Doctoral Dissertation Research: Faculty Mentorship and Graduate Student Progress

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This project conducts an in-depth case study of three population cohorts of graduate students pursuing doctorates at one elite research university in the United States, to examine the influence of gender and race on the formation of mentorship networks within these student cohorts, and examines the extent to which these networks impact various milestones en route to Ph.D. attainment. Faculty mentorship is repeatedly cited as a key factor in graduate student persistence and degree completion, but its assessment and measurement has remained elusive. A measurement of faculty mentorship is constructed - in the form of students' dissertation committee advisors and the duration of committee memberships - to explain how mentorship networks can enhance or inhibit graduate student progress. Drawing on analysis of both quantitative longitudinal data and qualitative interview data, this project contributes to the literature on doctoral education and gender and race in higher education by capturing the trajectories of all non-completers in each population as well as doctoral recipients; examining students from multiple academic departments and broad fields; and elucidating the influence of faculty mentorship on graduate student experience and post-graduate success. The project?s mixed methodology will contribute to work in the sociology of higher education, the intersection of gender and race, and the impact of race and gender on social networks. In addition, this work will provide guidance to future scholars, faculty, and higher education administrators in improving graduate program experience by shedding light on the development of student-faculty mentorship relationships. In particular, determining the extent to which race and gender generate barriers to graduate program progress and completion is key to developing and maintaining diverse graduate student as well as diverse faculty communities. Research findings will be presented at conferences and submitted to journals within the fields of education and higher education administration as well as sociology.