Search

Research Partner Profile

University of California—Los Angeles

Principal Investigator
Claudia Mitchell-Kernan
Vice Chancellor, Graduate Studies & Dean, Graduate Division
(310) 825-4383
cmkernan@gdnet.ucla.edu

Co-PI and Project Director
Angela James (profile)
Assistant Dean, Graduate Division
(310) 794-5363
ajames@gdnet.ucla.edu

Participating Programs (19)
Anthropology
Art History
Biology
Chemical engineering
Chemistry
Comparative Literature
Electrical Engineering
English
French and Franchophonic Studies
History
Italian
Music
Neuroscience
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Slavic Language and Literature
Sociology

Abstract
In recognition of the profound importance of the issues of doctoral completion and of diversity, UCLA’s project enhances and expands their initiatives to pay close attention to attrition among underrepresented minorities and women. In this manner, UCLA is furthering its current attempt to develop expansive and integrated efforts to arrest doctoral student attrition in all of the 77 academic doctoral programs currently under the purview of the Graduate Division. The initiatives remain focused on departmental assessment and interventions. Further, UCLA will continue to develop initiatives which emphasize the creation and implementation of innovative assessment tools to benefit prospective students, as well as doctoral students currently enrolled in the STEM, social science, and humanities fields.

Interventions

Tracking students who drop out
    • Identify students who fail to enroll each quarter. Determine reasons
      for non-enrollment and plans for future enrollment.
    • Study student data from the past ten years to assess patterns of
      attrition versus short-term enrollment gaps.
    • Assess the relationship between official leaves of absence,
      enrollment and attrition.

Distinguishing the determinants of early versus late attrition
    • Assess the extent to which selection criteria as well as other
      student characteristics may be related to early attrition.
    • Identify the determinants of attrition for students who are almost
      finished, but have yet to complete the final hurdle.

Assessment of quality of graduate education program
    • Calculate the benefit of Quality of Graduate Education (QGE)
      program, and evaluate the impact of specific interventions on
      specific programs on campus.

Developing workshops for admissions and program chairs
    • Provide informational workshops on diversity to faculty involved in
      graduate admissions.