University of Minnesota Reviews

"I really appreciated the depth of study in this program; the teachers were incredibly knowledgable and had a clear love of teaching, in addition to their research. I was able to do a lot of independent research according to my own areas of passion, which I very much valued. The course schedule also made it easy to fit in two minors, which helped me get a job later."

"Pros: The University of Minnesota's physical therapy program is nationally known and recognized. There is a strong emphasis on research, which prepares students to expand their knowledge of physical therapy and prepares students to practice research based techniques as therapists. The faculty and staff are amazing. They are readily available for support and truly want their students to succeed. Public transportation is excellent and Minneapolis is a fun city. Cons: Minneapolis is very cold in the winter. Wind chills often drop below zero degrees. The program is very intense. The workload is pretty heavy. It is not recommended that students have a job outside of the program, so make sure that you have enough money for living expenses coming into the program."

"My program is a good fit for my experience and new career goals. The instructors have direct application knowledge that they share in their courses. This program does not qualify for financial aid. I am impressed by the diversity of students enrolled in the courses so far."

"The academic pieces of the program all fall into the pros category. The only cons I have found in the program include financial aid and student diversity."

"The Graphic Design MFA is very researched based. It is not very easy to be a "maker" in this program."

"The Elementary Education M.Ed. Initial Licensure Program at the University of Minnesota provides students an excellent foundation in content and pedagogical knowledge, as well as quality practical experience. Below are the pros and cons associated with this program from my point of view: Pros: - High quality instruction and practical experiences - Full-year student teaching placement to provide students excellent preparation for teaching - Students are held to high standards academically and professionally - Program is highly respected and graduates are sought after by Minnesota public school districts - Excellent job placement ratings following graduation and opportunities for networking - Professors are experienced teachers and professionals in their specific fields - Great support from program director and career services - Resources at the University of Minnesota are excellent; Mental Health, Medical Plan (health center is free for all students), excellent brand-new fitness center on campus, public transportation is excellent Cons: - Very time consuming; it is challenging to hold a job during the clinical placement year making Financial Aid necessary - Expensive if you do not enter the M.Ed.program with an undergraduate degree in education: you end up paying graduate level credit for Foundations courses as you are taking those classes with undergraduate students (who pay much less)"

"The College of Veterinary Medicine is a great program. Of course it is difficult as I'm sure every graduate program is, but the professors really try to help us out."

"The graduate program itself is fantastic - its competitive yet supportive. The faculty are generally very good. Financially I have no worries and I love living in the Twin Cities. My department is located on the St. Paul campus which is quiet compared to the other campuses - sometimes I wish it were more accessible (commuting can take a while) and had more commerce around it (restaurants, bars, ect...)."

"The school and program provides a lot of diversity in projects for students to develop their desired skills and academic interests, and strong support for students to broaden their learning perspectives"

"Pros-Great faculty, great area and great research and teaching experience. Cons-Stipend is comparable to many other programs, but is fairly limited."

"The majority of the faculty have an open door policy and are very interested in listening to and helping to shape your ideas."

"It helps me get a wider perspective of whats out there in the industry, which is difficult to build from your undergrad. Its the perfect time to build your skill set to meet the challenges out there. Though, its a big time commitment but the learning curve is pretty steep."

"Graduate education at the University of Minnesota is of a high calibre. However, things vary between one department and another (for instance I am at one of CLA's best departments, but one cannot say the same of other departments in the college). I must that stipend offered to CLA students is quite meager and makes living day to day a bit more burdensome."

"It's a great program for students willing to learn, regardless of the countries they are from or their first language"

"Very difficult program, very worthwhile. Much better scientist as a result."

"Courses provide background that you need and instructors are great."

"The CIDE program (within Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development) is a great program with great faculty support, active international projects, and a balanced curriculum."

"Good experiences so far, except for the weather. The courses combined with Teaching as TA does prepare us very well for pursuing our PhD. The fellow graduate students are also very smart, maintaining a good level of competition and helping us to push ourselves to be better. The professors are all pursuing very active research and provide a wide range of research areas for the graduate students to choose from."

"As a negative aspect, most of the time, TA tasks prevent PhD students (newcomers) to study their own course work. Such tasks are not flexible and occupy too much time. As a positive aspect, academic staff is really good in their field, so that keeps me motivated."

"The flexibility and wonderful, passionate faculty have made the Arts and Cultural Leadership Masters Program and the Museum Studies Minor Program a great overall experience so far. I feel that I am getting prepared in the best way for my future career aspirations in the field of museum administration. I have lots more to learn but look forward to doing it at the University of Minnesota."