American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted a three-year exploratory case study of four two-year graduate-level bridge programs designed to increase the number of historically underrepresented groups of individuals earning PhDs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This article presents findings from one component of a…

While research has documented the tremendous success of graduate-level Bridge programs for boosting the numbers of minoritized students earning doctorates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, less is understood about the challenges participants face along their graduate journey while participating in Bridge programs.…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to better understand the lived experiences of students enrolled in the Boyker-Anoroc Bridge Program. The Bridge Program was designed to increase the persistence of underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students in STEM doctoral programs. The participants in the study recounted their…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to better understand the lived experiences of students enrolled in the Boyker-Anoroc Bridge Program. The Bridge Program was designed to increase the persistence of underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students in STEM doctoral programs. The participants in the study recounted their…

Certain racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds remain underrepresented (UR) in the biomedical sciences. This underrepresentation becomes more extreme at each higher education stage. To support UR scholars during the critical transition from baccalaureate to PhD, we established an…

MD-PhD training takes, on average, 8 years to complete and involves two transitions, an MD-preclinical to PhD-research phase and a PhD-research to MD-clinical phase. There is a paucity of research about MD-PhD students' experiences during each transition. This study examined transition experiences reported by 48 MD-PhD students who had experienced…

The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) project in 1991 as one of the six initial awardees. As part of these efforts and upon reaching eligibility, the TAMUS LSAMP applied for and received additional funding to support a…

Evidence suggests that social and academic integration is a vital factor in doctoral student retention. This paper describes findings from a qualitative study which explored the experiences of a cohort of social work doctoral students during the first year in their programme of study. We used the anthropological concept of liminality which…

To remain globally competitive in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we must increase our number of underrepresented minority scientists (URMs) as our country's population becomes more diverse. For URMs to move up the educational and professional ranks, they need to be properly socialized as graduate students and…

We describe the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program as a successful model for effective partnerships with minority-serving institutions toward significantly broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in the physical sciences. The program couples targeted recruitment with active retention strategies, and is built upon a…

The major goals of this two-semester seminar are to help first-year graduate students understand the links among perspective, theory, assumptions, problem formulation, methods, and findings in psychological research and to optimize their transition into the PhD program. The seminar is described and evaluated and suggestions for change are made.…