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There is a growing need to train a diverse range of students in engineering disciplines and a growing demand for a skilled workforce with graduate degrees (Pearson et al., 2022; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019; National Science Foundation, 1996). A team of specialists in engineering and organizational systems worked together on a grant sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to explore how evidence-based strategies used successfully at the undergraduate level might improve the recruitment, retention, and outcomes of graduate programs. In this study, we interviewed a sample of the stakeholders who support low-income, first-generation, and/or rural graduate engineering students, to gain insight into the barriers they face in their efforts. We used a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews to draw conclusions. We found seven themes describing the facilitators and seven themes describing the barriers that stakeholders face in supporting these students. Our findings have implications for researchers who would investigate and implement future organizational support systems as well as for the leaders who would design and implement an array of interventions as part of an organizational support system. 

The dramatic lack of diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher-education graduates is a serious issue facing the future of the STEM workforce. Colleges and universities are attempting to fix this disparity through targeted intervention programs aimed at increasing the persistence and retention of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented (UR) students in STEM. A comprehensive synthesis of adopted strategies and analysis of their effectiveness is lacking. We conducted a systematic multiple-studies review, considering 31 empirical articles published between 2005 and 2020 that shared the outcomes of intentional intervention programs in place across the United States. We uncovered essential characteristics of successful programs and highlighted the top 10 critical program components to consider. These can be used to guide the development and execution of future programs’ support systems and interventions. This is a relatively new area of research, with most programs just in the earliest stages of implementation. It is essential to continue to follow the data on the outcomes of these programs, particularly their longitudinal impacts on the diversification of the STEM workforce, to be able to implement effective evidence-based practices. 

Researchers describe a need for increased access to and transitional support into STEM graduate education for low-income, academically talented, first-generation and/or underrepresented and minority (LIATFirstGenURM) students [1]. In October 2019, we were awarded an NSF scholarship grant to build infrastructure and provide support to low-income, academically talented, firs-generation, underrepresented, and minority (LIATFirstGenURM) graduate engineering students. As part of the internal evaluation of the program, we interviewed seven enrolled and funded graduate student beneficiaries to determine if they encountered any barriers during their recruitment and first semester of graduate study. Additionally, we asked them what support they valued most. We found that these students valued the organizational program support system, and as a result, we also found several opportunities to improve the system. In this paper, we share our findings and discuss implications for program updates