Institutional barriers to black and latino male collegians' success in engineering and related STEM fields

Abstract

Diverse people and perspectives are needed to spur innovation and tackle societal problems. A wealth of untapped intellectual and economic potential exists among historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups - including Blacks and Latinos - who have not had equitable access to engineering and related STEM fields. For Blacks and Latinos who are accepted into engineering and related STEM fields, they face a number of barriers to their success which lead to low retention and graduation rates. In historically male-dominated fields such as engineering and related STEM disciplines, Black and Latino men have remained underrepresented at the student and faculty ranks. To uncover and tackle the "institutional barriers" that men of color face, nearly 50 interviews with Black and Latino collegians were analyzed to better understand the mechanisms that prevent them from maximizing their potential for success in engineering and related STEM fields. Interviews revealed that students must overcome institutional obstacles such as: (a) inadequate academic advising, (b) poor quality teaching, (c) limited course offerings, and (d) insufficient financial aid. This paper includes recommendations that are helpful to faculty, staff and administrators who are interested in increasing the number of Black and Latino male graduates in engineering and related STEM fields.