| Summary: | Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2002. Education Bibliography: leaves 117-124 This study examines earning a Canadian Master's degree as a lifelong learning pursuit. Data from Statistics Canada's, national, 1997 Survey of 1995 Graduates are used to profile 1995 Master's graduates by graduation age and gender using the age groups, under 25, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49 and, 50 and over. Cross-tabulations and chi-square tests are utilized to identify significant relationships and trends. Research questions addressed are: how did the study profiles of Master's graduates by age group and their gender subgroups, differ by region, discipline, reasons for enrolling, study mode (part-time, full-time or combination) and/or educational funding sources? Additionally: how did the post-graduation profiles of Master's graduates by age group and their gender sub-groups, differ by accumulated debt, job search experiences, job characteristics, job- education match, income and/or plans to pursue a Ph.D.? -- It was found that as age increased, so did the percentage of graduates who were female, studied part-time, had no difficulty in the job search, supervised the work of other employees, and earned $50,000 or more per year. The percentage of graduates who said the chance to earn a good income was a very important reason for enrolling and who utilized scholarships decreased as graduation age increased. Graduates aged 40 and over were concentrated in the Humanities, Social Science, Education and Commerce related disciplines. Graduates from Ontario and Quebec (both genders) and males from the Western Provinces and Territories were typically younger than those from other Canadian regions. Less than 35% of 1995 Master's graduates in any age group indicated that they planned to pursue a Ph.D.
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