Many professional women who have majored in STEM-related undergraduate degrees contemplate continuing their education to further their careers or to reach a higher level of self-actualization. This research will discuss learnings from those women in STEM who have pursued higher education. A quick search in higher education libraries returns over 500,000 scholarly sources (over a 10-year span) on the topic of “advantages of graduate degrees”. It is the aspiration of this study to provide data on the merits of such pursuits specifically for women who have a background in STEM (undergrad or extensive years in STEM careers). The focus on STEM is motivated by the small number of annual undergraduate women who enter the workforce with STEM majors. Following a number of years of working in STEM careers, a significant number of women leave STEM careers. The research study aims to answer the question regarding their motivation for pursuing graduate degrees.
Research Questions: What motivates women in STEM to pursue graduate degrees?
- Hypothesis 1: Lack of fulfillment at current role or station in life.
- Hypothesis 2: Possibility to advance in career/economic reasons.
- Hypothesis 3: Enlightenment / Self-actualization.

Authors:
Karin Moore, Pepperdine University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Moore is a Management & Leadership consultant and PhD student at Pepperdine University. Her 25+ year career in Engineering has been spent in companies such as Microsoft, Intuit, Teradata and Optum. Her passion is advancing Women in STEM.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-moore-935906

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