Equity in Graduate Education

Equity in Graduate Education is a research initiative at the Pullias Center to improve equity and diversity among students and faculty at the graduate school level through holistic graduate admissions practices, professional development, and institutional change.

Background

A third of college graduates today go on to pursue graduate education. Graduate programs develop tomorrow’s faculty and many of society’s leaders, so addressing inequities in graduate education has important ripple effects throughout higher education and society.

Equity in Graduate Education is a research initiative at the Pullias Center focused on examining and improving institutional policy and practice, with special attention to the work of faculty members. Professors’ mindsets, values and disciplinary cultures have embedded inequities through standard practices for admissions and recruitment, teaching and mentoring, and broader judgments of student quality and merit.

We’re developing new theories and working in research-practice partnerships with major universities and disciplinary societies to shift the way that faculty evaluate and interact with graduate students. Our goals are to reduce barriers to graduate school and create more inclusive educational environments, especially for women, racially minoritized, and other marginalized students. The Equity in Graduate Education team promotes equity in graduate education through research on holistic graduate admissions practices and professional development that provides faculty and administrators with the tools and resources to create institutional change.

 

> Visit USC’s Pullias Center for Education