Community College as a Pathway to Chicana/o Doctorate Production. Latino Policy & Issues Brief. Number 11

Compared to all other racial/ethnic groups, Chicana/os are the most under represented population within doctorate production in the United States. Furthermore, even though data shows a slight increase in Chicana/o doctorate production, these gains are small in relation to the dramatic population growth of Chicana/os in the U.S. from 1990 to 2000 (U.S. Bureau of the Census 2000). In considering this issue, the authors examine a distinct feature of Chicana/o doctorate production: nearly one-fourth of Chicana/o doctorates first attended a community college, more than two times the overall rate for all doctorates. In fact, studies show that about two-thirds of all Latina/o students begin their postsecondary career in community colleges (Ornelas 2002; Ornelas & Solorzano 2004). Indeed, community colleges have long provided three primary functions: (1) vocational education/certificate programs; (2) terminal Associate of Art/Science degrees; and (3) transfer opportunities to four-year institutions. Even though 71% of Latina/o students who enter a community college desire to transfer to a four-year institution, only 7% to 20% end up doing so (U.S. Department of Education 2001). Of the three, the transfer function best prepares students to continue on to four-year colleges with the possibility of then continuing on to graduate and professional school. This report is a first attempt to shed some light on this little-known path to graduate school for Chicana and Chicano students. (Contains 5 figures.) [This document was produced by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. It is part of a series that is a project of the CSRC Latino Research Program, which receives funding from the University of California Committee on Latino Research.]