Content area
Abstract
Master’s degree programs in the United States are demonstrating a consistent rise in enrollment (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2019; National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2020). With a 39% increase in postbaccalaureate enrollment between 2000 and 2017, graduate programs are expected to have 3.1 million students by the year 2028 (NCES, 2019). Although their prominence across higher education is increasing, research demonstrates personal and academic barriers that graduate students face in pursuing their degree (DeClou, 2016; Fakunmoju et al., 2016; Runner-Rioux et al., 2018). Such experiences transcend the multifaceted curriculum and demands of master’s degree programs in higher education (HIED programs). The various roles that graduate students occupy throughout their degree include being a student, employee, caregiver, and more. These roles create stress, particularly for students in HIED programs, due to conflicting responsibilities that can result in difficulty with persistence and even burnout within their desired field of work (Marshall et al., 2016). Through this descriptive qualitative study, 16 graduates of a HIED program shared the strategies and means of support they attribute to their ability to persist through the many roles they occupied, and combat burnout. These findings are followed by recommendations for future research and a proposed workshop to educate graduate students in master’s degrees in higher education.
