Barriers to black male graduate students' success in engineering

What is it about?

This is a study of 21 Black male graduate students’ experiences in an engineering program. This study sheds light on various ecological and social barriers that are detrimental to Black men's success in graduate programs in STEM fields. Our findings show that Black men in a graduate engineering program have to deal with a considerable level of psychological strain resulting from being one of the few Black males in their program and fighting with various forms of gendered and racialized microagressions, and structural inequities.

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Photo by Kevin Noble on Unsplash

Photo by Kevin Noble on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study provides insights into how Black students negotiate and navigate graduate studies, which has been previously underestimated. The findings from this study highlight the power of number - underrepresentation of students of color in STEM - and the often unheard voices of Black male graduate students in STEM. Such findings call for changes from faculty, administrators, and staff in STEM to take an anti-deficit approach for Black males and implement policies and practices that support Black male graduate students’ success in STEM fields.