Factors that Influence a Student to Enroll in an Agricultural Science Program at a Selected University

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine influential factors upon students’ choice to enroll in a state university and moreover a selected university department of agricultural sciences. Chapman’s Model of Student College Choice (1981) served as the theoretical framework to this research. The target population of this descriptive study was identified as students enrolled in a department of agricultural sciences at an American university located in the southwestern United States. In order to achieve the purpose of this study data were collected from students enrolled in two introductory agricultural science courses (N=180). The instrumentation used in data collection was adapted from Williams (2007) which was adapted from the work of Wildman (1997). Relative to Chapman, this survey looked to measure student characteristics, external influences, and challenges toward student’s persistence. A seven point Likert-type scale was used to capture external influences and perceived challenges. Key external influences upon student college choice, found in this research, included student visits to campus, personal conversations with faculty, parents, class size, and perceived friendliness within the program. Students identified finances as the lone challenge they perceived. Recommendations were made toward collection of longitudinal data in this area as well as best practices to deal with a growing population of students.