Preparing for Engineering and Other STEM Graduate/Post-Graduate Masters and Doctoral Programs

Published in: Megaprojects: Building Infrastructure by Fostering Engineering Collaboration, Efficient and Effective Integration and Innovative Planning: Proceedings of the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: July 23-25, 2012
Location of Conference: Panama City, Panama
Authors: Renetta G. Tull
Miguel Nino
Natasha Ramoutar
Refereed Paper: #293

Abstract

PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), sponsored by the National Science Foundation and led by the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), has designed and implemented programs to recruit underrepresented students for graduate programs in engineering and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The programs to cultivate new graduate students have been administered in Maryland as part of UMBC’s Horizons initiative, at national conferences for the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and in Puerto Rico through the Ana G. Méndez University System Research Symposia. Additional collaborations for recruitment have been established with Universidad Metropolitana, the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, and the Puerto Rico AGEP. The PROMISE AGEP in Maryland has provided students with impactful training for developing competitive graduate school admissions statements of purpose, garnering appropriate letters of recommendation, and targeted study for the Graduate Record Exam. This paper addresses elements of the application, and provides tips for increasing the strength of the admissions package. The information presented in this document can be utilized by faculty, administrators, and prospective graduate students.