RESEARCH UNIVERSITY
Field research helps grad students get ready for careers
Published June 2018
NDSU graduate students can find their path to a rewarding and meaningful career through a variety of research projects that are tailored to specific career goals.
Rebecca Bradley, for example, is enrolled in the biological sciences master’s degree program. She hopes to one day work in the field for a government agency after conducting amphibian research with assistant professor of practice Matthew Smith.
Bradley and Smith travel to several remote sites in eastern North Dakota to study the habitats of native amphibians. The data will be used to assess environmental challenges, and to help protect and sustain the amphibian population.
As an undergraduate, Bradley also worked with faculty on research about birds and bats. She chose NDSU’s graduate school because of its affordability and reputation for world class research.
“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do before I came to NDSU,” said Bradley, who is from Pueblo, Colorado. “But after being in the field and getting a lot of hands-on experience, I realized I definitely want to stay out in the field for my career. I want to continue doing research.
“That was all built at NDSU by being in the field and by the way my professors have helped me.”