BROADENING THE PATHWAY FOR GRADUATE STUDIES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

DOI: 10.1017/S1049096519001070 Between 1995 and 2005, Latinxs comprised 8.6% of political science undergraduate students in the United States. Yet, during this period, Latinxs comprised only 4.1% of PhD recipients. Since then, the share of Latinx PhD recipients has plateaued at 5% of political science and government doctoral-degree recipients; although more Latina women receive bachelor’s degrees in political science, the share of women decreased considerably at the PhD level (Monforti and Michelson 2008, 161). The slow pace of progress in this arena should come as no surprise because undergraduates from underrepresented groups seeking to pursue graduate studies in political science continue to face significant hurdles. This article briefly discusses the challenges that students from underrepresented groups face as they transition into graduate studies. We develop a series of recommendations for addressing these challenges. The challenges that students from historically underrepresented groups face in gaining admission and finishing their doctoral degrees in political science are numerous. They include lack of funding, mentorship, opportunities for collaboration and coauthorship, and social support. First, lack of funding not only shapes students’ decisions to pursue graduate studies and attend a graduate program, it also hinders their ability to complete a doctoral degree (Bair and Haworth 1999; Cusworth 2001; Monforti and Michelson 2008). Second, students also cite lack of effective mentorship as one of the constraints to their academic success (Monforti and Michelson 2008)—specifically, the opportunity to benefit from apprenticeship experiences, including research and teaching assistantships, coauthorship, and networking opportunities (Monforti and Michelson 2008; Turner and Thompson 1993). Third, an important determinant we found that 78% of survey participants reported that they like doing research. However, only 23% had the opportunity to present their research at a conference or a symposium, and only two students had their research published. Students also reported that two of the greatest limitations they faced were the lack of mentorship opportunities and the time to work on or improve their research project. Furthermore, students reported their desire for more advanced methodological training in preparation for their graduate studies. Motivated by our findings and with the aim of upending these tendencies in political science, we developed the Minority Graduate Placement Program (MIGAP). During the next two years, we will pilot this program in Puerto Rico and support undergraduate political science students at the University of Puerto Rico as they navigate the graduate-school application process. On completion of the pilot program, MIGAP will be scaled up to serve underrepresented minority students at MSIs in the continental United States. With the generous support of the APSA Second Century Fund, and in partnership with doctoral-degree–conferring political science departments in the United States, MIGAP will (1) arrange campus visits for prospective applicants; (2) provide small faculty–undergraduate collaborative-research incentive grants; (3) host a research-methods training camp during the summer before their application; (4) provide graduate-school and funding-application workshops; (5) add program participants to the APSA Minority Student Recruitment Program database; and (6) match students with potential mentors. MIGAP is aligned with previous research that identifies the positive impact that undergraduate research experiences have on a student’s graduate experience (Hathaway, Nagda, and Gregerman 2002; Pascarella and Terenzini 2005). Undergraduate research experiences also allow students to develop strong mentor–mentee relationships and improve their self-efficacy and self-confidence (Hu, Kuh, and Li 2008). This program also supports women faculty and faculty of color, who often are overburdened with supporting women and minority students who do not see themselves represented in anyone