Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Graduate physics education faces structural barriers limiting student access and participation.The Inclusive Graduate Programs (IGP) project supports physics departments in transforming their cultures to better serve diverse students.Our research developed departmental profile templates to gather information from program leaders, focusing on three core categories: admissions, post-entry support, and department-wide equity efforts.Admissions practices include deprioritizing GRE scores, holistic reviews, anti-bias training, fee waivers, and targeted recruitment.Post-entry support involves restructuring qualifying exams, fostering community, improving faculty-student communication, and mentoring.Equity efforts include events, inclusive gatherings, and partnerships with minority-serving institutions.Content analysis of nine programs showed only two demonstrate holistic efforts across all categories.Most invested unevenly, with post-entry support notably underdeveloped.While efforts aligned with identified needs, significant gaps remain.These findings emphasize the need for integrated, sustained equity initiatives in graduate physics education and offer a foundation for further research on institutional change in STEM fields.
Authors: Audrey Claar, Austin Kunz, Diana Sachmpazidi, Michael Verostek, Diane Codding, Sara Woods, Bennett Goldberg, Geraldine L. Cochran
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4415600141
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