摘要：This study was based on a survey of graduate students in the Educational Leadership &
Counseling Department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The study first determined to poll
only those students who had completed at least nine semester hours of graduate work and who
had maintained a 3.25 grade point average or higher. Ultimately, the study sought to identify the
factors that play an important role in the overall success of the graduate students. The survey
focused on the students of two professors totaling 108 (N=108) with the number responding (Nr)
totaling 70. The survey was divided into two parts: participant profile and personal factors. Using
the data obtained, the factors were scored by percentage of responses and categorized into
primary (>90%), secondary (>80-89%), and tertiary factors (<79%). The implications of this
study can be useful in determining the quality of the graduate program, strategies which can be
developed to create and maintain a community of connectedness for students, the role of
professors in the overall success of their students, and initiatives to halt attrition and sustain
graduate student success.
