Scholarships, Academic, and Co-curricular Supports to Increase Access to Graduate Degrees and Careers in Engineering

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This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income STEM students with demonstrated financial need. Over five years, the project will provide two-year scholarships to 30 students to pursue Master of Science degrees from the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering. These degrees span ten engineering programs: Chemical, Petroleum, Bioengineering, Civil, Environmental, Electrical, Computer, Industrial, Materials Science, and Mechanical Engineering. In addition to scholarships, this project will provide students with academic and co-curricular supports to help them gain the knowledge and skills needed for success in the workforce and in entrepreneurial pursuits. The project aims to increase the number of low-income students who graduate with a master's degree in engineering, as well as provide the students with opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials. The project will advance understanding of strategies for eliminating barriers that interfere with the ability of low-income students to transition to graduate school after they earn a Bachelor of Science degree. The overall goal of this project is to increase graduate degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates in STEM fields. The specific aims of the project are to 1) create access to Master of Science degrees through scholarships and 2) create bridges into professional careers through activities such as curricular improvements, mentoring, and industry internships. Strategies to accomplish these aims include building capacity for students to do research and be involved in innovation, mentoring students through faculty-structured apprenticeships, and providing graduate student-centered community activities. The assessment and evaluation plan will use both direct (e.g., behavioral observations; policy changes) and indirect measures (e.g., surveys) to evaluate the project's success in providing access/scholarships, increasing success in graduate school, and developing successful bridges to professional careers. The project will also address key research questions, including whether scholarship incentives increase the enrollment of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need in engineering graduate programs and whether reduction or elimination of financial barriers increase the interest and motivation of low-income students to pursue advance degrees. A mixed-methods research approach will include a qualitative analysis of information from participant interviews and surveys. Results of this project will be disseminated through short communications, newsletters, brochures, peer-reviewed journal publications, and presentations at conferences such as the American Society of Engineering Educators Conference. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.