Increasing Mexican American Doctoral Degrees: The Role of Institutions of Higher Education

Abstract

Mexican Americans continue to be severely underrepresented among doctoral degree recipients. Although much more research is warranted on this topic, the institutional support model presented can serve to provide immediate guidance to personnel in institutions of higher education who want to increase the rates of Mexican American doctoral degree attainment. The model was developed based on a retrospective analysis of the authors' experiences as participants at one of the host institutions in the Hispanic Border Leadership Institute Doctoral Fellowship Program and a review of the literature. The four components of the model include financial support and opportunity, emotional/moral support, mentorship from university faculty or other professionals, and technical support.

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