LAUSR

There is an inverse relationship between lifetime unemployment rates and attainment of advanced college degrees, as well as a positive relationship between levels of human capital and graduate degree attainment (Carnevale, Cheah, & Strohl, 2012). This suggests that there is a need to better understand college experiences that may promote students’ interests in pursuing graduate or professional education. Interactions with faculty members in college influence a host of college outcomes (Kim & Sax, 2017; Mayhew, Rockenbach, Bowman, Seifert, & Wolniak, 2016; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), but less is known about whether these interactions influence students’ aspirations to attend graduate or professional school and whether this influence is the same for all students. In this study, we examined the relationship between five measures of students’ interactions with faculty in college and students’ aspirations to earn a graduate or professional degree. Additionally, we considered whether this relationship is similar for all students or whether it is moderated by students’ sex or race/ethnicity.