2008 Woodie Awards
Minority groups underrepresented in graduate school
Whitney Paige Green
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Features
URM stands for "underrepresented minority." Some groups are universally recognized as URMs: Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and other Latin Americans; African Americans; and Native Americans (technically, this group includes not only Native Alaskans, but also US Pacific and Virgin Islanders as well).
Asians and Asian Americans are usually - though not always - included in the definition of URM (the exclusion of Asians and Asian Americans from being considered a URM is primarily due to the fact that they have a disproportionately large presence in academia). Despite the fact that there are numerically more women pursuing higher education than men, women are often referred to as a URM. Also, GLBT groups are seeking recognition as underrepresented minorities.
Why does underrepresentation exist (aside from the more obvious, historically-rooted, sociological reasons)?
In an article entitled "Under Represented? Women and Minorities in Graduate School", UMN academic advisor Emily Mraz says, "The percentage of women and minorities in graduate school does not correlate with the corresponding ratios in undergraduate schools. This could possibly be explained by some various factors, including the major discipline of the Bachelor's degree, access to financial and academic resources and the way in which a student weighs the costs and benefits of pursuing an advanced degree."
According to the findings of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) in 2006, UIC had the largest number of underrepresented minorities in its graduate-level student body out of all universities in the United States (16.17 percent). Yet even at a school as ethnically and culturally diverse as UIC, the population of underrepresented minorities is still much lower proportionally than URMs in the general population. It isn't easy for UIC to maintain its relatively large minority presence in the Graduate College, let alone to acquire more URM students.
Asians and Asian Americans are usually - though not always - included in the definition of URM (the exclusion of Asians and Asian Americans from being considered a URM is primarily due to the fact that they have a disproportionately large presence in academia). Despite the fact that there are numerically more women pursuing higher education than men, women are often referred to as a URM. Also, GLBT groups are seeking recognition as underrepresented minorities.
Why does underrepresentation exist (aside from the more obvious, historically-rooted, sociological reasons)?
In an article entitled "Under Represented? Women and Minorities in Graduate School", UMN academic advisor Emily Mraz says, "The percentage of women and minorities in graduate school does not correlate with the corresponding ratios in undergraduate schools. This could possibly be explained by some various factors, including the major discipline of the Bachelor's degree, access to financial and academic resources and the way in which a student weighs the costs and benefits of pursuing an advanced degree."
According to the findings of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) in 2006, UIC had the largest number of underrepresented minorities in its graduate-level student body out of all universities in the United States (16.17 percent). Yet even at a school as ethnically and culturally diverse as UIC, the population of underrepresented minorities is still much lower proportionally than URMs in the general population. It isn't easy for UIC to maintain its relatively large minority presence in the Graduate College, let alone to acquire more URM students.
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