Knowledge is em(power)ing: Historically underrepresented groups benefit from exposure to information about advanced degrees in psychology

Despite the growing interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educationand careers, the “leaky pipeline” continues to disproportionally exclude underrepresented minorities from STEM fields. One feature of the leaky pipeline is unequal access to guidance surrounding graduate education and careers in STEM fields. Disparities in representation can be diminished by making this guidance more accessible, which may be particularly beneficial at the transition from undergraduate to post-graduate research experience and education. Here, we sought to investigate the value of large-scale, open access programming as a mechanism for achieving this objective, by using survey data from a 2020 Yale University Research Psychology Bootcamp as a case study. We found that this programming increased confidence and understanding of how to navigate the field of research psychology in all survey respondents, with a targeted benefit for Black and First Generation/Low-Income participants. Based on these findings, we argue that large-scale, open-access programming offers a unique and practical utility toward eliminating disparities in STEM higher education and STEM fields.