In partnership with the Graduate School, the ASER team conducts a biennial survey of all degree-seeking master’s students at UMass Amherst. The Master’s Student Experiences Survey (MSES) helps Graduate School and campus leaders better understand the backgrounds, academic experiences, career interests and plans, and campus experiences of our master’s student body.
2026 Master's Student Experiences Survey
The 2026 survey contained the following sections:
- Student Background: Student identity aspects, hours completed in paid work through Graduate Assistantships and other sources, and total education-related debt.
- Program Characteristics: Self-reported aspects of degree program requirements, format (online vs. in-person vs. hybrid), and 4+1 status.
- Career Goals and Preparation: Motivations for pursuing a master’s degree, post-graduation intentions, confidence in pursuing employment post-graduation, sources of career preparation support, and satisfaction with various aspects of career preparation support.
- Academic Experiences and Program Quality: Ratings of overall experience and the quality of various program aspects, sense of preparation to meet Graduate School Student Learning Objectives, and whether the student would choose to pursue a master’s degree again in both the same field and at UMass Amherst.
- Generative Artificial Intelligence Use: Frequency of using generative AI tools such as Copilot or ChatGPT to complete a range of academic, career, and personal tasks.
- Engagement with Campus Resources: Interactions with the Office of Global Affairs and various Student Affairs and Campus Life departments (e.g., CCPH, AISP, RecWell).
- Wellbeing: Reflections on the impacts of engaging with various Student Affairs and Campus Life departments, mental health during their program, flourishing, and loneliness.
- Advising and Mentoring Relationships: Sources of academic guidance and satisfaction with various aspects of academic advising in the program.
Survey Administration and Population
ASER administered the 2026 online survey to all master’s students enrolled in degree-granting programs. Students received an email invitation to complete the survey and up to four reminders. In addition, LMS notifications and outreach from both the Graduate School Dean and various Associate Deans of Graduate Education were used to encourage response.
In total, 4,059 master’s students were invited to participate in 2026 MSES. Of these, 1,568 master’s students took the survey for a final participation rate of 39%.
ASER Dashboards
Once available, Tableau Interactive Dashboards that provide results for selected users at the department and campus level can be found on the ASER Flagship Analytics platform. Results from the most recent MSES, as well as previous administrations (2024 and 2018) are available. For more information or to request access, email @email.