may encounter warnings not to apply if you do not have a particular score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Verbal Test and a high undergraduate GPA (for example, at least a 3.7). Earning a Ph.D. in History takes time. Once you enter graduate school you may remain a student longer than you intend. History and other humanities students often take longer to complete their dissertations than science students do. Graduate students in History can expect to remain in school for at least 5 years and as many as 10 years. Each year in graduate school is another year without full-time income. Graduate students in History have fewer funding sources than science students do. Graduate study is expensive. Annual tuition typically ranges from $20,000-40,000. The amount of funding a student receives is important to his or her economic well-being long after graduate school. Some History students work as teaching assistants and receive some tuition remission benefits or a stipend. Most students pay for all of their education. In contrast, science students are often funded by grants that their professors write to support their research. Science students often receive full tuition remission and a stipend during graduate school. Academic jobs in History are hard to come by. Many faculty members advise their students not to go into debt to earn a graduate degree in History because of the job market for college professors, especially in the humanities, is bad. Many humanities PhDs work as adjunct instructors (earning about $2,000-$3,000 per course) for years. Those who decide to seek full-time employment rather than reapply for academic jobs work in college administration, publishing, the government, and non-profit agencies. Historians' skills in reading, writing and argumentation skills are valued outside of academia. Many of the negative considerations in deciding whether to apply to graduate school in History emphasize the difficulty of obtaining employment in academic settings and the financial challenges that come with graduate study. These considerations are less relevant for students who plan on careers outside of academia. On the positive side, a graduate degree offers many opportunities outside of the ivory tower. The skills that you will hone as you pursue your graduate degree are valued in virtually all employment settings. For example, graduate degree holders in History are skilled in reading, writing, and argumentation. Each paper you write in graduate school requires that you compile and integrate information, and construct logical arguments. These information management, argumentation, and presentation skills are useful in a variety of settings such as business, nonprofits, and government. This quick overview of pragmatic considerations in determining whether graduate study in History is for you highlights some of the challenges, but your academic and professional career is yours to make. Students who plan, take advantage of an opportunity and remain open to considering a range of career options increase the odds of a graduate degree in History paying off in the long run. Ultimately graduate school decisions are complex and highly personal. Only you are aware of your own circumstances, strengths, weaknesses, and goals - and whether a History degree fits into your life story.

Basics of the Central Business District

Basics of the Central Business District The CBD or Central Business District is the  focal point of a city. It is the commercial, office, retail, and cultural center of the city and usually is the center point for transportation networks. The History of the CBD The CBD developed as the market square in ancient cities. On market days, farmers, merchants, and consumers would gather in the center of the city to exchange, buy, and sell goods. This ancient market is the forerunner to the CBD. As cities grew and developed, CBDs became a fixed location where retail and commerce took place. The CBD is typically at or near the oldest part of the city and is often near a major transportation route that provided the site for the citys location, such as a river, railroad, or highway. Over time, the CBD developed into a center of finance and control or government as well as office space. In the early 1900s, European and American cities had CBDs that featured primarily retail and commercial cores. In the mid-20th century, the CBD expanded to include office space and commercial businesses while retail took a back seat. The growth of the skyscraper occurred in CBDs, making them more and more dense. The Modern CBD By the beginning of the 21st century, the CBD had become a diverse region of the metropolitan area and included residential, retail, commercial, universities, entertainment, government, financial institutions, medical centers, and culture. The experts of the city are often located at workplaces or institutions in the CBD- lawyers, doctors, academics, government officials and bureaucrats, entertainers, directors, and financiers. In recent decades, the combination of gentrification (residential expansion) and development of shopping malls as entertainment centers have given the CBD new life. One can now find, in addition to housing, mega-malls, theaters, museums, and stadiums. San Diegos Horton Plaza is an example of redeveloping the downtown as an entertainment and shopping district. Pedestrian malls are also common today in CBDs in an effort to make the CBD a 24 hour a day destination for not only those who work in the CBD but also to bring in people to live and to play in the CBD. Without entertainment and cultural opportunities, the CBD is often far more populated during the day than at night, as relatively few workers live in the CBD and most commute. The Peak Land Value Intersection The CBD is home to the Peak Land Value Intersection in the city. The Peak Land Value Intersection is the intersection with the most valuable real estate in the city. This intersection is the core of the CBD and thus the core of the metropolitan area. One would not typically find a vacant lot at the Peak Land Value Intersection but instead one would typically find one of the citys tallest and most valuable skyscrapers. The CBD is often the center of a metropolitan areas transportation system. Public transit, as well as highways, converge on the CBD, making it very accessible to those who live throughout the metropolitan area. On the other hand, the convergence of road networks in the CBD often creates overwhelming traffic jams as commuters from the suburbs attempt to converge on the CBD in the morning and return home at the end of the workday. Edge Cities In recent decades, edge cities have begun to develop as suburban CBDs in major metropolitan areas. In some instances, these edge cities have become a larger magnet to the metropolitan area than the original CBD. Defining the CBD There are no boundaries to the CBD. The CBD is essentially about perception. It is usually the postcard image one has of a particular city. There have been various attempts at delineating the boundaries of the CBD but, for the most part, one can visually or instinctively know when the CBD starts and ends as it is the core and contains a plethora of tall buildings, high density, a lack of parking, transportation nodes, a large number of pedestrians on the street and generally just a lot of activity during the daytime. The bottom line is that the CBD is what people think of when they think of a citys downtown area.