Examining Student Interest and Motivations in Graduate Computer Science Research

The research focuses in academia are typically determined from the top down, with professors focusing on projects that align with their existing lab or can be readily supported by grants. This approach is pragmatic, but this focus may not align with the bottom-up interests of the available student body. As part of a broader effort to expand the available research opportunities in a graduate program in computer science, this work focuses on collecting data on what is motivating student interest in research and what specific fields students desire to study with the intention of using the results for decision-making about how to allocate resources to best match student interests. This work reports on the responses of 143 graduate students in computer science at a major research institution in the United States in a course-based program where access to research opportunities is not guaranteed. It examines both the fields of particular interest and the self-reported motivations leading these students to attempt to seek out research opportunities.