National study looks for insights: Why do minorities drop out of doctoral programs?

FIU graduates more minorities with bachelor’s degrees than any other institution in the country. FIU also graduates more Hispanics with master’s degrees than any other university.

But when it comes to doctoral degrees—especially in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics fields (STEM)—many minorities drop out. And no one knows why.

It’s a national problem and FIU is among 21 universities chosen to help solve it. With support from a grant from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), Sonja Montas-Hunter, assistant dean of the University Graduate School at FIU, will lead a collaborative effort with CGS to compile and analyze data to begin piecing together a clear picture of how many minority students give up on their pursuit of a doctoral degree, and why. The data collection will include an on-site visit by CGS to meet with students, faculty and staff.

“It really is a mystery that we need to solve rather quickly,” said Lakshmi Reddi, dean of FIU’s University Graduate School. “Minorities have been grossly underrepresented in the doctoral programs for a very long time. Anybody doing research in higher education will tell you that to have a well-rounded research and education program, we need to have diversity of thought, background, and experience.”

At FIU, approximately 19 percent of students enrolled in research doctoral programs are Hispanic. However, in 2011, only 2 percent of those who were enrolled in STEM doctoral programs were Hispanic. Data from the National Action Council in Engineering confirms that trend: Black, Native American, and Hispanic people together account for 34 percent of the total U.S. population, but earn only 7 percent of master’s degrees and 3 percent of doctorates in STEM fields.

For doctoral student Idaykis Rodriguez, who came to the U.S. from Cuba at the age of 7, the absence of minorities in her field has fueled a mission to inspire more underrepresented groups to fall in love with physics.

“I have asked myself why there aren’t more Hispanic students in physics, or in the sciences for that matter,” said Rodriguez, who is one of only 550 students in the world to be invited to attend the 62nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Lindau, Germany this upcoming summer. “One of my goals is to figure out how to interest more minority students in physics and encourage them to pursue a career in this field.”

For a video of Rodriguez and her journey, click here.

Montas-Hunter and her team will spend the next year helping to find reasons—and solutions—for the dropout rate.

“I am excited about this study because it provides FIU an opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the importance of diversity in graduate education,” Montas-Hunter said.  “Our participation in this project will strengthen FIU’s position as a leader in graduating Hispanics in STEM disciplines.”

At the undergraduate level, FIU’s College of Arts & Sciences is reforming introductory STEM courses from traditional lecture style classes to more interactive sessions in hopes of engaging more students. The new techniques have significantly increased the number of students choosing to major in physics—by 800 percent. In addition, FIU is increasingly offering opportunities for students to engage in research early on in their academic career.

FIU is also the region’s leader in pre-collegiate initiatives in K-12. Its College of Engineering engages with more than 2,000 students and their families every year and provides professional development in STEM education techniques to 120 K-12 teachers, with an estimated reach to more than 20,000 students each year.

“The good news is that FIU is way ahead of other institutions in our understanding of the problem,” Reddi said. “The answers we find in the next year will help many institutions and countless students across the country.”