Abstracts Womens Studies

Women's motivations for participating in management certificate programs and the benefits derived from participation

by Susan Starosilec

Many adult women are searching for a program that will make them stand out from other employees, assist them during job searches and allow them to work during the day and/or raise a family. Management certificate programs offer accreditation while taking classes in the evenings, as opposed to full time degree programs, which may require full time study for 3 or 4 years. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to survey female graduates of management certificate programs in order to add to the knowledge base in adult education related to: adult facilitation, course content, teaching strategies, program evaluation and learner needs. The major question in this thesis was: What are the motivations for participation and the benefits derived by women in management-certificate programs? Specifically, the research questions included (1) what motivated women to participate in Management Certificate Programs? (2) are women faced with difficulties that have affected them the most while participating in these Programs? (3) what benefits do women derive after graduating from Management Certificate Programs? (4) did the Program aid female students in job advancement or finding other jobs? (Abstract shortened by UMI.)