How to apply. The Minnesota IRACDA Program utilizes a two-phase mentored application process to reduce the barriers to applying and to mitigate the variations and disparities in mentoring that potential applicants might receive in their graduate programs.
Phase I—In the first phase of the application process, applicants submit the following documents: (1) a letter of interest in the program, stating areas of research interests and, if available, the names of potential mentors; (2) their curriculum vitae; (3) a teaching statement discussing their interests in teaching; (4) a diversity statement, articulating their understanding and contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (5) a demographic form, which is not used in the evaluation process, but only for the purposes of reporting program metrics. To progress to the second phase, we like to see that the applicant has at least one, and preferably two first-author publications from their doctoral dissertation work. The Phase I process provides time for the program directors to work with candidates to help them identify potential mentors if they do not yet have one.
Phase II—In the second phase of the application process, applicants further submit a research plan developed with their proposed research mentor (up to 5 pages) and provide two letters of recommendation. The Executive Steering Committee then competitively reviews the full application.
Review. The Minnesota IRACDA Program utilizes a holistic candidate review process, which provides an individualized and flexible assessment of a candidate’s capabilities. Balanced consideration is given to academic metrics (publication record, recommendation letters, and the research proposal) in combination with experiences and attributes that relate to how the applicant might contribute to the teaching and diversity missions of the program. The Executive Steering Committee considers the following factors when selecting candidates. The strength of the publication record—journal impact factors or journal identities are not used as proxies for quality. Instead, an applicant’s scholarship is evaluated for creativity, rigor, completeness, and impact. The committee also weights the originality, scholarship, and career development opportunities provided by the research proposal. The committee also considers the commitment of the applicant to teaching and mentoring, as well as the contributions the applicant brings to the program’s mission of promoting diversity.