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Abstract BackgroundIn addition to the benefits of a diverse faculty, many institutions are under pressure from students and administrators to increase the number of faculty from historically excluded backgrounds. Despite increases in the numbers of engineering PhD earners from these groups, the percentages of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino tenure‐track faculty have not increased, and the percentage of women remains low. PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify how experiences in graduate school encourage or deter PhD earners from historically excluded groups in pursuing an engineering academic career. MethodWe conducted 20 semi‐structured interviews with engineering PhD students and recent graduates, with half of participants interested and half disinterested in pursuing an academic career after graduation. ResultsThree key factors emerged as strongly influential on participants' desire to pursue an academic career: their relationship with their advisor, their perception of their advisor's work–life balance, and their perception of the culture of academia. Participants extrapolated their experiences in graduate school to their imagined lives as faculty. The results illuminate the reasons why engineering PhD earners from historically underrepresented groups remain in or leave the academic career pathway after graduate school. ConclusionsThe findings of this study have important implications for how graduate students' and postdoc's relationships with their advisors as well as perceptions of their advisors' work–life balances and the culture of academia affect future faculty. We make recommendations on what students, faculty, and administrators can do to create a more inclusive environment to encourage students from historically excluded groups to consider academic careers.
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Faculty, Academic Careers, and Environments (FACE): Conceptual Framework Report
This report provides an overview of a new conceptual model of faculty work in the 21st century, one that addresses today’s context, where academic capitalism and the gig academy have impacted faculty’s work and work environments and where demographic shifts have led to a change in the makeup of the academic workforce. This framework explores dimensions of faculty experiences, roles, and working conditions across various societal, institutional, and individual contexts.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2200769
- PAR ID:
- 10637386
- Publisher / Repository:
- USC Pullias Center for Higher Education.
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Institution:
- University of Southern California
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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