A study of the time it took 618 students to earn Ph.D.s in economics found that those with fellowships or prior master's degrees finished faster. Those who took jobs before completion and women with children took longer. No differences appeared in relation to marital status, gender, age, and program size. (Author/SK)

In this study, the authors used multivariate statistical analysis to examine the impact of cost on the likelihood that a person will both enroll in and complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. They considered both the "explicit" cost of paying tuition and the "implicit" cost, or opportunity cost, of earnings foregone while in…

This report provides new and unique empirical evidence on postsecondary education pathways in Atlantic Canada based on the data from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS). This study covers postsecondary students in public institutions at all levels of study--college, bachelor's, master's, Ph.D. and first professional degrees--with…

Explores impacts on length of time to completion of an associate's degree by variables such as a student's high school GPA, college placement status, transfer credits from other institutions, enrollment status, major, sex, ethnicity, and age. The study also outlines a systematic and comprehensive model for determining the extent to which these…

The study examines the factors that impact the students who attained a bachelor's degree in four-years in a public four-year college. The study focuses on students' pre-college preparation, financial aids, academic performance, work-study time arrangement, and intention of completing a bachelor degree at the entering institution. The sample…

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…

Interviewed graduate students writing their dissertations and faculty members about factors influencing time-to-degree and completion rates in their departments. Complex findings indicated that factors related to financial support, degree requirements, departmental policies and practices, advising, and department climate affected these outcomes.…

Since 1998, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has been instrumental in developing an industry-led approach to online education. In the telecommunications industry, The National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning (NACTEL) began offering customized coursework through its primary educational partner, Pace…

This study adds to the growing body of research with a focus on (1) the characteristics of accelerated (dual enrolled) students versus their counterparts who did not participate in accelerated programs; (2) differences in academic outcomes of accelerated and non-accelerated students; and (3) differences in days to complete the associate degree for…

Examined three stages of University of Iowa students' progress to graduation: dropout versus persistence in the first year, graduation versus failure to graduate among first-year persisters, and graduation in 4 years or less versus graduation in 5 years or more. Found that college academic performance, pre-matriculation academic achievement, and…

Used the National Center for Education Statistics' postsecondary transcript file of the High School and Beyond/Sophomore Cohort to replicate findings of Adelman's "Answers in the Tool Box" study. Used event history modeling to provide additional information about how several factors affect time to bachelor's degree attainment. Findings concurred…

The role of summer session attendance in time-to-degree was studied in a two-phase investigation. In the first phase, a survey was used to collect data from 10 universities on the entering class of 1992 who took a degree in arts and sciences. This cohort was followed to graduation periods of less than 4 years, 4 years, 5, years, 6 years, and more…

An increasingly important performance measure for university administrators is mean time to graduation at the department level. In this study, the authors examined whether a student's major is a significant variable in predicting time to graduate. If students in one major take much longer to graduate than do those in another major, administrators…

The prevalent undergraduate major selection at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) mostly depends on the student's choice regardless of academic abilities and qualifications. Owing to the adoption of this Free Choice Method (FCM), the number of students will continue to grow and external pressures at the national level may…

This chapter explores how multiple approaches including data mining can help examine how the lengths of student enrollment are associated with varying numbers of advanced placement units. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)