Scholarships To Attract and Retain Students in Graduate Engineering and Computer Science Programs

Tennessee State University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

This five-year project will provide scholarships to support the success of thirty low-income, high-achieving STEM graduate students with demonstrated financial need. Helping these students earn advanced degrees will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians. The scholarships will support students who are pursuing master's degrees in computer science or engineering. In addition to providing financial support, the project will support the success of the Scholars through cohort building activities, graduate student support services, seminars, summer internships, and mentoring. Tennessee State University is an Historically Black College or University, with a high population of students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Thus, this project can contribute to broadening participation in STEM careers, a goal with national and regional importance. The major objective of this project is to increase the number of academically high-achieving, low-income students who obtain a master's degree in engineering or computer science at Tennessee State University. To accomplish this goal, the project will implement evidence-based activities that support recruitment and retention of graduate students pursuing master's degrees. These activities include: a seminar series and graduate student symposium that incorporate scholarly presentations, career planning, and professional development; a new engineering and computer science graduate student group to encourage social and intellectual connections among students; summer internships with industry partners; and a new engineering student orientation program to acclimate new graduate students to the University and facilitate connections among student cohorts. The effectiveness of these activities will be analyzed to identify affordances and barriers to recruitment, retention, and graduation with an advanced degree. This project may serve as a model for attracting and retaining students, including underrepresented minority students, in engineering and computer science graduate degree programs. As such, this project will investigate: (1) the extent to which participating in the project activities moderates the Scholar's experiences, well-being, and future career plans; (2) the extent to which being an underrepresented minority student, if applicable, impacts the Scholar's experiences, well-being, and future career plans; and (3) whether access to online, culturally responsive coaching about academic careers affects satisfaction in the master's program, interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in STEM, and/or interest in pursuing STEM faculty positions. Research findings will inform engineering and computer science broadening participation efforts by other researchers and stakeholders in STEM graduate education. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.