Graduate Education Programs Lead in Attracting Latinos

Not all college students will go to graduate school, but the percentage of Hispanics who get a master's degree is especially low.

Only 7 percent of all master's degrees earned in 2012 were awarded to Latinos, according to a recent report from Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit organization that studies how Latinos perform and advance in school.

Although the percentage lags behind that of other groups, this 7 percent also represents significant growth among Hispanics. "From 2003 -- 2012, the number of master's degrees earned by Latinos increased 103%, compared to African Americans (89%), Asians (65%), and Whites (36%)," the report states.

These students could be studying any number of subjects -- such as psychology or statistics -- but one discipline is especially popular: More Hispanic students receive a master's in education than any other graduate degree, the report states.

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Education experts have a few theories on why Hispanic graduate students choose this field, and encourage prospective students who are Latino to carefully research schools they are considering for this degree.

The federal government could be one reason for this increase, says Deborah Santiago, a co-author of the report. President Barack Obama's administration has pushed for people of color to join the teaching profession, she says.

The population of Latino students in kindergarten through 12th grade could also be influencing how many Latinos earn a master's in education.

Less than 10 percent of teachers who serve students in these grades are Hispanic, says Santiago, who's also the COO and vice president of policy at Excelencia in Education. The students they teach are more diverse though, and graduate schools are trying to close the gap.

"Schools of education are trying to be a little bit more assertive in recruiting them to come in," she says.

University of Southern California ranks No. 5 among institutions that award the most master's degrees to Latinos, according to the report, and the school has made it a priority to support Latinos studying education.

"We have a critical mass of Latino/a students in the MA and EdD programs, so in every class there are at least five Latinos/as and probably even more. We have a critical mass of Latino/a faculty members who like myself do research on issues of equity and as such serve as models and mentors," Estela Mara Bensimon, co-director of the Center for Urban Education at University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, wrote in an email.

Latinos may feel more comfortable in education, says Bensimon, who is also a professor of higher education.

Minorities and women have gravitated to disciplines, like education, that are more liberal and are more welcoming as a result. Those who are first-generation, Bensimon wrote, "often want to pursue careers that add value to the community and education is certainly one of the most direct ways of enabling Latinos/as to move up the economic ladder."

Stronger Latino representation in the profession might be encouraging potential teachers to enter the field.

Learn [why public health is becoming a more popular major for minority undergrads.]

"These role models that are currently doing it are kind of pulling people through the pipeline and perhaps giving others hope that this might be a viable academic and maybe career option," says Louie F. Rodriguez, an associate professor of educational leadership and co-director of the doctorate in educational leadership at California State University--San Bernardino.

Prospective students should start with finding out about the faculty, says Liliana Garces, an assistant professor of higher education and a research associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the College of Education at Pennsylvania State University.

Faculty can influence what classes students are able to take and the work a student produces while in graduate school, she says. Diversity within a faculty can also trickle down to diversity among the student body.

"It's helpful to see yourself kind of reflected in some way," Garces says.

Applicants should also try to find out, "Where have the graduates of that institution gone on to work?" Garces says.

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During a campus visit, prospective students should try to connect with people who can possibly relate to them, Rodriguez says. If he were a prospective student, he says, he would ask master's and doctoral students how they feel.

In between researching what kind of teachers and students are already at the school an applicant is considering, Rodriguez says it's important for prospective students to also inquire about how their education could be subsidized.

There are fewer funding opportunities at the master's level than there are at the undergraduate or doctoral level, experts say. How much a school is willing to contribute to a student's education may speak to how invested the school is in that student, Rodriguez says.

Figuring out how to finance education can be especially important for Latino students, he says.

"A lot of Latinos may be first-generation college students. And if they're first-generation college students they're going to be first-generation graduate students," says Rodriguez. "They're really paving the way for themselves, their families and their community. And they may not have these resources."

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Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com.