Our Objectives

The specific objectives of the AGEP program are:

  1. develop and implement innovative models for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining minority students in doctoral programs
  2. develop effective strategies for identifying and supporting underrepresented minorities who want to pursue academic careers

The AGEP program also supports a research effort to identify major factors that promote successful transition of minority students from:

  1. undergraduate through graduate study
  2. course-taking in the early years of the graduate experience to independent research required for completion of a dissertation
  3. the academic environment to the workplace

To accomplish this objective, the research component will be informed by a portfolio of Federal and private sector efforts in this arena in order to identify factors underlying exemplary as well as unsuccessful efforts.

Our Goals
  • To increase the participation of under-represented students in the STEM disciplines
  • To increase the number of under-represented students achieving a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline
  • To prepare STEM discipline Ph.D.s for careers in academia

Our Accomplishments
As the graphs portray below, the University of Michigan AGEP agep program has been particularly successful with the recruitment and retention of under-represented minority students in STEM fields (see Figures 1 and 2). Ultimately, more of these students are choosing to stay within academia as well.

The early success in the AGEP program at the University of Michigan is a positive indicator for the future success of AGEP programs at alliance universities as well.

Under-Represented STEM Students Admission Yield: Applications Admission Offers Enrollment


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Ph.D. Completion for Under-Represented Students


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STEM Student Career Choices


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For more information contact AGEP Program Manager, Debby Mitchell (debmitch@umich.edu or 734.647.5767), in the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan.