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Research
Pre-Orientation
Master's Degree Students
Economic pressures and a challenging labor market have placed a higher value on obtaining a master's degree and increased the financial difficulty students have in earning one. While a master's degree experience is somewhat short in tenure, typically two to three years in length, the ramifications of students' financial management decisions during this period can last a lifetime.
The financial reality students face can be difficult to cope with and can affect their academic performance, physical and mental health, and the overall stability of their future. The researcher investigated the financial conditions that master's degree students face, the financial aspects that cause them the most concern during graduate school, and the methods universities are utilizing to address these financial circumstances.
Financial Transitions
First-Year Students
Pre-Orientation Registration Program
Many institutions of higher education have adopted programs that allow incoming students to register for courses prior to orientation (Black 2007, Cunningham 2006). Prompted in 2009 to do so, the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) developed the Pre-Orientation Registration Process (PORP).
This study concluded that the registration process for incoming students during orientation can be daunting given the complex and extensive academic information and the traditional short duration of registration. Often, the registration process provides insufficient time for students to process information that will prove vital to their academic success and retention. Cuseo (2011) encouraged first-year administrators and professionals to raise institutional consciousness regarding policies that do not provide students with adequate time for academic discovery and personal growth. By giving students additional time to consider course options and future curricular plans, universities can encourage them to be actively engaged in and knowledgeable about their academic future. Further research about programs similar to the one in this study may help higher education institutions determine how they can best prepare incoming students for the registration process.
First-Year Students in Sweden and the UK
I will be researching first-year student support initiatives in Sweden and the UK, the transition students experience, the flexibility students have in changing academic programs, and whether retention is related to those variables.
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