Presentation
The Challenge of Returning: Transitioning from an Engineering Career to Graduate School
2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
(2011)
Abstract
While many graduate students have progressed directly from their undergraduate education tograduate school, with little or no time passing in between the two, a significant number ofgraduate students have not followed this pathway. These students, referred to in various placesas “older,” “mature,” “adult,” “non-traditional” or “returning” students, have had a variety ofcareer and life experiences between their undergraduate and graduate studies. Because of theseexperiences, returning students are different in many ways from those students who haveproceeded directly from undergraduate education to graduate school, and these differences canenrich the graduate experience both for the returning students and for their fellow students.However, these returning students also face certain challenges that traditional students do not.Some of these challenges involve the lack of information and mentoring available to traditionalstudents as they prepare to move from their undergraduate program to a graduate program,personal and family responsibilities, fitting in to the graduate school community, and changes inlearning style over time (Schilling, 2008; Gardner, 2008; Knowles, 1978). Such challengeshamper the returning student’s ability to successfully enter and complete graduate degreeprograms (Schilling, 2008; Gardner, 2008; MacFadgen, 2008).While the published literature on returning students has discussed some of their special skills andparticular challenges, there are many unanswered questions, particularly in regard to returningstudents in engineering. In this work, using a case study lens, several returning students wereinterviewed, and the resultant data were analyzed in order to address several unansweredquestions. What type of guidance do returning students have access to in their decision to return, and how effective is it? What academic issues do engineering students face when returning to school after an absence? What success strategies do returning students use to persist and succeed in graduate school?The data from this study are useful in beginning to answer these questions, and in informingfuture studies. Furthermore, with such data, universities will be able to more effectively advisereturning students. This will allow the university to gain from their experiences, as well asbenefiting students who are better equipped to persist and earn their graduate degrees.
Disciplines
Publication Date
June 26, 2011
Comments
ASEE PEER pp. 22.1431.1 - 22.1431.26
© 2011 American Society for Engineering Education
Citation Information
Diane L. Peters and Shanna R. Daly. "The Challenge of Returning: Transitioning from an Engineering Career to Graduate School" 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (2011) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/diane-peters/52/