Contextualizing Graduate Education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

This chapter provides some authentic context about graduate education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It reviews the limited literature on HBCU graduate education. in addition to research highlighting the importance of meaningful faculty-student interaction and positive peer support on the success of graduate students at HBCUs, research has shown that percent of full-time Black faculty earned their doctorate degrees from HBCUs and that more than half return to HBCUs as faculty members. Attending an HBCU for my undergraduate studies and participating in TRIO-Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Student Support Services were all very essential to my growth and development as a scholar; however, my acceptance into the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Scholarship Program became a major turning point in my life in terms of my pursuit of a doctoral degree. This experience, along with great mentorship, resulted in my participation in the Fifteenth Annual Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program (SAEOPP) Research Conference.