Assessing U.S. Minority Engineering Programs: Outline of a Research Agenda
16 Pages Posted: 1 Nov 2011 Last revised: 4 Nov 2011
Date Written: October 31, 2011
Abstract
Diversifying the science and technology workforce in general has become an evermore pressing issue on research and policy agendas in the United States (U.S.) today. A central topic in related debates has been the critical need for qualified engineers, with particular attention to minorities as an untapped resource in relevant fields. Delineating and framing the key issues underlying this problem in terms of the broader political cultural and institutional context, we explore Minority Engineering Programs (MEPs) in U.S. colleges and universities as an intervention mechanism for increasing the production of engineering degrees among underrepresented minorities. To that end, we outline a research agenda for pursuing an empirical specification and analysis of basic conditions, strategic processes, and organizational relationships relative to MEP practices and structures aimed at affecting demographic patterns of occupational representation and success in engineering.
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