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How do students navigate educational and career pathways?
Our research provides an in-depth look at how students make decisions about their education and career plans as well as how educational institutions can support students as they navigate these pathways.
Current projects on Student Choices and Pathways
Pathways to Science and Engineering Professions: Persistence and Career Choice
What determines whether students pursue bachelor’s or master’s degrees in the biosciences and engineering to later enter careers in these fields? This project will examine the critical choice points in the pathway students take through college and into occupations in these two professions.
Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN) – Developing and Sharing Research on Low-Income STEM Student Decision-Making & Pathways
Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN) –
Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN) –
Developing and Sharing Research on Low-Income STEM Student Decision-Making and Pathways
This project is looking at the decision-making processes of low-income community college students who are in S-STEM education. Students’ decision-making processes while completing STEM programs in community colleges are far from understood. This study, however, will overview the underlying processes behind students’ decisions to go into these programs and the choices they make while continuing their education in S-STEM. It will also take a look at how elements of the S-STEM programs, the institutions themselves, and students’ attributes influence these decisions.
Past projects on Student Choices and Pathways
Pathways into Careers in Information Technology: Community College Student Decision Making About Academic Programs and Jobs
Community colleges offer many program and career opportunities in the field of information technology (IT). This project examines how students’ experiences and information resources influence their decision-making and how that evolves over time.
Using Labor Market Information to Improve Program and Credential Quality
Higher educational institutions, from community colleges to universities, are increasingly using labor market information to ensure their programs and credentials align with economic trends. This project sought to understand the many possible ways these institutions utilize labor market information.
RU Yes Evaluation
The Rutgers University-Youth Enjoy Science evaluation focused on evaluating programmatic elements geared toward exposing underrepresented high school and undergraduate students to careers in science that are outside traditional healthcare fields (doctor, nurse, etc). The program focuses on cancer research. It also trains high school teachers in cancer research to give them tools and knowledge to disseminate through their classrooms and curriculum.
Assessing Pace University's Efforts to Retain Black and Hispanic Nursing Students
Blacks and Hispanics have long been underrepresented in the nursing workforce and in many other health occupations. Pace University is attempting to address this problem through a program that seeks to increase retention of Black and Hispanic first-generation nursing students. The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center will evaluate Pace University’s STEPS to Success Program and provide feedback to guide the four-year project, recommending improvements as needed.
CREAR Futuros Evaluation
The CREAR (College Readiness, Achievement and Retention) Futuros 2.0 program was created to address the persistent systemic barriers Latinos face, which often prevent completion of a college degree.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) conducted an evaluation of the implementation and outcomes of the peer mentoring program operating on nine college campuses in four states.
Interstate Passport Program Evaluation
Community college students who want to transfer to a four-year institution often face obstacles in bringing their college credits with them. To address this problem, the Interstate Passport® Program was created to remove obstacles for students seeking to receive credit for general education attainment.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) conducted a study of Interstate Passport®, which is the only network of regionally accredited, nonprofit, public and private two- and four-year institutions dedicated to the block transfer of lower-division general education credits.
Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics Research
Students who major in math in college are often unaware of the many ways the discipline can be applied in real-world situations and the range of career opportunities in the field.
This study includes qualitative research on selected math programs throughout the country to identify best practices for reforming math education and preparing students for math-related careers. The project was conducted by the Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC), which was contracted by Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics (TPSE Math), an organization dedicated to enhancing math education in two- and four-year colleges.
Impact of Mental Health First Aid Training for Fire and EMS
A study using data from a large multi-campus university and student earnings shows that traditional-age students who worked for pay during college earned more on average after leaving college than similar students who did not work.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) evaluated the study to consider the implications of these findings for educational policy.
Post-Graduate Earnings, Job Security, and Major Choice Survey
To what extent does labor market information influence students’ earnings expectations and choice of college majors? And how does this vary by socioeconomic background?
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) explored the issue of accessibility of labor market information and its impact on students’ expectations of future earnings and their choice of major. Based on a survey of 3,000 undergraduates at Rutgers’s three main campuses, the study analyzed the impact of accessing labor market information on the students’ earnings expectations and on their college major choices
Assessing the Impact of Student Work During College
A study using data from a large multi-campus university and student earnings shows that traditional-age students who worked for pay during college earned more on average after leaving college than similar students who did not work.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) evaluated the study to consider the implications of these findings for educational policy.
