HBCU facts
The number of physics degrees earned by African Americans is very small. Even a few added each year is a significant contribution.
In the year 2003, 4% of the bachelor's degrees in physics (152) awarded nationally were awarded to African Americans. For Master's degrees the numbers are 4% (15) and for Physics Ph.D. degrees 2% (the latter represents only about 12 Ph.D. degrees awarded) (source: AIP). Many of these undergraduate degrees come from HBCUs, and Hampton University contributes a significant fraction of Ph.D. graduates.
According to data collected by the AIP, the nine institutions producing three or more AA physics bachelor's graduates per year (2001-2003) were all HBCUs. Hampton University ranked third in this list.
According to the HU School of Science:
Between 1997 and 2003, HU produced 40% of the nation's
African American female physics PhDs.
HU is ranked #3 in the nation in producing African
American physics MS students.
HU ranks among the top six schools in producing African
American PhDs; HU only started awarding PhDs in 1998.
Within HU, physics has the largest graduate enrollment of
any department with 51 students, 33 in the PhD
program.
A listing of HBCUs can be found at the web page for the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Supported by the National Science Foundation