Good News! More Than 5 Million African Americans Now Hold College Degrees
For Blacks over the age of 25 in 2012, 21.2 percent held a college degree. This is an increase from 19.9 percent in 2011. For Whites over the age of 25 in 2012, 34.5 percent held a college degree, up from 34.0 percent in 2011.
Married Couple Awarded Ph.D.s on Same Day at the University of Lagos
Olusegun Samuel earned his Ph.D. in marine ecology with a concentration in ecotoxicology. Temitope Samuel's research focuses on dermatophyte, a group of fungi that causes skin diseases.
An Accounting of Minority Faculty in Business Programs
Since the inception of the PhD Project in 1994, the number of minority professors in business disciplines has increased from 294 to 1,172. There are currently 362 minority students in business doctoral programs in the United States.
The Top Feeder Schools for Black Medical Students
Howard University produced the most Black applicants to U.S. medical schools in 2011 but by a large margin Xavier University in New Orleans produced the most graduates who earned medical degrees.
Predominantly White Medical Schools With the Most Black Graduates
Howard University, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine produce the most Black medical school graduates. Wayne State University in Detroit led all other predominantly White medical schools with 32 Black graduates in 2011.
Lydie Louis Will Earn Two Doctorates This Spring in Microelectronics and Photonics
Lydie Louis will make history this spring when she become the first student in the interdisciplinary microelectronics-photonics graduate program at the University of Arkansas to earn two Ph.D.s. She will be awarded doctorates from both the University of Arkansas and the Ecole Centrale Paris.
Black Students Making Progress at CUNY Colleges
Over the past 10 years the number of Black students transferring into the 11 senior colleges of the CUNY system has risen dramatically. Retention rates for Black first-year students have increased and the Black student graduation rate is up 14.4 percentage points.
The Medical Schools With the Highest Percentage of Graduates Who Are Black
There are 12 predominantly White medical schools where Blacks made up at least 10 percent of the 2011 graduating class. There were nine medical schools in the United States in 2011 that did not graduate a single Black physician.
HBCUs Showing the Biggest Improvements in Black Student Graduation Rates
In 1998 the Black student graduation rate at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was 47 percent. Today, the latest graduation rate figures shows that 64 percent of entering students at Howard earn their degree within six years. This is an impressive 17 percentage point gain.
Twins Named Co-Valedictorians at Spelman College
Kirstie and Kristie Bronner both achieved perfect 4.0 grade point averages while earning bachelor's degrees in music. Both their mother and grandmother are Spelman College alumnae.
North Carolina Central University Awards a Record Number of Degrees
At this spring's commencement ceremonies, North Carolina Central University in Durham awarded 712 bachelor's degrees, 246 master's degrees, and 162 law degrees. The total was the most in the university's history.
Xavier University Reports Success in Its “Out the Door in 4” Campaign
Of the 24 students that joined the program in 2009, seven graduated this May, another six are on pace to graduate in December or next May and five others are enrolled in the university's College of Pharmacy.
Howard University Awards 96 Ph.D.s
This year, 16 Ph.D.s were awarded in engineering or the physical sciences. There were 31 Ph.D.s awarded in the arts and humanities, 25 in the biological and life sciences, and 24 in the social sciences.
The First Graduate of the UConn Medical School from the Rowe Health Scholars Program
The program, funded by the Aetna Foundation, is aimed at increasing the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented groups who pursue careers in the healthcare field.
New Data on the Racial Gap in Degree Attainments
African Americans make up about 14 percent of all students enrolled in higher education but they are a far lower percentage of all degree earners. In the 2011-12 academic year, African Americans earned 10.1 percent of all degrees earned at four-year institutions.
Two HBCUs Enter Into a “Reverse Transfer Credit Agreement”
Students at Alabama A&M University, who took courses but did not complete a degree at J.F. Drake State Technical College, can use credits earned at Alabama A&M and use them towards an associate's degree at J.F. Drake.
New Academic Developments at Morgan State University
Historically Black Morgan State University in Baltimore is beginning a new Ph.D. in transportation and urban infrastructure systems. The university is also planning to hold a second commencement ceremony in December in addition to the regular event in May.
The Top Undergraduate Feeder Institutions for Blacks Who Earn Scientific Doctorates
The National Science Foundation reports that between 2002 and 2011, 9,202 Blacks received doctorates in science and engineering fields. Howard University in Washington, D.C., was the leading undergraduate feeder institution for Blacks who earned doctorate in these fields.
Only 9 Percent of Black Male High School Graduates in New York City Are...
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Expanded Success Initiative is investing $250,000 over 30 months in 40 different New York City high schools in an effort to address the poor academic performance of Black and Latino males.
Blacks Reach Racial Parity in College Enrollments, But Lag in Degree Attainments
During the 2011-12 academic year, Blacks made up 14.5 percent of all enrollments in degree-granting institutions but earned only 10.1 percent of all degrees earned at these institutions. Blacks were 19.2 percent of all students who earned degrees at private, for-profit degree granting institutions.
Historically Black Florida A&M University Graduates Four Physics Ph.D. Students
At the summer graduation ceremonies at Florida A&M University, four students were awarded Ph.D.'s in physics. In all of 2011 only 15 African Americans earned doctorates in physics from universities in the United States.
African American Mother and Son Earn Doctorates on the Same Day
Maurice McBride, an assistant professor of business at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, and his mother recently received doctorates on the same from Capella University in Minneapolis.
Penn State Creates New Doctoral Degree Program in African American Studies
According to the university's count, Penn State will be the 12th university in the United States to offer doctoral degrees in African American studies.
The Persisting Racial Gap in College Student Graduation Rates
In 2013 the graduation rate for Black students at the nation's largest universities that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I is 44 percent. This is 22 percentage points below the rate for Whites.
Huge Increase in Black Male Graduation Rates at Ohio State University
Over the past five years the graduation rate for Black male students at Ohio State University in Columbus has increased by 24 percentage points and now stands at 67 percent. The average at the university's peer institutions is 60 percent.
Black Student Graduation Rates at High-Ranking Colleges and Universities
JBHE research has found 18 high-ranking colleges and universities that have Black student graduation rates that have averaged over 90 percent over the past four years.
The Discouraging Trend in Graduation Rates at HBCUs
Prior research has shown that the major reason that Black students drop out of college is money. And many HBCUs, as well as the families who send their students to these schools, have faced difficult economic times.
Significant Progress in Black Graduation Rates at Flagship State Universities
Every year since JBHE has tracked graduation rates for Black students, the University of Virginia has had the highest graduation rate for African Americans. But other flagship universities have narrowed the gap.
No Progress in Closing the Racial Gap in Doctoral Degrees
In 2012, African Americans earned 2,079 doctoral degrees. This was 6.3 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. In 2002, African Americans also earned 6.3 percent of all doctoral degrees.
Academic Disciplines Where African Americans Earned No Doctoral Degrees in 2012
In 2012, there were 1,605 doctoral degrees awarded in various fields where none of the recipients were African Americans.
Racial Differences in Time Span to Earn a Doctoral Degree
For African Americans who earned doctoral degrees in 2012, the average number of years that they spent from the time they graduated from college to the time they earned their doctorate was 11.9 years. For Whites the figure is 9 years.
More Than 5 Million Living African Americans Now Hold a Four-Year College Degree
Some 21.2 percent of the African American population over 25 years now has at least a bachelor's degree. For Whites the comparable figures is 34.5 percent.
Kentucky State University Has Been Approved to Offer Doctoral Programs
Kentucky State University, the historically Black educational institution in Frankfort, has been approved to offer up to three doctoral programs by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Educating the African American Male for the 21st Century
It is crucial that all educational stakeholders and policy makers collaborate creatively, as well as, become educational allies to ensure that the African American male student is successful in completing his postsecondary education.
The Racial Gap in College Graduation Rates
At publicly operated colleges and universities, 39.7 percent of Blacks earned their bachelor's degrees within six years from the same institution at which they enrolled in 2006 compared to 60.2 percent of Whites.
Racial Differences in Educational Funding for Doctoral Recipients
According to data on students who earned doctoral degrees in 2012, nearly 40 percent of African American doctoral recipients funded their education through their own resources compared to 21 percent of Whites.
