Black males in stem: exploring future engineering graduate school aspirations of undergraduate black men

Black males are underrepresented in undergraduate and graduate engineering programs. While a significant amount of research studies have highlighted Black men's challenges in engineering graduate programs, fewer studies have sought to uncover and understand the factors that influence Black males to pursue engineering graduate degrees. As part of a more extensive study, in this investigation we used thematic analysis to understand the factors that might influence 20 Black male engineering undergraduate students to pursue engineering graduate degrees. Although we took an inductive approach to data analysis, we used community cultural wealth to hone our sensitivity to the assets Black males engage in as they pursue advanced degrees in engineering. We developed four themes, which describe what might drive participants' motivations to pursue advanced degrees in engineering in the future: passion for knowledge, financial security and career advancement, early exposure to graduate school, and influence of social networks. The findings of this study may impact intervention design and efforts to recruit and retain Black males in engineering graduate programs.