With over twenty graduate degree programs, ACU has several opportunities to offer for those seeking higher education. In order to connect with prospective students, the different programs host virtual and in-person graduate program preview days. 

Associate Provost for Residential Graduate Programs Dr. Bill Carroll said the decision to attend graduate school and find the right fit is a significant decision for any student.

“Our goal with any preview day experience is to show off the strength of each of our programs to enable students to make the best decision for them,” Carroll said. “While we are definitely trying to recruit students to our programs, we want to accurately represent the experience and distinctiveness of our programs so students can decide if we are the right fit for them.”

All of the graduate program preview days for the fall semester have taken place with the exception of the Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology event.  Erika McLean, M.S., CCC-SLP, Instructor and co-program director, MS-SLP of the Abilene division, said she loves the opportunity to meet and connect with students through these events. 

Erika McLean, M.S., CCC-SLP, Instructor and co-program director, MS-SLP of the Abilene division poses with grad school merchandise. (Photo by Brylie Mahar)

“My hope is that students that attend our preview days will not only hear about but experience the relationships, opportunities, facilities and overall culture of our program,” McLean said. “I also hope they are able to connect with other students and begin feeling those relationships form so they have some in place if and when they attend the program.”

A graduate program preview day typically consists of opportunities to meet and visit with faculty and current students. Attendees will also receive free graduate merchandise. Carroll said these events are said to be eye-opening to current ACU students as they reveal the ways the graduate experience is different from the undergraduate one.

“Preview days are typically two-hour events that feature an overview of the program and admissions process, meet-and-greets with faculty, student panels, a complimentary meal and a Q&A session,” Carroll said. “Some programs will include research presentations and/or tours of on-site labs, clinics or other relevant spaces. Each program’s preview day is a little different than the others as they tailor it to fit the unique element of their program.”

A couple of graduate program preview day events will take place in the spring as students prepare to make any final decisions about their next steps. Prospective students can sign up for scheduled preview days or request a program visit at this link. https://gradapply.acu.edu/portal/campus-visit 

“I would add that graduate school is the hardest challenge that I have most enjoyed in my life,” Carroll said. “But you spend all day studying the thing you find most interesting with people who love it, both faculty and fellow students, as much as you do. One of the reasons that I enjoy working with graduate programs so much is that I see it clearly as a way to ‘love God with [my] whole mind.’ At a Christian university, the new ideas emerging from our graduate students and programs to solve our world’s problems are a way that we can play our part in making God’s kingdom come ‘on earth as it is in heaven.'”