Understanding the (Sub)Baccalaureate Origins of Latina/o Doctorates in Education, Humanities, and Social Science Fields

Abstract

Data from the 1980s suggested that small private colleges were the primary entry point to U.S. higher education for Latinas and Latinos who later earned doctorate degrees. However, I show that in the first decade of the 21st century, large percentages of doctorates originated at public universities and community colleges. I suggest that since the 1980s, we may have witnessed a shift in Latina and Latino higher education trajectories, which fits a larger historical pattern in American society—whereby women, racial, ethnic, and religious groups were once excluded but over time made their way into mainstream public education. At a time when public colleges and universities are responding to budget cuts and policy changes by becoming less accessible to low-income and minority students, policy makers should consider the importance of a well-funded, accessible public sector of higher education for preparing the next generation of Latina and Latino scholars.