A Three Year Evaluation of Spirituality among Graduate and Professional Degree Students at a Private Institution of Higher Education

In 2011, an interdisciplinary group of researchers at Mercer University embarked on a longitudinal study to measure spirituality in graduate and professional degree students utilizing validated survey instruments in order to evaluate perceptions regarding the role of spirituality in higher education and professional practice. Preliminary results have been presented at the 2013 and 2014 GERA annual meetings. In the first three years of the study, a total of 844 students participated in the survey from disciplines including pharmacy, nursing, theology, education, business, and music. A majority of students indicated that spirituality had an impact on their decision to pursue a degree in their discipline of study (58%). In addition, a majority of students anticipated that matters of spirituality would be incorporated in course work for their degree (61%) and during eventual practice in the profession (79%). Furthermore, 88% of students believed that a general understanding of the role of spirituality in society is necessary to be fully prepared for a successful career in their discipline. These findings could be used to develop or modify academic programs to address the spiritual concerns and expectations of students. If accepted, additional results and analysis will be shared and discussed during our GERA presentation