| Following a national trend of increasing enrollments of women in higher education, the percentage of female students enrolled in EMBA (Executive Master of Business Administration) degree programs has increased over the last ten years. This project explored the experiences of five female EMBA graduate students. Their narratives are presented as case studies. Themes that emerged included: a high initial anxiety level; a well-developed support system; an increased sense of empowerment; and an increased sense of validation.; The case studies show several common elements that exist in terms of this group of female students. Policy implications from this study encourage higher education institutions to respect the life experiences of nontraditional women enrolling in graduate studies and to provide them multiple avenues for support. Further research should be undertaken on a multi-institutional level to identify additional common themes among this subset of female graduate students. |
