Motivation to Pursue a PhD in Computing: Black Students in Historically Black Colleges and Universities

This study investigates the motivation of African American master’s degree students in computing to pursue a PhD in Computing. Specifically, we sought to understand the motivation of those students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. Our framework was founded on the premise that an adequate theoretical rooting of broadening participation calls for reflections on the nature and practice of justice. Motivation, nonetheless, remained the core factor, albeit addressing it within a context of justice or lack thereof. The study shows that while most students seem intrinsically motivated by a desire to learn, leading to a likelihood to pursue a PhD, extrinsic factors such as funding and employability constitute the highest hindrance to such likelihood.