Doctoral Training Programs, Racial/Ethnic Diversity in

Overview and Background

Since the first doctorate was awarded in the United States in 1861, the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving doctoral degrees has increased at a steady rate, with large increases occurring after World War II and in the 1960s. In 1976, the National Board of Graduate Education issued a report about the state of graduate education for URMs. At that time, the Board was alarmed because Blacks and Latina/o/s represented approximately 16% of the nation's population but only 5% of all the doctoral degrees awarded.

In 1988, the total number of doctorates earned by U.S. citizens and permanent residents was 24,914. By racial breakdown, Whites earned 86.1% of all the doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents followed by Asians (5%), Blacks (3.9%), Latina/o/s (2.8%), and Native American/Alaska Natives (0.38%). Twenty years later, the total number of doctorates earned by U.S. citizens and permanent residents increased to 30,791. Although Whites continued to earn the highest percentage of all doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and [Page 715]permanent residents, their total percentage decreased to 75.4%. Doctorates awarded to racial and ethnic minorities, however, have steadily increased to 8.3% for Asians, experiencing the greatest percentage point increase, followed by Blacks (6.6%), Latina/o/s (5.7%), Multirace individuals (1.7%), Native American/Alaska Natives (0.4%), and Native Hawaiians (0.3%). International students have also earned a higher percentage of doctoral degrees from U.S. colleges and universities over the past 2 decades. In 1987, international students earned 18.6% of all doctorates awarded in the United States and 31.2% of all doctorates awarded in 2008, surpassing all URM groups combined.

Although the number of URMs in doctoral education has increased, the majority of these students are concentrated in fields other than science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Latina/o students were the largest racial/ethnic group in social sciences and humanities while Black doctoral students were primarily concentrated in education and other non-STEM related fields. The fields with the highest representation of Latina/o and Black students (e.g., education, humanities, and other non-STEM fields) also have the longest time-to-degree, as measured by the median number of years between the start of a graduate program (including a master's degree) and competing a doctoral degree. In terms of gender, a larger percentage of women of color earn doctoral degrees than men of color, and in terms of college generational status, parents of Blacks, Latina/o/s, and Native Americans are less likely to have completed any education beyond high school and far less likely to have attained a bachelor's or advanced degree.

One pathway students have taken to increase their likelihood of being admitted into a doctoral program is to use a master's degree as a stepping stone to the Ph.D., and this practice is more typical in the sciences where the ratio of master's degrees to doctoral degrees is closer to 1:1. In fields like engineering, computer science, and education, students are much more likely to enroll in terminal or professional master's programs rather than pursue a doctoral degree. A common approach for doctoral aspirants in STEM fields is to seek out post-baccalaureate bridge program opportunities, as these programs provide students with research training and further prepare them for graduate study.

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