The program at the University of Virginia plans to increase the number of minority students earning the Ph.D. degree in engineering to at least three per year. The project will build on and extend a strong and aggressive minority program started in 1986. The focus is on fields where experience has shown them to expect the largest minority applicant pool, namely, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and systems engineering. Success in those departments will encourage more minority Ph.D.s in other departments of engineering and applied science. The organization and management plan is modeled on the management structure found successful in the current minority graduate program.
