Student Choices and Pathways

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 seeks to understand the many possible ways these institutions are utilizing labor market information.

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The Rutgers University-Youth Enjoy Science evaluation focuses 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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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

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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.

>View more details here.