Retention Of Minority Undergraduates In Information Technology

Undergraduate minority student retention is a major problem in core information technology fields namely computer science (CS) and computer engineering (CE) in American colleges and universities. Even though increasing numbers of minority students are declaring CS and CE as their major, departments are having a difficult time retaining and graduating them. The minority students are often less well prepared for CS or CE education and are preoccupied with outside jobs and family issues. They struggle with financial difficulties due to lost tuition revenues. It is complicated by the fact that CS and CE are demanding technical fields. The result has been low retention rates of minority students, namely Afro-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. There is a need to improve their retention rates in CS and CE fields. This paper suggests administrative and educational policies that can be initiated to retain them.