347 Author’s Note: Correspondence should be addressed to Juan Carlos González, University of Missouri–Kansas City, School of Education, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499; e-mail: jcg@umkc.edu. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education Volume 5 Number 4 October 2006 347-365 © 2006 Sage Publications 10.1177/1538192706291141 http://jhh.sagepub.com hosted at http://online.sagepub.com Academic Socialization Experiences of Latina Doctoral Students A Qualitative Understanding of Support Systems That Aid and Challenges That Hinder the Process Juan Carlos González University of Missouri–Kansas City Abstract: This article examines the experiences of academic socialization for Latina doctoral students. Thirteen 1- to 2-hour semistructured interviews were conducted with Latina doctoral students attending U.S. research institutions who had been in their programs for 3 or more years. Through production theory, a phenomenological analytic approach of Latina doctoral experiences was conducted. Findings include support sys- tems, challenges, resistance methods, and issues with claiming their academic voice. The article concludes with policy implications and a discussion. Resumen: Este artículo examina las experiencias de socialización académica de estudiantes Latinas en doctorado. Trece entrevistas semi-estructuradas de una a dos horas se llevaron a cabo con estudiantes Latinas que asisten instituciones de investigación en E. U. A. y las cuales tenían tres años o más en su programa de doctorado. Se condujeron aproximaciones analíticas fenomenológicas de las experiencias doctorales de Latinas a través de la teoría de producción. Los hallazgos incluyeron sistemas de apoyo, retos, métodos de resistencia, y asuntos sobre el reclamo de voz académica. El artículo concluye con implicaciones, discusión y política. Keywords: higher education; Latinas; doctoral students; academic socialization; qualitative A s of March 2002, there were 37.4 million (13.3% of the U.S. population) Latinas/os 1 in the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2002). This makes Latinas/os the largest minority group in the country. Overall, in 2000, Latinas/os accounted for only about 11.5% of all high school graduates, 9.5% of all college