A new report from The American Institutes for Research documents the important role played by the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities in increasing the number of African Americans who pursue graduate study in STEM disciplines.
The report found that more than one third of African Americans who hold a Ph.D. in a STEM field earned their undergraduate degree at a historically Black college of university. Nearly three quarters of those who earned a Ph.D. in a STEM field at a HBCU also earned their undergraduate degree at a HBCU.
“Degrees from historically black institutions are most common among black Ph.D. recipients who are women and first-generation college students — groups that are underrepresented in STEM academia and the broader workforce,” said AIR researcher and report co-author Dr. Rachel Upton. “With that advantage, HBCUs could lead the nation’s efforts to get more Black individuals in these fields.”
The full report, The Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities as Pathway Providers: Institutional Pathways to the STEM Ph.D. Among Black Students, may be downloaded by clicking here.
