Student Pathways

 

E&ER has conducted extensive research on student pathways through STEM undergraduate education and into STEM careers or graduate education. This work has largely focused on vertical transfer pathways from community college to four-year universities and has documented the institutional supports, learning environments, resources, and policies that facilitate this transition. We have also examined the assets, such as resilience or prior work experience, that transfer students bring to their education. Our longitudinal studies have followed students starting in community college, through their university degree programs, and into the STEM workforce to identify over time what institutional resources best support students through each stage of their studies and career development. 

E&ER researchers have investigated the complexity of the STEM transfer process from community colleges into universities, including students’ experiences in navigating the transition between institutions.

  • Holland Zahner, D. G. (2023). Navigating STEM major and transfer destination choices: Community college student experiences through the lens of practice theory. Community College Review, 51(4), 538-566.
  • Holland Zahner, D. G. (2024). Opening the black box of vertical transfer admission: The experiences of community college students in STEM majors. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 48(6), 344–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2022.2135041
  • Thiry, H., Harper, R., & Zahner, D. H. (2025). Navigating transfer “pivotal points” in challenging contexts: A longitudinal investigation of STEM transfer students’ pathways during COVID-19. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 27(1), 178-202. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251231161576 [open access]
  • Thiry, H. (2026). Investigating dynamic transfer processes among STEM majors. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 50(1), 71–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2025.2505056 

Our research has identified the multifaceted ways that institutions can support transfer students’ success starting at the community college and through to STEM degree completion at the university. Notably, we have identified the crucial role that departments play in STEM transfer students’ transitions and success at the university. 

  • Thiry, H., & Hug, S. T. (2021). Sustaining student engagement and equity in computing departments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 987–993). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3408877.3432381 [open access]
  • Thiry, H., Zahner, D. H., Weston, T., Harper, R., & Loshbaugh, H. (2023). How can universities support STEM transfer students? A framework for strategic planning and action. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 55(4), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2023.2213571 [open access]

Our research on higher education pathways has focused on the pivotal role that institutional agents, including faculty and advisors, play in student success, both in and out of the classroom.

  • Harper, R., & Thiry, H. (2023). Advising from community college to university: What it takes for underrepresented transfer students in STEM to succeed. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 47(9), 582–601. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2022.2050842
  • Harper, R. P., & Thiry, H. (2024). The powerful impact of positive and negative interactions with STEM faculty on undergraduates, especially underrepresented and transfer students. College Teaching, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2024.2389164
  • Holland Zahner, D. G., & Harper, R. P. (2025). Validation of belonging among underrepresented undergraduates in STEM majors: Comparison of former transfer and non-transfer students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 26(4), 1072-1099.

Support for this work was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation under awards DUE-1761185 and DUE-2201969.