Demographic and Psychographic Variables Associated with Hispanic Business Majors Intending to Pursue Graduate Studies: Marketing Implications

ABSTRACT

Increasing shifts in population proportions have led to an increasing demand on education institutions to recruit Hispanics. A random and stratified national sample was used to answer the following questions: (1) What are the psychographic typologies that are likely to identify Hispanic students by their desire to pursue or not to pursue graduate education? (2) What relationship, if any, does income of the parents play in a Hispanic student's decision to pursue graduate education? (3) Is there a direct relationship between the parents' level of education and Hispanic students' decision to pursue graduate work?

This paper attempts to dissolve myths about the variables associated with Hispanics' participation in graduate education, and to make recommendations for effective appeals to encourage Hispanic students to attend graduate programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Marketing
• graduate studies
• Hispanics
• higher education
• psychographic variables
• demographic variables
• VALS