Insights into First-Generation Doctoral Students
CGS Research in Brief
"First-generation doctoral students, defined as those who are the first of their generation to
both complete a Bachelor’s degree and pursue a doctoral degree, are an under-examined part
of the student population. While about one-third of doctoral students are first-generation
(Hoffer et al., 2003, National Science Foundation, 2015), only about three percent of first-generation undergraduates pursue doctoral studies (Redford et al., 2017). As a result, much
of the research and discussion of first-generation students has focused on undergraduates,
but first-generation graduate students who have persisted in postsecondary education
also bring with them unique strengths and resilience.... To aid and transform campus conversations, using data from the Council of Graduate Schools’ Understanding Career Pathways for Program Improvement project, this brief provides insights into the career concerns of first-generation doctoral students."
For the complete brief, visit: https://cgsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CGS_CP_First-Gen-Doc-Students_ForWeb.pdf