The following evaluation considered on-time degree completion at a graduate and professional school within a private R1 institution in the southeastern united states using social and academic domains. This evaluation also considered both institutional and individual student support. Further, it explored whether student experiences are consistent…

Cosmetology is one of the most widely and onerously regulated occupations for lower-income workers, yet little research has explored the experiences of aspiring beauty workers. This first-of-its-kind study takes advantage of federal educational data--including a large, and largely untapped, dataset on nondegree credentials and work experience…

A January 2021 executive order requires Utah executive agencies to identify occupational regulations that are no longer necessary or can be reined in to reduce barriers to entry. One regulation that should be on the table is cosmetology licensing. This policy brief draws on a national study to explore the experiences of people pursuing cosmetology…

This mixed-methods study, as part of program quality enhancement, investigated motivating factors of teachers choosing enrollment in an online master's degree in education in a state where legislative funding does not provide advanced degree pay. Students were surveyed at the conclusion of their program using a quantitative evaluation of…

In this article, Philip DiSalvio, dean of the College of Advancing and Professional Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, interviews Stephen Trachtenberg, president emeritus and University Professor of Public Service at George Washington University. Trachtenberg shares his views on the traditional four-year undergraduate degree, the…

This study employs administrative and survey data to assess the relationship between students' socioeconomic background and educational outcomes, using regression and quantile regression methods. We take into account the existing institutional framework which allows differentiation in the duration of studies among students. We examine the…

This paper presents the results of an empirical investigation trying to explain individual time-to-degree variances with business cycle fluctuations. Assuming that students determine the optimum study length at university weighing up the cost of an additional semester against the consumption benefit of studying and not yet working, the general…

This article reports that some graduate programs are switching from comprehensive qualifying exams to portfolios compiled by doctoral candidates. Five years ago the graduate program at the University of Kansas' history department was like many others--filled with small cohorts of anxious, fearful procrastinators. Doctoral students were taking an…

"Doctorate Education in Canada: Findings from the Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2005/2006" is the third paper in a series of reports written by the Learning Policy Directorate of Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) and the Centre for Education Statistics of Statistics Canada. Each report presents an overview of doctoral…

A survey of dentists found that 48 percent supported a mandatory fifth year of dental training. Main reasons for support were the need for more instructional time and need for a transition year. Individual choice, no value in a fifth year, mentoring available elsewhere, and cost were cited in opposition. Differences existed among respondents who…

Proposals in this report would result in greater freedom and flexibility in higher education at less costs and with no loss in quality. The Commission recommends that time required to earn degrees be shortened; that more rewarding alternatives to college be available to youth; and that more opportunities be provided for students to assess…

This report analyzes departmental variations in time to degree and attrition in Ph.D. programs at Berkeley. An alternative hypothesis, the Ph.D. production function, is examined by cross-section econometric analysis of 28 departments. The inputs included in the production function were student variables--quality and percent males; faculty…

A new study reanalyzing previous data suggests that the widely publicized sharp increase in number of years to doctorates in the humanities is largely a statistical artifact. The new analysis finds an increase of 15 to 20 percent rather than the previously reported 38 percent in number of years to doctorate between 1972 and 1988. (DB)

This study determines the typical time lapse from matriculation to graduation for recent bachelor's degree graduates, and observes trends and variations in the matriculation-to-graduation period for graduates of different majors and years. Basic data were compiled for all University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduates of 1969, 1970, and 1971.…

A study examined doctorate completion time in 11 scientific and engineering fields for 1967-86. On average, a 20 percent increase in completion time was found. Four measures of time are compared. (Author/MSE)