Commitment to Graduate Studies and Careers in Science and Engineering: Examining Women’s and Men's Experiences

A comprehensive survey was conducted to assess departmental, interpersonal and attitudinal variables related to Canadian studentexperiences in science and engineering graduate programs. The presentstudy uses a subset of the survey variables to examine the experiences of women and men graduate students and to identify relationships between contextual factors and four specific outcomes: intention to leave current program, intention to pursue a career in field of study, science/engineering self-efficacy and confidence in establishing a career in one’s field. Quantitative and qualitative results show that departmental climate and advisor support predicted student intentions, confidence and self-efficacy. Gender differences in self-efficacy and confidence were also found.