Beyond Persistence: Graduate School Aspirations of Hispanic Engineering Students at HSIs

摘要

Racial disparities in academic achievement continue to raise concern over the success of the current education system. College entrance rates over the past 10 years indicate an improving, but continued underrepresentation of minorities in higher education. Despite these improvements, the U.S. Department of Education reports African-American and Hispanic students are overwhelmingly underrepresented in postgraduate education, at both the master's and doctoral degree levels. Hispanic representation in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is particularly low at nearly all degree levels. In an effort to identify factors contributing to this disparity, researchers across disciplines document the successes and struggles minority students experience throughout their academic and professional careers. For example, student debt, insufficient guidance, and limited knowledge of the application process are possible deterrents for Hispanic students aspiring to graduate degrees. Family and cultural values may also be contributors. Saenz and Ponjuan found, Hispanic males sometimes feel pressure to financially support their families and are unable to pursue their education. While these deterrents primarily affect undergraduate students, they significantly impact Hispanic student representation in postgraduate education.