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Purpose In spite of ongoing and recent initiatives aimed at broadening participation in engineering, the representation of diverse groups of learners in engineering graduate programs in the USA remains a challenge. Foregrounding the voices of 26 Black male engineering faculty, this study aims to investigate how institutions might recruit and retain more Black men in engineering graduate programs. Design/methodology/approach For this study, inductive thematic analysis was used. Findings The authors show that three themes, namely, representation as an asset, invested mentors and faculty, and supportive peer networks described as the “Vibe” manifest as crucial elements for successful recruitment and retention of Black men in engineering graduate programs. Originality/value These findings are meant to augment the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion in engineering graduate programs and to address a dearth of published research on the Black male engineering population. This work is also meant to help institutions conceptualize ways to create a “Vibe” that might be transferable to their institution’s sociocultural context. 

The topic of engineering identity is neither new nor complete in its coverage within current literature. In fact, although this body of work predates the last ten years, researchers have argued that some of the most significant burgeoning in this area has occurred in the last decade. By applying both quantitative and qualitative lenses to this inquiry, researchers have concluded that, much like a STEM identity, an engineering identity describes how students see themselves, their competence and potential for success in the academic and career context of the field. To further examine the latter component i.e. potential for academic and career success, we attend to an emerging concept of an entrepreneurial engineering identity. This preliminary work unfolded organically; the authors’ primary goal involved a larger Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study that investigated persistence and advanced degree aspirations among 20 Black male engineering undergraduate students from a variety of institutional settings. While we did not intentionally seek to examine this emerging component of engineering identity, our preliminary analysis of participants’ interview data led us down this path. What we observed was a latent phenomenon of interest among participants: these Black male engineering undergraduates recurringly articulated clear intentions for academic and career opportunities that integrated business components into their engineering realities. Kegan’s (1984, 1994) Theory of Meaning-Making provided a framework for understanding how participants perceived the development of business acumen as a strategy for ascending existing corporate/organizational structures, creating new business pathways, and promoting corporate social responsibility. Based on these findings, the authors were inspired to explore the conceptual development of an entrepreneurial engineering identity and its practical application to engineering degree (re)design, student academic advisory and career planning.