An Examination of African Americans' Experiences in Postsecondary Education in Two Areas: Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Disciplines

Evolution of HBCUs Land Grants: Their Historical Service to African American Graduates discusses African Americans patterns for access and degree attainment in higher education institutions remain a target focus of researchers, as African Americans traditionally enter and attain degrees less often. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) have historically served as the initiation/access point to higher education by African Americans. Today, HBCUs remain a point of entry and continue to draw African Americans; despite the opportunity for African American students to attend predominantly white institutions (PWI). The purpose of this paper is to briefly review literature on HBCUs, their mission/purpose, and their historic service to African Americans in postsecondary education.;Postsecondary Retention of African Americans in STEM Disciplines discusses the ongoing struggle of higher education institutions with student attrition rates. This concern is most prevalent within the African American student population in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields of study, where postsecondary degree attainment is disproportionately low, in comparison to their White counterparts. This paper examines African Americans' experiences in STEM disciplines in higher education. The thesis discusses African American trends STEM disciplines, their historical evolution within these fields of study, and the well-documented institutional barriers (academic preparation, mentorship/advising, finances, campus life/culture, and support programs) that impede their retention within these majors at the postsecondary level.