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STEM Doctoral Completion of Underrepresented Minority Students: Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Participation in the Doctoral Workforce

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Abstract

This article is a result of the analysis of student-level enrollment records from twenty-one research universities in the United States, and it contributes to a more robust understanding of timely completion of STEM doctorates by underrepresented minority students. Using multivariate logit regression models, findings indicated that Hispanic/Latino and students from other underrepresented groups complete at higher rates than do their Black/African American counterparts. Findings also indicated that prior master’s degrees and institutional participation in doctoral completion programs positively correlate with STEM doctoral completion. We conclude by offering insights and recommendations for graduate schools about how to increase the STEM doctoral attainment rate of students from underrepresented groups.

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Acknowledgments

This article is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1138814. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Council of Graduate Schools.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Council of Graduate Schools, One Dupont Circle, N.W., Ste. 230, Washington, DC, 20036, USA

    Hironao Okahana

  2. Higher Education Program, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Carrie Klein

  3. Jeff Allum & Associates, LLC, Kensington, MD, 20895-0323, USA

    Jeff Allum

  4. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Robert Sowell

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  1. Hironao Okahana
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  2. Carrie Klein
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  3. Jeff Allum
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Correspondence to Hironao Okahana.

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Okahana, H., Klein, C., Allum, J. et al. STEM Doctoral Completion of Underrepresented Minority Students: Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Participation in the Doctoral Workforce. Innov High Educ 43, 237–255 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-018-9425-3

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