Graduate Admissions and Retention Research
Overview
This research focuses on holistic practices to increase diversity and retention in physics graduate programs. Our team studies current admission and retention practices of graduate physics programs across the United States, and offers targeted interventions and tools that aid programs in using more holistic measures. The goal of this project is to increase access to, and retention of, women and underrepresented minorities in graduate physics programs.
The Graduate Admission and Retention Research Project focuses on holistic practices to increase diversity and retention in physics graduate programs. It is led by Casey Miller, Scott Franklin, Ben Zwickl, and Lindsay Owens. The team studies current admission and retention practices of graduate physics programs across the United States, and offer targeted interventions and tools that aid programs in using more holistic measures. The goal of this project is to increase access to, and retention of, women and excluded identity groups in graduate physics programs.
Programmatic Efforts
Admissions and Retention Training Program
The training will promote learning and sharing of knowledge through discussion and group activities. Each module will contain specific learning objectives, suggested activities and exercises, discussion questions with facilitation notes, an overview of relevant literature, including selected readings.
IGEN-IGE Module Themes Include:
(1) Traditional Evaluation and Selection Practices
(2) Holistic Evaluation and Selection Practices
(3) Best Practices in Retention
(4) Facilitating Change
Research Efforts
The Graduate Admission and Retention Research Project focuses on holistic practices to increase diversity and retention in physics graduate programs. The goal of this project is to increase access to, and retention of, women and underrepresented minorities in graduate physics programs. To achieve that goals, we are studying current admission and retention practices of three separate graduate physics programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Denver. This research will serve as the starting point for conversations about transformation of admissions practices to be more holistic and retention practices to be targeted towards those who need them the most.
Why study Graduate Admissions Practices?
The traditional admissions process in physics unintentionally selects against women and underrepresented minorities (URMs; African, Hispanic, and Native Americans). Recent research by Julie Posselt showed that committees avoid applicants from undergraduate programs they are unfamiliar with, which tends to disadvantage women and minorities, many of whom attend smaller liberal arts and minority serving institutions
Why study Graduate Retention Practices?
Compounding the race and gender issues in admissions is the fact that the standard process has not been very successful in picking students that will graduate: the US PhD completion rate in STEM fields is about 50%. Apparently, the standard admissions procedure is no better a predictor of completion than a coin toss, but it systematically filters out women and minorities. An APS study using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) via the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) [30] found an overall retention rate of 58% in physics. Retention rates for Hispanics (41%) and for African Americans (44%), were significantly lower than those of Asians (69%) and Whites (56%); Native Americans are too few to report significant data.
Programmatic Efforts
Admissions and Retention Training Program
The training will promote learning and sharing of knowledge through discussion and group activities. Each module will contain specific learning objectives, suggested activities and exercises, discussion questions with facilitation notes, an overview of relevant literature, including selected readings.
IGEN-IGE Module Themes Include:
(1) Traditional Evaluation and Selection Practices
(2) Holistic Evaluation and Selection Practices
(3) Best Practices in Retention
(4) Facilitating Change
Research Efforts
The Graduate Admission and Retention Research Project focuses on holistic practices to increase diversity and retention in physics graduate programs. The goal of this project is to increase access to, and retention of, women and underrepresented minorities in graduate physics programs. To achieve that goals, we are studying current admission and retention practices of three separate graduate physics programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Denver. This research will serve as the starting point for conversations about transformation of admissions practices to be more holistic and retention practices to be targeted towards those who need them the most.
Why study Graduate Admissions Practices?
The traditional admissions process in physics unintentionally selects against women and underrepresented minorities (URMs; African, Hispanic, and Native Americans). Recent research by Julie Posselt showed that committees avoid applicants from undergraduate programs they are unfamiliar with, which tends to disadvantage women and minorities, many of whom attend smaller liberal arts and minority serving institutions
Why study Graduate Retention Practices?
Compounding the race and gender issues in admissions is the fact that the standard process has not been very successful in picking students that will graduate: the US PhD completion rate in STEM fields is about 50%. Apparently, the standard admissions procedure is no better a predictor of completion than a coin toss, but it systematically filters out women and minorities. An APS study using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) via the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) [30] found an overall retention rate of 58% in physics. Retention rates for Hispanics (41%) and for African Americans (44%), were significantly lower than those of Asians (69%) and Whites (56%); Native Americans are too few to report significant data.
For More Information: https://www.rit.edu/castle/graduate-admissions-and-retention-research-project