LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate

Jackson State University, Jackson MS

Investigators

Abstract

Jackson State University (JSU) and the Mississippi Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-MAMP) partners continue to focus their collective resources on the rich nationwide pool of LSAMP graduates, with over 25,000 produced annually, to recruit for the LS-MAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Program (BD). The synergy resulting from these interactions continues to transform the instructional, research and administrative aspects of cooperation among these institutions in ways never before envisioned. STEM disciplines targeted for BD include: chemistry, mathematics, biology, environmental science, computer science, and engineering. The requested support for the expansion of the LS-MAMP BD prgram will continue to accelerate and increase the numbers of minority students entering the Ph.D. pipeline. The success of the program is based upon the theory that minority students who pursue the M.S. degree have the potential to complete the Ph.D. degree in STEM areas if provided sufficient financial support, rigorous curricula, committed mentoring and national and international extensive research experiences. The addition of a seventh Cohort to the LS-MAMP BD program will increase the number of students who have been supported by the program to 82. The program is highly interactive covering the first two years of the students? graduate tenure leading to the M.S. degree. Students are expected to continue their work through to the doctorate. During the first year the students satisfy the required core courses of their degree program and select their research advisor. During the first summer, the students are exposed to scientific and technical workforce environments through short term visits and internships at national or international laboratories, corporations and universities. During this time, students and their faculty advisors continually interact on the learning experiences and initiation of research projects. The second year is dedicated to research, writing the M.S. thesis, taking specialized courses and applying for admission to doctoral programs and fellowships.