The CGS Professional Master's Initiatives are designed to help member institutions respond to documented local and regional workforce needs and student interest in master's programs that prepare graduates for careers in business, government and non-profit (BGN) employment sectors.

In the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, baccalaureate graduates generally do not possess sufficient technical or disciplinary background to compete successfully for employment and would benefit from additional training that fosters mastery of professional skill sets and increases understanding of the non-academic workplace. However, in most liberal arts disciplines, few graduates (roughly 20% in the natural sciences and social sciences and 40% in the humanities) ever pursue graduate education, and those that do most often do so in education, business, or health fields rather than in their undergraduate major area.

Traditional disciplinary master's programs have historically focused on preparing students for doctoral study or for entering professional areas such as law or medicine. Three fields that are exceptions to this pattern—engineering, social work, and public administration—have developed master's-level programs that prepare students for non-academic careers. Professional master's degrees in these fields provide an alternative to doctoral education for those preparing for BGN careers.

 To learn more about the CGS Professional Master’s Initiatives, please see below.

• CGS Professional Science Master's Initiative 
• CGS Professional Master's in Social Sciences and Humanities Initiative

For more information, please contact:

Robert Sowell