Exploring the Evolution of Engineering Doctoral Students' Academic and Career Goals in the First Year of Graduate School

The purpose of this full research paper is to explore how first-year engineering graduate students' goals change over the course of their first academic year in their graduate programs. While existing literature indicates that the first year of graduate school can be challenging, it is critical to student socialization as they become familiar with the expectations of their discipline and research domain. Individual goal setting is also very important to overall academic and career success during this time. However, it is unclear what goals engineering graduate students have when entering their programs or how socialization may shape those goals. This study uses the theoretical framework of Future-Time Perspective, specifically the extension component, to explore what n=4 first-year engineering graduate students' initial goals were when entering their graduate programs and how those goals may have evolved over the course of their first year. In this longitudinal qualitative study, we interviewed the participants four times throughout the course of their first academic year: (1) during the first semester, (2) between the first and second semesters, (3) after the second semester, and (4) at the end of the first summer of graduate school. Using thematic trajectory analysis, we determined what students' goals were at the start of grad school and how they may have changed. Findings indicate that students' goal extensions fluctuated throughout the year and ultimately became more short-term by the end of the first year. Participants found it difficult to extend their goals because graduation was so far away and there were few opportunities for reflection within their programs. Implications from this work will help students, faculty, and administrators begin conversations about student goals and encourage students to engage in reflective practices to determine the value of the doctoral degree for them along with whether their courses and research align with their goals.