Experiences of ethnically diverse black male students in graduate engineering programs

What is it about?

This study examines the experiences of nine Black men in engineering graduate programs who are foreign-born and/or identify ethnically as other than African American (e.g., Nigerian, Jamaican, Ghanaian). Our findings show that foreign-born Black students struggle to make sense of the differences of being Black and male in the U.S. versus in their home country. Many also described being questioned about their legitimacy as graduate students in engineering, based on their race.

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Photo by Rui Silvestre on Unsplash

Photo by Rui Silvestre on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study fills the gap in literature on Black students’ postsecondary experiences by examining foreign-born Black men in engineering graduate programs. Their experiences of ongoing racialization, racialized “imposter syndrome,” and internal conflict between American and their own ethnic norms disrupt notions of a monolithic U.S. Black male image imposed upon them. Acknowledging that not all Black men are the same, this study provides implications for promising practices and activities that support these students throughout their graduate school and engineering career path.