The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand how domestic graduate minority students experience faculty interaction based on social and emotional cues. The theories of social constructivism and social cognitive theory were the basic frameworks for this study. Three research questions guided the study: (1) How do domestic minority graduate students' experience social cues (accessibility and feedback) from faculty? (2) How do domestic minority graduate students' experience emotional cues (trust and connection) from faculty? and (3) How do prior interaction experiences between faculty/staff and domestic minority graduate students influence potentially the outlook of subsequent interactions? This qualitative phenomenological study included a criterion purposive sample of twelve minority graduate students from the Northeastern United States. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes. Data was transcribed and analyzed inductively via Giorgi's five-step analysis. Results showed the significance in the role that faculty plays with minority students. This includes the benefits, hindrances, and limitations that faculty have done for students, and what can be improved for any subsequent interaction experiences for graduate minority students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]