Identifying and ranking the university selection criteria for Master of Science (MSc) from the viewpoint of students using Fuzzy TOPSIS

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors

1 M.Sc. in Business Administration, Economics and Social Science faculty, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Management Department, Economics and Social Science faculty, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research is to identify and rank the significant factors in the selection of a university for graduate-level education from the viewpoint of students.
Materials and Method: The literature on university rankings was first examined and 14 general factors were extracted with related indicators. Then, interviews were conducted with 15 students. Furthermore, a set of significant factors was gathered by considering the literature and student views. In the next step, to confirm these factors and indicators, 40 questionnaires were filled by students. Then, the results were verified by the T-test. Confirmed indicators (16 indicators) were re-classified and distributed in the form of a questionnaire with linguistic expressions among 20 other students. Then, using the data of this questionnaire and implementation of the fuzzy TOPSIS approach, the ranking of the significant factors in the selection of a university for a master degree was obtained. Finally, the status of factors obtained from the previous steps was presented.
Result and Discussion:  The results of the research show that in the proposed framework, the University Reputation factor is the most important factor from the students’ point of view. This factor includes the following indicators: public universities, university location, the age of the university, and the number of graduates employed in the work environment after graduation.
 

Keywords


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