HBCUs as Baccalaureate Origins of Black Ph.D. Recipients: Field, Gender and Cohort Effects

• In Event: 50462 - Section on Science, Knowledge, and Technology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 15: Knowledge-Making and Educational Institutions

Abstract

This exploratory study examines trends in the baccalaureate origins of Black Ph.D. degree recipients from 1973-2022, based on data derived from the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). We focus on the Black U.S. citizen Ph.D. degree recipients who earned their baccalaureate degrees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Data are disaggregated by broad science and engineering fields (Life Sciences, Physical and Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Psychology and Social Sciences, Engineering), gender, and 10-year cohorts. Preliminary findings reveal that 1) the total number of males attending HBCUs for their baccalaureates has been declining over time, and women have surpassed that of men since the 1980s. 2) Among fields, the number of men has been fluctuating over the cohorts. In contrast, there has been an overall increase in women’s representation, especially in life sciences and psychology and social sciences. The findings highlight the significant contributions of HBCUs as the baccalaureate origins producing Black research doctorate recipients, especially Black women, despite the overall decline, over the five cohorts.

Authors

• Yu Tao, Stevens Institute of Technology

• Willie Pearson, Georgia Institute of Technology