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40 Tips for Successful PhD Completion

Pro Tips for Successful PhD Completion

The journey of a PhD is a challenging yet rewarding pursuit. Completing a PhD requires dedication, resilience, and effective strategies. In this article, iLovePhD listed 40 Tips for a Successful Ph.D. Completion will guide you through the maze of research and ensure a successful culmination of your PhD journey.

Navigating the Research Maze: 40 Tips for Successful PhD Completion

1-10: setting the foundation.

• Define Clear Objectives: Clearly outline your research objectives to maintain focus and direction.
• Create a Realistic Timeline: Develop a comprehensive timeline for research, writing, and revisions to stay on track.
• Select the Right Supervisor: Choose a supervisor whose expertise aligns with your research interests for effective guidance.
• Regular Meetings with Supervisor: Maintain consistent communication with your supervisor to ensure ongoing support.
• Constructive Feedback: Embrace feedback as a valuable tool for improvement and refinement.
• Establish a Support System: Cultivate a network of peers and mentors to provide essential support and guidance.
• Develop Good Reading Habits: Stay updated on relevant literature to enhance your understanding and inform your research.
• Time Management: Prioritize tasks and manage time efficiently to prevent overwhelm.
• Stay Organized: Keep meticulous records of research, experiments, and findings for easy reference.
• Embrace Technology: Utilize advanced tools and software for efficient data analysis, organization, and writing.

11-20: Research Conduct and Methodology

11. Thorough Literature Review: Conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify gaps and contribute to existing knowledge.

• Refine Research Questions: Continuously refine and clarify your research questions to maintain precision.
• Ethical Considerations: Adhere to ethical guidelines in all research practices for integrity.
• Pilot Studies: Conduct pilot studies to test methodologies before full-scale implementation.
• Data Management: Establish a robust system for organizing and storing research data securely.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Balance: Employ a balanced approach to both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Mitigate Bias: Actively address potential biases in your research to ensure objectivity.
• Collaborate with Peers: Engage with fellow researchers to gain diverse perspectives and insights.
• Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt your research plan based on unexpected challenges.
• Regularly Review Progress: Periodically assess your progress to stay on track and make necessary adjustments.

21-30: Writing and Presentation Skills

21. Start Writing Early: Initiate thesis drafting early to allow sufficient time for revisions.

• Outline Thoroughly: Create a detailed outline to guide your writing process and maintain coherence.
• Effective Writing Practices: Adopt clear and concise writing practices for better communication.
• Cite Properly: Follow citation guidelines meticulously to avoid plagiarism and ensure academic integrity.
• Proofreading and Editing: Regularly proofread and edit your work to enhance clarity and coherence.
• Seek Writing Assistance: Don’t hesitate to seek help from writing centers or peers for valuable input.
• Conference Participation: Present your research at conferences to receive constructive feedback.
• Develop Presentation Skills: Hone your presentation skills for clear and impactful communication.
• Peer Review Your Work: Exchange drafts with peers for constructive criticism and improvement.
• Create Engaging Visuals: Use visuals effectively in presentations and the thesis for enhanced clarity.

31-40: Final Stages and Beyond for Successful PhD Completion

31. Manage Stress Effectively: Implement stress-management techniques during the final stages to stay focused.

• Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate small victories throughout the research process.
• Prepare for the Viva: Thoroughly prepare for your viva defense to showcase the depth of your research.
• Embrace Constructive Criticism: Approach criticism with an open mind, viewing it as an opportunity for growth.
• Publish Your Research: Contribute to academic discourse by publishing your research findings.
• Networking Opportunities: Attend academic events for valuable networking opportunities.
• Job Market Preparation: Begin preparing for the job market well in advance of completing your Ph.D.
• Balance Work and Life: Strive for a healthy work-life balance to ensure long-term well-being.
• Reflect on the Journey: Take time to reflect on the entire Ph.D. journey and the valuable lessons learned.
• Continued Learning: Cultivate a habit of continuous learning even after completing your Ph.D.

Successfully completing a PhD requires a combination of dedication, resilience, and strategic planning. By incorporating these 40 tips into your journey, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the challenges and emerge successfully on the other side. Remember, each step forward is a significant achievement, bringing you closer to realizing your academic aspirations. Best of luck on your PhD journey!

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• supervisor guidance
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• thorough outlining
• time management
• viva preparation
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• writing assistance

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PhD completion: an evidence-based guide for students, supervisors and universities

Senior Lecturer in Management, Fellow of the APS College of Organisational Psychologists, Swinburne University of Technology

Disclosure statement

Timothy Colin Bednall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Swinburne University of Technology provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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Many students enrol in a Master or PhD postgraduate research degree, but few complete them. From 2010-2016 , 437,030 domestic and international students enrolled in postgraduate research programs in Australian public universities. Only 65,101 completed within the same six year period.

This discrepancy does not necessarily mean postgraduate research students “failed” their degree. Common reasons not completing a degree include changes of career goals, work-family conflicts, poor health or financial strain. Alternatively, some students remain enrolled in their degree for long periods without making significant progress.

Even so, the discrepancy is large enough for universities to be concerned. Nobody wants a student to suffer through years of hard work and frustration without achieving their goal.

What does research say about completion rates?

Research has identified several factors that make students more likely to persist with their degrees. These factors are related to the students themselves, their supervisor, and the university environment.

Psychological studies of postgraduate students find the more successful ones tend to perceive themselves as competent and be intrinsically motivated . These are students who enjoy their topic area, perceive their postgraduate studies as a valuable learning experience, and who strongly identify with being a career researcher. Students who are motivated by external factors (such as pursuing a prestigious academic role) are more likely to say they want to quit.

Scholarship holders are more likely to complete their degrees. This is likely because they are academically stronger than non-scholarship holders and are less vulnerable to financial strain. Students can support themselves financially through teaching, research assistant roles or other work, but this must be balanced carefully. Part-time students are less likely to complete their degrees.

Students’ field of study also affects completion rates. A higher proportion of students in sciences tend to complete their degrees than those in arts and humanities. This is likely because students working in the sciences are more often involved in laboratory-based work in teams, where there is greater social support and knowledge exchange. People studying humanities more often work on their research alone.

A positive student-supervisor working relationship is critical. A good supervisor should be an expert in the student’s subject of choice and a supportive mentor. They should help the student navigate through the frustrations and uncertainties of writing a thesis, and help students adjust to the world of academia.

Students are also more likely to finish their research degrees if they have strong connections with their peers . Such connections help students develop their professional identity as researchers, as well as providing opportunities for social support and informal learning .

The quality of associated coursework is also important. Ideally, postgraduate programs should provide students with a sound foundation of research skills and content knowledge, and facilitate ongoing communication with their faculty.

Involvement in formal and informal professional activities is also important. Students who complete tend to participate in departmental events, such as research seminars and professional development workshops. They also tend to participate in academic conferences. These events allow students to learn and expand their networks.

What students and their supervisors should do

First, given the importance of the student-supervisor relationship, universities can provide advice to students about locating and approaching a suitable supervisor. Specifically, students should consider the research area they wish to work in and locate a supervisor with relevant expertise. They should approach supervisors with an openness to negotiating a research topic.

Read more: Ten types of PhD supervisor relationships – which is yours?

Both students and supervisors should be upfront about their expectations about how the supervision will work. An excellent starting point for discussion is the Expectations in Supervision questionnaire. Students and supervisors sometimes have mismatched expectations about how often they should meet, the amount of feedback the supervisor should provide on drafts, and how much counselling and emotional support the supervisor should provide.

Supervisors have an important role in providing a realistic preview of academic life. One useful exercise is to review an academic competency model, such as the Vitae Researcher Development Framework , to discuss which skills academics need. In addition to knowledge of their topic area and research methods, academics increasingly need to be good at managing complex projects, working in multidisciplinary teams, and engaging with industry and media.

This discussion should enable supervisors and students to plan how students will develop their capabilities. Alternatively, it could prompt some students to opt out of a research degree if they think an academic role is not compatible with their goals.

What universities should do

As well as providing research training, universities can also increase the capabilities of students by helping them understand self-handicapping patterns. These include busyness, procrastination and disorganisation.

Students can be guided to replace these with more helpful actions such as scheduling dedicated writing time, reframing difficult tasks as learning opportunities, and developing a work routine. This could be done as part of a workshop or supervisory relationship.

Universities should also encourage greater connectedness between research students to build social support. This could be accomplished through team-based activities or face-to-face events.

For instance, some universities offer Three Minute Thesis , a research communication competition where students present their work in under 180 seconds.

Some universities organise Shut Up and Write sessions, which turns writing into a social experience and limits distractions. These activities can be complemented by encouraging students to become involved in supportive online communities and blogging .

Read more: The rise of writing events gives PhD students the support often lacking in universities

Finally, universities should be dedicated to helping academics develop as supervisors through ongoing training and coaching. Departments could consider tracking the progression of students and ensuring supervisors have the time and skills to take on new students.

Completing a dissertation can be richly rewarding, but it’s the endpoint of a process that’s often long, frustrating and uncertain. Helping students achieve their research aspirations makes academic life a better experience for all involved.

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• Dissertation Completion Status

Dissertation Completion Status (DCS) is a less-than-half time student registration status specifically designed for PhD candidates who:

• are not eligible for full-time registration (for example, students beyond year six without additional funding), and/or
• choose to undertake full-time employment, but still intend to complete their PhD under the supervision of a member of the Graduate School faculty. 

DCS allows you to maintain your university access privileges, including netID, electronic library resources, and Yale email account. Students on DCS are charged a Continuous Registration Fee each term. They are not eligible for financial aid. 

Students on Dissertation Completion Status are not eligible to do the following:

• teach in Yale’s Teaching Fellow Program
• purchase and enroll in Yale Health student coverage
• retain Yale student visa sponsorship

Students typically may take up to four terms of DCS, although extensions can be requested with the recommendation of your director of graduate studies. You may request DCS by submitting the Dissertation Completion Status Request Form . 

Note: If you are a PhD candidate who has completed all of your PhD requirements except the dissertation, the Graduate School does not require you to be registered to submit your dissertation . However, programs are not obligated to accept a dissertation once a student’s full-time registration has lapsed. Please be sure to check with your adviser and DGS, if you are considering submitting your dissertation without being registered full time. 

Matthew S. Tanico

Assistant Dean for Academic Support & Outreach

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/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="phd completion status"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Doctoral program statistics.

Use this page to explore summary statistics for research doctoral programs administered by the Graduate School. Methodology and definitions are provided at the bottom of the page.   

For additional graduate statistics, survey results, and career outcomes data, see program metrics .

Methodology and Definitions

Admissions counts.

Applied, admitted and matriculated counts are reported for new, external applications only. Current students who transfer into a different graduate program at Cornell without submitting a new application are not counted here.

Individuals may defer enrollment and/or be admitted to a program that differs from the one to which they originally applied. This can cause admitted and matriculated counts to be higher than application counts in some fields. 

Admission cycles start in the summer and continue through the following spring. For example, the 2020-21 admissions year includes data from summer 2020 through spring 2021. Because these dashboards are updated annually in the fall, the most recent year will not include data from the spring.

Average Admit Rate

Admit rate is the percentage of applicants who were admitted. Highly selective programs tend to have low admit rates. The five year average provides a good indicator of typical admit rates.

Enrollment numbers are derived from the student enrollment snapshot that is captured the sixth week of each fall term. Only students who are enrolled on the census date are counted. Students on an approved leave of absence are not included.

Average Completion Rate

Completion rate is the percentage of entering doctoral students who successfully completed the degree. Completion rates are reported by entering cohort, which is defined by the first term in which a student is enrolled in their doctoral program, regardless of any prior enrollment in a master’s program. The cohorts included here entered their programs seven to twelve years ago, and thus have had adequate time to finish a doctoral degree.

Status of Students in Each Recent Entering Cohort

This graph shows the current status of students who began the doctoral program in each of the last ten academic years. Students listed as completed have received the doctoral degree. Students are considered current in their program if they are still actively pursuing the doctoral degree or are on an approved temporary leave of absence. Students listed as discontinued have either left the university without a degree or switched to a different type of degree program (in many cases a master’s degree).

Time to Degree (TTD)

Time-to-degree degree measures the time in years from the first day of a student’s initial enrollment in their doctoral program to the day of their degree conferral. Time-to-degree measures elapsed time only, not enrolled time. It does not stop and start if a student takes a leave of absence. For Master’s/PhD students, time-to-degree starts when they begin the PhD phase of their studies. If a student was enrolled in a master’s program prior to matriculating in the doctoral program, the separate time in the master’s program is not included. Because of this, time-to-degree may appear shorter in some doctoral programs where it is common to complete a master’s prior to matriculation in the doctoral program.

The median time to degree can be thought of as the “mid-point”, where half of the students completed in a time period that is less than or equal to this value. The median is not affected by extreme values or outliers. 

• The PhD Journey - Stages of a Doctoral Degree

The PhD Journey

Written by Mark Bennett

A PhD typically involves between three and four years of full-time study, culminating in a thesis which makes an original contribution to your field.

The process of getting a PhD is made up of quite a few components and milestones, from the literature review and writing up your dissertation right through to the viva examination at the end.

This section is a guide on how to do a PhD, providing in-depth advice and information on some of the main challenges and opportunities you’ll meet along the way!.

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7 stages of the PhD journey

A PhD has a few landmark milestones along the way. The three to four year you'll spend doing a PhD can be divided into these seven stages.

• Preparing a research proposal
• Carrying out a literature review
• Conducting research and collecting results
• Completing the MPhil to PhD upgrade
• Participating in PhD teaching, conferences and publications
• Writing your thesis
• Defending your PhD results at a viva voce

We've expanded on what you can expect from each stage below.

1. Preparing a research proposal

Strictly speaking, your research proposal isn’t part of your PhD. Instead it’s normally part of the PhD application process.

The research proposal sets out the aims and objectives for your PhD: the original topic you plan to study and / or the questions you’ll set out to answer.

It also explains why your work is worthwhile and why it fits with the expertise and objectives of your university.

Finally, a PhD proposal explains how you plan to go about completing your doctorate. This involves identifying the existing scholarship your work will be in dialogue with and the methods you plan to use in your research.

All of this means that, even though the proposal precedes the PhD itself, it plays a vital role in shaping your project and signposting the work you’ll be doing over the next three or more years.

2. Carrying out a literature review

The literature review is normally the first thing you’ll tackle after beginning your PhD and having an initial meeting with your supervisor.

It’s a thorough survey of work in your field (the current scholarly ‘literature’) that relates to your project or to related topics.

Your supervisor will offer some advice and direction, after which you’ll identify, examine and evaluate existing data and scholarship.

In most cases the literature review will actually form part of your final PhD dissertation – usually setting up the context for the project, before you begin to explain and demonstrate your own thesis.

Sometimes a literature review can also be evaluated as part of your MPhil upgrade .

Research vs scholarship

Research and scholarship are both important parts of a PhD. But they aren't the same thing - and it's helpful to know the difference. Research is the original work you produce with your thesis. Scholarship is the expert understanding of your subject area that enables you to conduct valuable research.

3. Conducting research and collecting results

Once you’ve carried out your literature review, you’ll move from scholarship to research .

This doesn’t mean you’ll never read another academic article or consult someone else’s data again. Far from it. You’ll stay up to date with any new developments in your field and incorporate these into your literature review as necessary.

But, from here on in, your primary focus in your PhD process is going to be investigating your own research question. This means carrying out organised research and producing results upon which to base your conclusions.

Types of PhD research

The research process and the type of results you collect will depend upon your subject area:

• In Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects you’ll focus on designing experiments, before recording and analysing their outcomes. This often means assembling and managing complex numerical datasets – sometimes in collaboration with the rest of your laboratory or workshop.
• In Social Science subjects you’ll be more focussed on designing surveys or conducting case studies. These will produce quantitative or qualitative data, depending on the nature of your work.
• In Arts and Humanities subjects you’ll often have less raw data, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be working with ‘hard’ factual information. You’ll analyse texts, sources and other materials according to an accepted methodology and reflect upon the significance of your findings.

Whatever subject you’re in, this research work will account for the greater part of your PhD results. You’ll have regular meetings with your supervisor, but the day-to-day management of your project and its progress will be your own responsibility.

In some fields it’s common to begin writing up your findings as you collect them, developing your thesis and completing the accompanying dissertation chapter-by-chapter. In other cases you’ll wait until you have a full dataset before reviewing and recording your conclusions.

4. Completing an MPhil to PhD upgrade

At UK universities it’s common to register new PhD students for an MPhil before ‘ upgrading ’ them to ‘full’ doctoral candidates. This usually takes place after one year of full-time study (or its part-time equivalent).

Forcing you to register for a ‘lesser’ degree may seem strange, but it’s actually an important part of the training and development a PhD offers:

• As an MPhil student you’re able to comprehend your field and produce new research.
• As a PhD student you’re able to go that crucial step further and produce the significant original contribution to knowledge that defines a doctorate.

The MPhil upgrade is when you take the step from the former to the latter.

The MPhil upgrade exam

Upgrading from MPhil to PhD registration usually involves a form of oral exam – similar to the viva voce that concludes a PhD. But, unlike a full viva, the MPhil upgrade is less formal and only covers part of your thesis.

In most cases you’ll submit a small amount of the material you’ve produced so far. This could be a draft of your first chapter (or part of it) and / or your literature review. You could also be asked to reflect on your progress in general.

You’ll then sit down with your supervisor and someone else from your department (familiar with your field, but unrelated to your project). They’ll offer feedback on the quality of your work and ask questions about your findings.

The aim of the process won’t be to examine your drafts so much as to confirm that your project has the potential to justify a PhD – and that you’re on track to complete it on time.

‘Failing’ a PhD upgrade is actually quite rare. Your university may ask you to repeat the procedure if they are concerned that you haven’t made sufficient progress or established a viable plan for the rest of your project.

What is an MPhil?

The MPhil (Master of Philosophy) is also a research degree, but its scope is more limited than a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). And no, just like a PhD, an MPhil isn’t necessarily a Philosophy qualification. Our guide covers all you need to know about the difference between a MPhil and PhD .

5. PhD teaching, conferences and publications

During the PhD process, you’ll have lots of opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities, such as teaching, academic conferences and publications.

Although it isn’t usually compulsory to participate in these, they can be an incredibly rewarding experience and will look great on your CV.

Teaching during a PhD normally involves hosting undergraduate seminars or supervising students in the lab, as well as marking work and providing feedback.

Academic conferences are an excellent way to network with like-minded colleagues and find out the latest developments in your field. You might even be able to present your own work to your peers at one of these events.

Publishing during a PhD will help you increase your academic profile, as well as give you experience of the peer review process. It’s not normally a requisite of your PhD, but publications will certainly help if you plan on applying for postdoc positions.

6. Writing your thesis

As the culmination of three or more years of hard work, the thesis (or dissertation) is the most important part of the procedure to get your PhD, presenting you with the opportunity to make an original scholarly contribution to your discipline.

Our guide to writing your thesis covers everything you need to know about this lengthy research project, from structure and word count to writing up and submission.

We’ve also written a guide to the PhD dissertation abstract , which is an important part of any thesis.

7. Defending your PhD results at a viva voce

Unlike other degrees, a PhD isn’t normally marked as a piece of written work. Instead your dissertation will be submitted for an oral examination known as a viva voce (Latin for ‘living voice’).

This is a formal procedure, during which you ‘defend’ your thesis in front of appointed examiners, each of whom will have read your dissertation thoroughly in advance.

Examiners at a viva voce

A PhD is normally examined by two academic experts:

• One will be an internal examiner, usually appointed from elsewhere in your faculty and department. They won’t be directly associated with your project, but will have sufficient expertise to assess your findings.
• The other will be an external examiner. They will be a recognised expert in the area you are researching, with a record of relevant research and publication. Most universities in the UK allow you to invite an external examiner of your choice, provided there is no existing conflict of interest.

Your supervisor will help you prepare for the viva and will offer advice on choosing an external examiner. However, they will not normally be present during the examination.

The PhD timeline

PhD timeline

	Meet with your and discuss your proposed project. Here you will clarify any changes that are needed and agree a schedule of meetings and a plan of work for the following months.
	Clarify the direction of your research, methods and the necessity of any research trips. You will also discuss your training and development needs and begin working towards a .
	Hand in of an advanced , thesis plan and timetable for completion. This will then be discussed in the with two internal examiners.
	Biannual review with your supervisor(s) to discuss your progress to date and feasibility of completing on time.
	You will have made considerable progress on your research by the end of the second year. You may have begun drafting your and engaging in professional activities such as , , and skills training. All of your progress will be discussed in another annual review.
	Most of the third year will be spent writing up and redrafting your . You may also engage in professional activities such as , and .
	Application for examination and nominate your examiners.
	and assisting work such as a skills development log.
	Usually the will take place within 10 weeks of the examiners receiving your thesis.
	Most PhD students pass with corrections and are given a period to edit the thesis. The length of time given will depend on whether you pass with major or minor corrections.
	Receipt of award and graduation!

Ready to take the next step?

There's lots more information about how to get a PhD in our advice section . Or, if you're ready to start looking at different projects, why not check out one of the thousands of current PhD opportunities in our database?

Not sure how PhD study will differ from a Masters? In this guide, we take a look at how the two qualifications compare, including applications, course structure, assessment and more.

Every student will need to write an abstract for their PhD dissertation. Here's everything you need to know about what an academic abstract is and how to write one.

What can you expect from a PhD? What's life actually like as a postgraduate student? Read our guides to the doctoral research experience.

The viva voce is the final oral exam at the end of a PhD degree. Our guide explains the usual viva format, covers common questions and explains how to prepare.

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In a CV, how do I list my status of a PhD if I completed the oral exam, but not awarded officialy?

I have recently successfully completed my PhD Viva (oral exam) at a UK university. This means that my PhD project is formally over and I have a formal promise from the university that I will be awarded a PhD, under the condition that I submit a corrected version of my thesis, adding those corrections requested by the examiners, in due time.

How should I list this state in applications eg. for postdoc positions? Given how different university procedures are in different countries and faculties, will it be acceptable to state “viva passed with corrections” for applications elsewhere in Europe, or are there better and clearer ways to phrase this?

• 1 Do you need more than a week - 15 days to actually implement the changes? It should not take longer. –  Alexandros Commented Dec 17, 2015 at 16:12
• Likely not, if it was not Christmas coming up. My formal deadline for submitting the corrected version is in 6 months. –  Anaphory Commented Dec 17, 2015 at 16:25
• 8 You could say something to the effect of "expected graduation date" with the formal (end of term/year) future date of award and put the date of successful defense/viva. So, obviously adjusting to the the layout you use in your CV... "PhD Magic Hogwarts University (expected award date: 7 May 2016). Dissertation: "Fancy spells and fancy language" (vita passed 15 Nov 2015). –  user0721090601 Commented Dec 17, 2015 at 16:42
• 3 @guifa Can you please turn your comment into an answer so that I can vote for it? –  jakebeal Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 20:51

4 Answers 4

I don't know if there's an "accepted form", but when I was in this situation I simply noted in brackets "Viva passed, graduation expected $date".

I was advised by my supervisor that on completion of the viva, I would be informed immediately (orally) of the outcome, and from that point I would 'officially' hold the PhD qualification.

The corrections/amendments and the committee/Senate meetings are effectively rubber stamps, providing you actually submit the corrected version.

And so in your position I would state that I have achieved my PhD on the date of the viva within my CV.

• Welcome to Stackexchange! The "when can I use "Dr"" question is an interesting one, that I think we've discussed here before, but it doesn't answer the question asked here. This is not about the title, but about how the PhD is described on somebody's CV. –  Flyto Commented Jan 24, 2019 at 14:22
• @Flyto - I agree, and I will edit my response above accordingly - what I meant to say was I would assert that I have achieved my PhD on the date of the viva within my CV, since the oral promise from the examining panel constitutes exactly that. –  dcsql Commented Jan 24, 2019 at 14:27
• 1 Hmm, fair enough. I disagree, because some people get that far but then never complete their corrections. –  Flyto Commented Jan 24, 2019 at 14:38
• 1 Downvoted. Until you submit your thesis, you have not “acheived” a PhD. You get the PhD only when all requirements have been satisfied. The viva is just one step. –  JeffE Commented Jan 25, 2019 at 4:44

The way you describe your status in your CV should probably depend on where you are sending it. If you're applying to a UK institution, you can explicitly say that you "passed the viva with minor corrections"; for a European institution or a private company you'd say something more vague like "defended the thesis".

Now, depending on where you're applying, they may or may not be able to hire you before you make the corrections and get your official award. UK universities will normally hire postdocs that are still waiting for their award, but will pay them a smaller salary. In France, on the contrary, you normally need to be awarded your PhD before you can sign a contract (but thankfully, you don't need to wait for the award ceremony). Private companies, obviously, can do whatever they want, but I don't see a reason for not hiring someone who has defended and does not have much else to do.

For the overseas students, there's also the question of correctly switching from the student visa to a work visa, but I don't have up do date knowledge on that.

I would do it after you have defended the thesis and have submitted final paper document (approved). I don't think you need to wait until month on the diploma. For example my school gave the the formal degree semiannually but obviously people finished all during the year. That really was just a diploma getting mailed to me. Ideally you really should have the thesis turned in as well.

I am a little leery of asserting you are :done" if there are still corrections being done. Even worse if corrections have to be reviewed by someone other than you, but even if you are the only arbiter, I don't see how you are "done" if you did not actually complete the work. Usually this stuff is pretty simple so I would just jam the document through. If it's not simple and takes much time than that's another argument you're really not done.

Of course you can still apply for jobs even if final paper thesis not turned in, but I would use some parentheticals to explain. Wouldn't just assert done.

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10 Best All But Dissertation Completion Programs [2024 ABD Guide]

Students who completed their doctoral coursework and received doctoral candidacy but left the program before completing their dissertation may qualify for ABD completion programs.

All but dissertation programs provide doctoral students with the opportunity to finish what they’ve started.

Editorial Listing ShortCode:

Let’s take a look at how an accredited dissertation only PhD program may help you achieve your academic goals. You can also discover some of the current degree programs available for returning PhD students.

Universities Offering Online All But Dissertation Completion Programs

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.

1. Alverno College

Alverno College offers an ABD to help with the completion of EdD degrees. There is also a concentration in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education available. Most of the program is online with 2 weekend residencies in Milwaukee. The program requires approximately 6 semesters.

Alverno College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

2. American College of Education

An EdD in Leadership is available through the American College of Education. Those who are considered ABD may be able to follow a customized pathway to completion. The program is fully online, and there are no residency requirements. Courses are in an asynchronous learning format.

American College of Education is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

3. Baker College

Those with 32 credits toward a DBA may finish their degree through Baker College’s ABD completion program. The dissertation program requires an additional 28 credits and may be completed entirely online. On average, the program may be completed in 18 months.

Baker College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

4. Bay Path University

Bay Path University offers an EdD in Educational Leadership. Those who have completed doctoral coursework may be eligible for the ABD program. All coursework is online with 1 weekend residency per year. The dissertation requires 21 credits. The school offers multiple concentrations including Higher Education Leadership and Transformative School Leadership.

Bay Path University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

5. Brenau University

Brenau University offers an online EdD in Education program that features an ABD path for those who have completed core courses. There are start dates each fall and spring, and the program follows a semester schedule. The program requires 2 weekend residencies over the course of the program.

Brenau University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

6. Centenary University

An EdD in Educational Leadership through Centenary University’s ABD program. The program requires 13 to 21 credits. Courses are online or in a blended format. A faculty advisor is available throughout the program. Courses follow a semester schedule.

Centenary University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Mercy University offers an EdD for ABD students. The program is in an accelerated format. All coursework is fully online with 1 weekend residency required. The required 27 credits can typically be completed in 18 months.

Gwynedd Mercy University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

8. Indiana Wesleyan University

Those classified as ABD can earn an EdD through Indiana Wesleyan University. The program is fully online, and there are no residency requirements. The program is taught through a Christian worldview. The program’s required 30 credits may be completed in as little as 20 months.

Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

9. Manhattanville College

Manhattanville College offers an EdD in Educational Leadership for those who have completed all doctoral coursework except the dissertation. Courses may be completed online or on campus. Online programs start each spring. Courses are in an accelerated format. The program requires 30 additional credits for a total of 59 credits.

Manhattanville College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

10. Union Institute & University

A PhD can be earned through Union Institute & University’s ABD program. All coursework is online with 1 week of residency required at the start of each term. There are start dates are in January and July. The program requires 9 to 12 credits. On average, the program may be completed in 3.

Union Institute & University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Online ABD Completion Programs

If you’re interested in completing an all but dissertation (ABD) or dissertation only PhD program, there are a few steps involved.

The process is different for every school and dissertation completion pathway, but you’ll typically be asked to:

• Submit an application . You’ll be asked to share your educational history, including doctorate coursework completed. Each school will determine if and how they will offer transfer credits for the courses you’ve taken.
• Complete coursework . Some schools ask students to complete a few prerequisite courses, often regarding research, writing skills, or communications.
• Seek mentorship and resources . Many schools provide students with a staff mentor who can provide them with support and guidance during the dissertation process.
• Complete your dissertation . Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to complete your dissertation.

Generally speaking, you’re often asked to have a proposal for your dissertation at the time of admissions. So, you may want to be prepared to speak with the program and admissions staff about your upcoming dissertation during the application process.

Select jobs require candidates to have a doctoral degree, though many careers do not. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that professionals who have a doctoral degree experience the lowest average levels of unemployment.

Due to many different circumstances, a surprising number of adult students do not complete their dissertation after finishing their doctoral coursework. As a result, they must often start over to earn their PhD—unless they choose an ABD completion pathway.

Why PhD Candidates Quit

Though you may feel alone on an incomplete educational path, there are many other students who find themselves on a dissertation completion pathway.

There are many reasons why a student may find themselves in ABD status, including:

• Finances and personal circumstances . Some students need to take a break in their studies due to practical situations. Whether due to the cost of tuition or the amount of time spent working toward a degree, life may interfere with your studies.
• Intimidation or fear . Dissertations often range from 30,000 to 60,000 words and beyond. Many individuals find researching, organizing, and drafting a document this size to be intimidating.
• Time management challenges . For some students, losing the structure of a school setting can mean losing sight of writing the final dissertation. Without a school and study schedule, they may fall behind in writing their dissertation.

Though a dissertation isn’t an easy challenge to take on, all but dissertation programs help students who are ready for the final step in their doctoral degree. ABD programs could provide resources, mentors, and guidance throughout the process, such as knowing how to decompose the PhD project into distinct dissertation chapters can help in the writing phase.

ABD PhD Completion Programs Admissions Requirements

Schools that offer all but dissertation programs will have their own guidelines and admissions requirements for students. So it’s beneficial to review the admissions process and application for each school carefully.

Some common requirements include:

• GRE or GMAT scores (only some schools require them)
• Complete undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Doctoral work transcripts demonstrating completion of doctoral coursework
• Minimum GPA standing
• Academic writing samples

You may be asked to provide course descriptions or syllabus-level course details for some of your graduate and doctoral degree work. This will help each school determine which credits apply toward their doctoral completion program.

Unlike many educational opportunities, an ABD program often involves working with admissions and program counselors to determine your placement within their program.

PhD ABD Programs Accreditation

As you review various PhD ABD programs, it’s beneficial to check whether the programs that interest you most are accredited, just like checking online doctoral programs in education without dissertation .

Accreditation is offered to schools and programs that demonstrate a higher level of educational excellence. Organizations such as CHEA, or the Council for Higher Educational Accreditation , provide more information about the regional accreditation process.

There can be many benefits to selecting an accredited program. Many financial assistance opportunities, including federal student aid, are provided exclusively to those who attend accredited schools. Plus, required steps for employment in your field, such as licensing, certification, or membership in a professional organization may require accredited education.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

For many students, the first step toward receiving financial aid is completing the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid . Completing this application helps determine your eligibility for need-based federal assistance.

You can also research what scholarship or grant opportunities the school you will attend may offer. They might also offer financing or repayment opportunities. Other scholarship opportunities might come from your community, local businesses, large corporations, or private donors. There may be financial aid options specifically for those on a dissertation completion pathway.

Additionally, your employer may offer assistance for those who are returning to school. This could potentially include employer-sponsored scholarships, tuition reimbursement programs, or an educational allowance.

What Does ABD Mean?

All but dissertation (ABD) means that a student has completed every step in their doctoral degree program except the final dissertation. Typically, earning a doctoral degree includes 2 to 3 years of classwork followed by exams. After this, students propose, research, write, present, and defend their dissertation in front of a committee.

ABD status means you’ve done everything but the dissertation step. While there is no “ABD degree,” many schools offer all but dissertation (ABD) programs that help provide you with the structure, environment, resources, and timeframe to complete this important final step of earning a PhD.

How Long Are ABD Completion Programs Online?

All but dissertation completion programs online typically take 1 to 3 years to complete, depending on the university and your chosen specialty.

Some universities require students with ABD status to complete a few courses in order to remain eligible for their degree. These prerequisites often highlight helpful skills for dissertation writers, including research, writing, organization, and communication.

In many cases, students are asked to check in regularly with their mentors or advising staff to consider the scope of their projects and findings.

Is an ABD Completion Worth It?

Yes, an ABD completion is worth it for many students. While writing a dissertation can be seem intimidating and stressful, many doctoral candidates find that completing the process is rewarding and beneficial.

Not all careers require a PhD. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that professionals who have earned their doctoral degrees typically earn higher median salaries and experience lower incidences of unemployment.

While a dissertation only PhD program can’t guarantee your professional success, it can be helpful for those wishing to gain employment in the highest levels of their field.

Finishing Your Doctorate Degree Online

Plenty of doctoral candidates find themselves unable to complete their degree due to the final dissertation. Selecting a dissertation completion pathway can help students in this situation find the structure and guidance they need to finish this last step.

If you are ready to complete your doctorate or PhD degree, you may wish to consider all but dissertation programs to help you conquer this final challenge. Regardless of what caused the delay, you can still complete your terminal degree.

You can explore some of the accredited ABD programs offered online around the country to take this next step in your academic and professional journey.

All But Dissertation (ABD) Status 😬

A Plain-Language Explainer + Guide For Stuck Students

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach | April 2024

When it comes to completing a PhD or doctoral degree, “all but dissertation” (or ABD) is all too often the danger zone for candidates. In this post, we’ll explore what it means to be ABD , look at the factors that contribute to students finding themselves in this position, and offer practical suggestions to help you navigate (or altogether avoid) ABD. 

Overview: All But Dissertation (ABD)

• What exactly is ABD?
• Why do students get stuck?
• How to avoid or escape ABD status
• Common questions about ABD

What Does “All But Dissertation” Mean?

As the name suggests, “all but dissertation” or ABD describes a PhD or doctoral-level candidate who’s completed all the necessary coursework and passed all relevant exams, but has not yet submitted and defended their dissertation or thesis (in which case, it’s called “All But Thesis”). In essence, it’s a form of academic purgatory – so close to the finish line, yet so far.

To be clear, achieving ABD status is no small feat – if you’ve made it this far, you’ve likely already conquered years of rigorous study, challenging exams, and the general academic torment that accompanies postgraduate-level study. So, pat yourself on the back. However, the challenge now is to push yourself past the plateau and complete your dissertation. Easier said than done, we know…

Need a helping hand?

Why Do Students Get Stuck?

Over the years, we’ve had many ABD students approach us for help in the form of private coaching . While everyone’s situation is unique, we’ve seen some patterns in terms of the underlying factors that contribute towards students getting stuck in the all but dissertation holding pattern.

Let’s unpack some of the most common contributing factors, after which we’ll discuss some practical measures you can take to mitigate them.

ABD Factor 1: Procrastination & Poor Time Management

Writing a dissertation requires a huge commitment of time and energy . Naturally, many students struggle with procrastination and/or poor time management, making it hard for them to maintain the consistent progress needed to conquer the dissertation mountain.

This is often exacerbated by a general lack of structure in terms of their approach. Without the routine of regular classes and clearly defined deadlines, students often derail and find themselves burning a lot of time on relatively low-value activities. In other words, they find themselves very “busy”, but not very productive.

ABD Factor 2: Supervision Issues & Social Isolation

As we’ve discussed before , maintaining high-quality engagement with your research supervisor is critically important throughout the dissertation process. It’s no surprise then that conflicts or a general lack of support from an advisor can significantly delay or even stall students’ progress . As the relationship erodes further and further, students lose more and more momentum, eventually grinding to a dead halt.

Related to this dynamic, a feeling of isolation and loneliness can often creep in over the months or years. This puts a major drag on students’ general feelings of well-being, further contributing to a l oss of momentum . In a nutshell, a lack of high-quality, productive relationships is a major contributing factor to getting stuck in all but dissertation status.

ABD Factor 3: Academic Burnout & Research Roadblocks

After years of intense study and research, some students will experience burnout. This feeling of mental and physical exhaustion then impedes their ability to complete their dissertation or thesis, and dampens their motivation to push on with the project. In other words, they burn out and lose the passion and enthusiasm they had at the start of their PhD journey.

At the same time, it’s not uncommon for students to encounter unexpected problems in their research . Quite often, we see students facing difficulties with data collection, changes in research direction, or challenges in interpreting results. These are par for the course in the research process, but dealing with them in an already burnt-out state is often just too large a rock to push up the mountain.

ABD Factor 4: Funding Issues

In many cases, doctoral programmes offer funding for a specific period of time (often 3-5 years). However, completing all the requirements for a PhD can sometimes take longer. When the funding runs out before the dissertation is completed, students face the challenge of supporting themselves financially while they finish their research work. As you’d expect, this leads to increased stress and oftentimes forces students to take on part-time or full-time jobs, which can significantly slow down their academic progress and get them stuck in ABD.

ABD Factor 5: Perfectionism

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the treacherous trait of perfectionism. All too often, we see hardworking doctoral candidates struggle with perfectionism, feeling that their dissertation or thesis is never good enough to submit. This can lead to a cycle where students continually revise their work, never feeling satisfied enough to consider it complete.

Given that a dissertation is a substantial and defining piece of work, the desire to produce something flawless can be particularly paralysing . Perfectionism can also then feed intro procrastination (which we discussed earlier), creating a vicious cycle of inaction.

Of course, these are just a handful of common contributors to students landing up in all but dissertation land – there are many other potential factors that can come into play. However, if you want to move past ABD status (or avoid it altogether), you’ll want to take a proactive stance to combat these issues.

How To Break Through The ABD Barrier

Whether you’re currently stuck in ABD or you’re just starting the dissertation stage and want to make sure you don’t hit a scholarly standstill, there are several simple but effective actions you can take to conquer the proverbial Mount Thesis.

Action 1: Establish A Well-Defined Routine

Creating a clearly defined daily routine is crucial for making steady progress on your dissertation. By setting aside specific times each day for writing and research, you can mimic the structured setting of coursework, which will help you maintain focus and productivity.

In practical terms, you’ll want to articulate a clear daily schedule of well-defined activities. Put these into your calendar and perhaps even consider using a time-tracking app such as Toggl Track . Also, it’s a good idea to find a consistent working location that’s free from distractions, so that you can cultivate an environment conducive to deep work.

In addition to maintaining a firm daily routine, you’ll also want to regularly assess your progress . So, take some time each week to review what you have accomplished, what you haven’t – and adjust your plans accordingly for the week ahead. This regular check-in will help keep you on track and prevent feelings of overwhelm.

Action 2: Set Realistic Goals (And Action Plans)

Setting realistic, achievable goals is key to making consistent progress and avoiding the dreaded all but dissertation limbo. To this end, it’s wise to begin by outlining the major milestones you need to achieve and then break these down into smaller , highly specific tasks. For example, instead of setting a goal to ‘write a chapter,’ you might set a goal to ‘write the introduction section of chapter one.’ This approach makes the task seem less daunting and more attainable.

With your goals set, you’ll then need to develop an action plan to achieve them. In other words, you need to define which specific actions you’ll take day in, day out to achieve each goal. It pays to get very specific here – for each goal, consider what exactly you’ll need to do, how much time it will take, what resources you’ll need, whose input you’ll require and so on. The more granular you get at this stage, the less chance of nasty surprises catching you off guard down the line.

A final thought on goals and goal setting. It’s important to celebrate your victories as you achieve them, no matter how small they might be. Recognise each task you complete and allow yourself to bask in a moment of pride. Ticking items off your to-do list is a simple practice, but this positive reinforcement can be incredibly motivating and will help you maintain a positive outlook throughout the dissertation process.

Action 3: Invest In Your Advisory Relationship

When it comes to conquering your dissertation or thesis, maintaining a strong working relationship with your advisor is critically important. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that it’s the number one defence against getting stuck in all but dissertation mode. Making a concerted effort to grow this relationship pays significant dividends.

In practical terms, aim to have structured, regular meetings where you discuss your progress, challenges, and the next steps in your research. Being prepared with specific talking points or questions will make these meetings more productive – but it will also demonstrate to your advisor that you value their time and take the process seriously .

As an overarching philosophy, try to always put your best foot forward when engaging with your advisor. Don’t be the student who constantly whines and moans about every little obstacle. Bring potential solutions to the table – not just problems. Simply put, make yourself an attractive student to work with and you’re much more likely to have an invested advisor on your side.

Action 4: Build A Support Network

Building a strong network of peers and colleagues is key to mitigating the feelings of loneliness and isolation that will invariably present themselves during the research journey. While you must (by design) travel down a narrow, lonely path in terms of the intellectual focus, it doesn’t need to be a lonely path psychologically and socially.

To build a network, a good starting point is to engage with fellow PhD candidates in your department – or if need be, in other departments. You can also consider attending academic conferences and participating in online forums related to your research area. These interactions not only provide social support but can also lead to new insights and ideas for your own dissertation. Again, while everyone’s research focus will be unique, the experience (and its associated challenges) will be very similar across the board.

If you are fortunate enough to connect with candidates within your specific research area, you might also consider forming a study group where members can share their progress and provide feedback on each other’s work. Naturally, this collective approach can help you maintain motivation and reduce the sense of isolation.

Action 5: Be Proactive About Burnout

A surefire way to secure all but dissertation status is to burn yourself out midway through the research process. So, keep an eye out for common burnout warning signs such as chronic fatigue, disillusionment, and decreased productivity .

If you spot these red flags, you’ll need to take proactive steps to reduce your risk of hurtling over the edge and completely flattening yourself. In practical terms, this could include setting more reasonable work hours, ensuring you take time off for relaxation, and engaging in hobbies and exercise. Don’t underestimate the power of a little exercise – oftentimes, a little time away from the screen can do wonders for your writing.

If you find yourself already thoroughly burnt out, consider seeking professional help such as counselling or therapy. In some cases, universities themselves offer resources for stress management and mental health support. So, be sure to check what’s available to you.

Action 6: Say Farewell To Perfectionism

To move past ABD (or, ideally, avoid it altogether) you must move past perfectionism . To this end, start by defining what ‘good enough’ looks like for each stage of your dissertation. Here, it’s a good idea to consult with your supervisor so that you can align expectations. Remember, the goal is to complete a dissertation that meets the specified academic standards – not to produce a flawless piece of work, change the world or earn a Nobel prize.

Beyond defining what success looks like, it’s useful to cultivate a mindset that values progress over perfection . In practical terms, this could mean setting limits on the number of revisions for each section or chapter and using timers to enforce focused writing periods without self-editing. The aim here is to encourage yourself to move forward with the writing process, even when you feel that certain parts could be improved. Remember, done beats perfect – every day.

FAQs: All But Dissertation Status

All but dissertation faqs, can you get a phd abd degree.

No, you cannot get a “PhD ABD degree.” ABD status is not a degree; rather, it describes a stage in the doctoral study process. In some cases, universities may award a Master’s-level degree to ABD status students who drop out of the PhD programme, but this varies from university to university.

How long do students typically remain in ABD status?

The duration can vary widely among students and disciplines. Some complete their dissertation in a year or two, while others may take longer. Extending too long in ABD status can risk programme deadlines and even lead to students leaving the programme without completing their dissertation.

Can ABD status expire?

Yes, some programmes have a time limit by which the dissertation must be completed. If the dissertation is not completed within this timeframe, the student may lose their ABD status and might have to meet additional requirements to re-enter the programme or complete the degree.

Can ABD status impact my career prospects?

Being ABD has different impacts, depending on the field. In academia, not completing the dissertation can significantly hinder career prospects, as a completed doctoral degree is often required. In other industries, substantial coursework and research might still be valued even if the dissertation is not completed.

Can I use the title "Dr." if I'm ABD?

No, you cannot use the title “Dr.” The title is reserved for individuals who have completed all requirements of their doctoral degree, including the dissertation or thesis project.

Are there any specific support systems for ABD students?

Many universities offer specific resources for ABD students, including dissertation boot camps, writing retreats, and specialised advising. Private coaching can also prove invaluable for students stuck in ABD.

Wrapping Up

Navigating (or avoiding) all but dissertation status is undoubtedly challenging. But, with the right approach, it is certainly manageable. If you find yourself in ADB land, remember that you’ve already accomplished so much by reaching this point and you most certainly have what it takes to cross the finish line.

If you need 1:1 help moving past ABD status, be sure to check out our private coaching service , where we hold your hand through every stage of the research process.

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Completing Your Doctoral Degree

This webpage describes steps to completing a PhD degree at UW–Madison, which include:

• Meet the degree requirements
• Complete your preliminary examinations
• Defend and deposit your dissertation

See all doctoral degree completion deadlines >>

Looking for master's degree requirements?

Click here for guidelines for completing your master's degree.

Want to track your academic progress?

Check your academic progress using the Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS).

Need support completing your dissertation?

We can help. Campus offers dissertator support groups, dissertation writing camps, writing guides, and other resources.

Steps to Completing the Degree

You must meet both the program and the Graduate School requirements for graduation. You should be aware that some programs may have more rigorous requirements than the Graduate School’s minimum requirements. You should visit your program’s website for specific requirements and contact your graduate program coordinator for further information.

Note: The Graduate School does not use honors titles (e.g., Magna Cum Laude, Dean’s List, etc.). Graduate students are not eligible to take courses designated for undergraduate honors students.

Minimum graduate degree credit requirement

51 credits (before or after dissertator status)

A student’s program may decide to accept graduate coursework completed at another institution (earned post-baccalaureate) toward fulfillment of degree credit requirements. To learn more, see Minimum Graduate Degree Credit Requirement and Prior Coursework .

Minimum graduate residence credit requirement

32 credits (completed prior to achieving dissertator status)

The doctoral degree minimum residence credit requirement can be satisfied only with courses numbered 300 and above taken as a graduate student at UW–Madison. To learn more about this requirement, see Minimum Graduate Residence Credit Requirement .

Minimum graduate coursework (50%) requirement

At least 50% of credits applied toward the program’s graduate degree credit requirement must be courses designed for graduate work, including but not limited to online, thesis/research, independent study, and practicum/internship credits. To learn more about this requirement, see Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement .

Breadth requirement

Breadth is a required component of doctoral training at UW–Madison. Given there are multiple paths to breadth, the Graduate School leaves the choice of whether students achieve breadth through a doctoral minor, Graduate/Professional certificate, or other means up to the student’s doctoral major program.

To learn more about meeting this requirement, see  Policy on Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training .

Grade point average (GPA) requirement

The Graduate School requires that students maintain a GPA of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) for all graduate courses (excluding research) to receive a degree (though many programs impose higher standards). All incomplete grades must be resolved before a degree is granted. To learn more, see Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement and Probation .

Preliminary examinations assess knowledge of areas within the academic discipline. The student must obtain approval of the minor if the major program requires it and complete all the major courses.

Your program should arrange a preliminary committee and a dissertation committee with appropriate expertise to afford the breadth and depth needed in degree examinations. These committees may be composed of different members. The executive committee (or its equivalent) of a program/department is responsible for approving the composition of the preliminary exam and the dissertation committee. You should consult your advisor and your program’s student handbook for the specific function of degree committees (preliminary exam and dissertation) in your program.

To learn more about the functions and criteria of doctoral dissertation committees, see Committees . Use this online committee requirements tool to help you determine whether your proposed committee would meet the Graduate School’s minimum requirements for committee members.

Preliminary examinations

Your program determines your eligibility to take the prelim examination(s). The program must notifies the Graduate School of a student’s admission to candidacy and requests the preliminary warrant a minimum of three weeks prior to the exam date.

After passing the preliminary examination, students have 5 years to take the final examination (i.e. defend) and deposit their dissertation.  The 5 year clock starts on the first day of instruction of the term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) immediately following the completion of the preliminary examination.  Failure to complete their degree within this period may result in students having to retake the preliminary examination and be re-admitted to candidacy.

Time limit extension for dissertators impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

To offer flexibility amidst the major disruption that COVID-19 may have had on doctoral candidates’ research and scholarship progress, students who achieved dissertator status by the end of the 2020 summer term have automatically had the 5-year time limit extended by 8 months. Dissertators given this 8-month extension who need more time due to continued COVID-related disruption to their progress may request a further extension from the Graduate School. Decisions to extend the deadline beyond the additional 8 months are made on a case-by-case basis upon request of the student and their advisor. Students requesting an extension need to submit the request, along with a letter of support from their advisor, to [email protected] .

Doctoral Student Experience Survey (DSES)

The Doctoral Student Experience Survey (DSES) collects information at the time students make the transition to dissertator status. The survey covers career aspirations, academic experiences, and academic challenges, among other topics. Complete the Doctoral Student Experience Survey online. The Graduate School will use survey data to help identify strategies to improve student services.

After your program requests the preliminary exam warrant, you will receive an email with the link to the survey. All research doctoral students should complete the survey prior to submitting their signed preliminary examination warrant to the Graduate School.

Dissertator status

Dissertator status is a unique fee status and is effective at the start of the semester following completion of all dissertator requirements for the doctoral degree except for the dissertation. The Graduate School requires all dissertators to maintain continuous enrollment of exactly three credits (exceptions may apply during the summer). In rare circumstances where this is not possible, a degree completion fee is assessed to recognize the inevitable use of university facilities up to and including the successful defense and submission of the dissertation. To learn more, see Dissertator Status and the Degree Completion Fee .

Step 0: Pre-checks (optional)

Pre-checks are used to answer formatting questions (e.g., use of tables, graphs, and charts), embargo/delayed release questions, or questions related to the degree granting process.

To request a pre-check, you may email a PDF of your entire dissertation to degree coordinator [email protected] . If you would prefer to meet in person, email [email protected] to arrange a time.

Step 1: Request your final warrant and defend your dissertation

Notify your graduate program coordinator to have them request your doctoral degree warrant from the Graduate School at least three weeks before the anticipated date of your final dissertation defense. You must be enrolled during the semester that you defend and deposit; if you want to defend and/or submit your dissertation to the Graduate School in the summer term, you must register for three credits of research for the eight-week summer session.  Be very aware of two deadline options for depositing your dissertation.  Depositing before the first deadline will result in the degree being awarded at the end of that term.  The second deadline, often called the “window period” deadline, provides a little extra time to deposit after a term ends.  Dissertations deposited during the window period will result in the degree being awarded at the end of the following term, but will not require enrollment in that term.  The deadlines for both are very strict and occur at midnight Central Time.  Be aware that failure to submit by the end of the “window” period at the end of each term will require enrollment in the following term in order for a degree to be awarded.

After your graduate program coordinator submits the doctoral degree warrant request, the Graduate School will review this request. The approved warrant will be available in the Grad Portal. If you pass the defense, your program will let you know how and when to collect electronic signatures on the warrant. When signing your warrant electronically, your committee members thereby approve the dissertation.  (Note: Advisors no longer have to sign the abstract separately.)

Once the final warrant has been signed, you must upload an electronic copy in the administrative documents section of the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.  Your graduate coordinator will also submit the warrant to the Graduate School in the Graduate Portal.

Step 2: Pay the dissertation deposit fee

Go to Grad Portal to pay the required $90 dissertation deposit fee, which covers the cost of processing the dissertation and publishing the abstract by ProQuest. The fee must be paid before submitting your dissertation electronically. The fee payment site provides an email confirmation with your fee payment receipt. Save this payment receipt as a PDF for the electronic dissertation deposit process. You also have the option to log in to the fee payment site and download a PDF of the receipt once you have paid. The receipt will be uploaded in the administrative documents section of the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.

Step 3: Complete the doctoral exit surveys

You must complete the following doctoral exit surveys before submitting your dissertation electronically. Each individual survey will provide a certificate of completion once you have submitted the survey. Save the individual certificates of completion as PDF documents to upload in the administrative documents section of the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.

• Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) : To complete the online Survey of Earned Doctorates you will first provide basic information including your email address. You will then receive an e-mail with a unique PIN and password. Access the SED survey site using the URL, PIN, and password sent to you in this email, and complete the survey. You must advance past the certificate of completion screen in order to submit the survey.
• Graduate School’s Doctoral Exit Survey (DES) : The DES obtains information on your academic experience (e.g., program quality, support, advising) in your doctoral program and information about your postdoctoral plans. To complete the Doctoral Exit Survey online , enter your name as it appears in university records and your student ID number (10 digits). At the end of the survey, there is a survey completion screen. If you have problems accessing the survey, contact [email protected] and include your name and student ID number.

Step 4: Electronic deposit of your dissertation

After you complete Steps 1 to 3, you can submit your dissertation electronically to the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.

ATTENTION: Your submission of the dissertation is final and you are not allowed to make changes once it has been approved by the Graduate School Degree Coordinator. Your submission is not completed until you receive the confirmation email from the Graduate School Degree Coordinator.

Submitting your dissertation electronically has four steps:

• Prepare for submission
• Submit dissertation on ProQuest/UMI ETD
• Submit administrative documents
• Complete the final submit step

Read this section for detailed instructions for each step.

Before you begin the submission steps, decide whether or not you want to delay release of your dissertation. See the Guide to Preparing your Doctoral Dissertation, below, for more information on embargo/delayed release.

Then, be sure you have the following:

• Full text of your dissertation in PDF format. This must be one file. Fonts must be embedded. Security settings must be set to “no security.” Encrypted files cannot be processed for publishing. The maximum file size that can be uploaded is 1000 MB. The PDF file name cannot contain periods (except for the .pdf extension). Instructions for PDF conversion are available at the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator site under the “Resources and Guidelines” tab.
• UMI abstract text. This abstract, preferably not more than 350 words, must be in English. You will be asked to copy and paste this text during the electronic submission steps.
• Optional supplementary files. These images, data, etc. are an integral part of the dissertation, but not part of the full text.
• Advisor’s and other committee members’ names. These usually are listed as they appear on your approved warrant.
• Subject category. Choose one to three subject categories from the Subject Category list that best describe your dissertation subject area.
• Receipt confirming payment of the dissertation deposit fee. After you have paid the required $90 dissertation deposit fee, you will receive an e-mail receipt confirming payment.
• An electronic copy of the signed final warrant.

Go to the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator site and choose “Submitting Your Dissertation/Thesis.” Select University of Wisconsin-Madison from the list provided. Create an account or login using an existing account.

The ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website will walk you through a simple process of accepting the publishing agreement and uploading the files and information about your submission. If you need to finish your submission later, you can save your information and come back to finish.

At the submission step called Dissertation/Thesis Details, you will need to enter the following important information about your dissertation. Accuracy is essential.

• Title: Enter the full title of your dissertation, as it appears on the title page. Only some special characters can be used in this field. The title field does not accept subscript, superscript, or Greek letters; instead, you will need to spell these out. Select the year in which you completed your manuscript.
• Degree/Department Information: Select the year in which your degree will be conferred. If you are depositing during the window period and are uncertain, contact the Graduate School. Select the degree you will receive and your program.
• Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair: Enter your primary advisor’s name exactly as it appears on your warrant. Do not repeat your advisor in the list of committee members.
• Committee Members: Enter your committee members’ names exactly as they appear on your warrant.
• Description of Dissertation/Thesis: Select categories and keywords that identify your work.
• Abstract: Enter the text of your UMI abstract exactly as it was approved by your faculty advisor, preferably no more than 350 words.

At the submission step called Administrative Documents, you will need to upload the following items:

• Dissertation deposit confirmation receipt: Upload a PDF of the email receipt you received from the UW–Madison Graduate School fee payment website.
• The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) certificate of completion: Upload the survey receipt as a PDF.
• The Graduate School’s Doctoral Exit Survey (DES) certificate of completion: Upload the survey receipt as a PDF.
• Signed PhD warrant: Upload your final signed PhD warrant as a PDF.

At the submission step called Notes to Administrator, indicate if you plan to attend the optional Graduate School final review.

You may choose to order additional copies of your dissertation and register the copyright of your dissertation – both of these items are optional. To learn more, see Copyright Resources .

Be certain to complete the final submit step at the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website. You MUST submit your dissertation to the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website by 11:59 pm CST on the degree deadline date in order to receive your degree in a given term. Keep in mind that submissions are reviewed by the Graduate School Degree Coordinator in the order they were received. After you complete the final submit step, you will receive an email confirming the submission. When you submit your dissertation, it will be reviewed by a Graduate School Degree Coordinator to ensure that you have followed all formatting requirements.

The Graduate School Degree Coordinator will approve and deliver your dissertation to ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing for microfilming and binding. The UW–Madison Library will receive a bound copy and an electronic version of your dissertation shortly thereafter. You will receive an official email notification when the Graduate School has approved your dissertation for publication.

Step 4.0 Graduate School email confirmation

After you have successfully completed steps 1 – 4, please check your email at the address that you entered when you created an account on the ProQuest website. Look for a message from the ETD administrator. If formatting changes are requested, please complete them and re-upload your dissertation as soon as possible, as instructed in the email. If your dissertation has been accepted, the email will confirm this fact. Next please make sure that your instructor has or will submit a final grade, which should be S for satisfactory if you are enrolled for 990. Please be aware that no degrees are posted before the degree deadline and it may take 4-6 weeks for your degree to be posted after the degree deadline.

Commencement – December and May

If you want your name to be printed in the commencement program, you must submit an Apply to Graduate application through your MyUW Student Center. This is in addition to contacting your program to request your degree warrant from the Graduate School. You may attend the ceremony even if your name is not included in the commencement program. August does not have a commencement ceremony. If you plan to graduate in August, you may attend either the May or December ceremony by submitting the Apply to Graduate application through MyUW Student Center. Cap and gown rentals are at University Bookstore. Guests can attend without tickets.

Degree completion letter

The Registrar’s Office handles degree completion letters . If you have completed all degree requirements and deposited your thesis or dissertation and are waiting until the next degree conferral date to receive your degree, you may request and receive a letter indicating that all requirements have been completed. All grades from the semester in which you are depositing your dissertation (and all other outstanding grades) must be reported to the Graduate School before you can receive a completion letter.  Allow five business days for the processing of your degree completion letter request.

The Registrar’s Office will send your diploma to your diploma address approximately 12 to 14 weeks after degree conferral. Update your diploma address via the MyUW Student Center prior to the end of the semester in which you are graduating. Students with holds will not receive their diploma until those holds are cleared.

A student’s name will be printed on the diploma as it appears on the student’s official university record. Changes to legal personal information  including names can be requested online. For a student’s name change to appear on the diploma, the change must be made before the degree deadline in the semester the student will graduate.

Students who graduated after December 2015 may also access a Certified Electronic Diploma at no cost. A Certified Electronic Diploma is an official, portable, secure PDF version of the diploma that can be shared with anyone.

Transcripts

The Registrar’s Office posts degrees on official transcripts approximately four to six weeks after the end of the semester. You can order your official transcripts online .

Students may also request a campus copy of transcripts of their student record from MyUW Student Center. A campus copy student record is not an official transcript but it does indicate all internal university memoranda. The Registrar’s Office also provides more details on how to request a campus copy student record .

Guide to Preparing your Doctoral Dissertation

Formatting requirements.

We encourage you to read through these requirements before you start writing.  These guidelines will help you prepare your dissertation to ensure that it constitutes a permanent document of quality appropriate for a major graduate institution. Your dissertation is required to conform to these standards. It will be fully corrected, complete, and submitted electronically as a single PDF file.

Keep in mind that the formatting must be consistent throughout the dissertation with the exception of the Appendix.  Previously published articles can be placed in the Appendix in their published format.  If previously published work is included in a chapter, its format must conform to the formatting guidelines.

Dissertations must acknowledge contributions from other individuals, including co-authors of published material that appears in the document, such as designing the research, executing the research, analyzing the data, interpreting the research/data, or writing, proofing, copyediting the manuscript.  Contributions can be recognized in an acknowledgements section or at the beginning of a chapter where the contributed material is used.

Electronic and paper copies of approved dissertations are sent to the UW–Madison Memorial Library. They can be found electronically on MadCat and the ProQuest database. ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing archives all accepted dissertations.

View the Formatting Requirements for your Doctoral Dissertation as a PDF checklist.

Dissertation help

In addition to support and feedback that your faculty advisor, mentor, and committee members will provide, be sure to take full advantage of the dissertation support opportunities at UW–Madison.

For more information

Alexandra Walter Doctoral Degree Coordinator [email protected] 608-262-2433

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You may put unusual or supplementary materials (such as questionnaires or photos) into appendices. Number the appendices consecutively with the text of the dissertation. The formatting of the appendices must meet the standards for the rest of the dissertation. However, the text in the appendices can be single-spaced.

Bibliography

The bibliography should meet your major program’s style requirements, which often conform to the leading journals or book series of the field. They may be single-spaced with an additional space between entries.

Equations, superscripts, and subscripts

Equations, superscripts, and subscripts are acceptable in your dissertation provided they are legible when microfilmed. Generally, superscripts and subscripts may be one size smaller than the text. To identify each equation clearly, please isolate it with double spacing.

Footnotes and endnotes

Footnotes and endnotes may be single-spaced with an extra space between notes. The font size can be one size smaller but must be legible. Please follow the preference of your major program when deciding where footnotes or endnotes should be placed in your text.

Figures and graphs must meet the same standards as the rest of the dissertation. Headings, keys, and all other identifying information must be of the same quality and format as the text. The font size can be one size smaller but must be legible. If graphics, tables, or figures are in landscape mode, orient the top of the printed page at the dissertation binding edge (left side of the paper) with the page number in the upper right-hand corner in the portrait page setup. Images may be submitted in black and white or color.

Language use

You may include quotations in languages other than English in your dissertation. However, the dissertation itself must be in English unless your program certifies that one or both of the following conditions have been met: the foreign language is that of the readers to whom the work is addressed; or translation into English would make the study obscure and imprecise. Dissertations submitted by students from a language program are acceptable in the language of that program.

Minimum required

• Use a minimum of 1″ margin on all four sides.
• Page numbers must be in the  upper right-hand corner at least a half inch from the top and one inch from the side of the page.
• Page headers:  Do NOT use page headers (except for page numbers) or decorative borders.

Page numbering

The title page and copyright page (if you are retaining and registering copyright) are not counted in the numbering of pages. The other pages are counted in the numbering of pages.

• Number the preliminary pages (for example, dedication page, acknowledgments page, table of contents, and abstract) that precede the main text with  lower case Roman numerals beginning with i . Put page numbers in the right-hand corner one inch from both top and side of the page. Page numbers half an inch from the top of the page are also acceptable.
• Number the main text consecutively beginning with  Arabic numeral 1  in the upper right-hand corner one inch from both top and side of the page. Check your dissertation to ensure that  all pages are present and in numerical order.
• If you are using Microsoft Word, find directions about how to start page numbering later in your document .
• Number appendices consecutively with the text, continuing the Arabic numeral sequence.
• Landscaped pages must have page numbers in portrait position and the top of the page must be on the left-hand, binding side of the page when it is rotated. If the page is *not* rotated, then the page numbers must be on the bottom, right-hand side of the page and sideways, so that when the pages are rotated, the page numbers are in portrait position. There are a number of ways to do this. For methods using Microsoft Word, such as text boxes, see instructions and examples of rotating page numbers . Note that if you do not rotate the landscaped pages, you want page numbers to appear in the same position as the highlighted number 3 in the second row of examples.

Production of document

• Use 10 to 12 point type.
• Double-space the main text of the dissertation.
• Lengthy quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies may be single-spaced with a double space between entries or paragraphs.
• Maps, charts, etc. are acceptable.

The title page is the very first page of your dissertation. Do not number the title page. At the bottom of the title page, you must indicate the date you passed your final defense (final oral examination) and list your committee members’ names, titles, and programs. Follow this  sample title page  format exactly.

If you are depositing your thesis in the window period then your title page should reflect the year in which your degree will be granted.

Additional guidelines

UMI abstract When you deposit your dissertation electronically, ProQuest/UMI will require you to provide the text of your UMI abstract. Please have this text ready when you begin the online submission process. The abstract must be in English and should preferably be no more than 350 words. When your advisor signs the warrant, they approve the dissertation and the abstract.

Abstract within dissertation Your program may require an abstract to be part of the dissertation. Please follow your program’s style requirements, and number all of these pages as part of the preliminary material (use lower case Roman numerals). This abstract must be included in the table of contents.

Copyright page (optional) You may include a copyright page; if you do, insert it directly after the title page. Do not number the copyright page. View a sample copyright page . Center the text in the bottom third of the page within the dissertation margins.

Registration of copyright (optional) You are automatically protected by copyright law, and you do not have to pay in order to retain copyright.

There is an additional fee of $75 for registering your copyright, which is a public record, and is payable to ProQuest/UMI at the time of electronic submission.  If you register your copyright, ProQuest/UMI will send a digital copy of your dissertation to the Library of Congress. You are not required to register your copyright through ProQuest/UMI; you may choose to do it on your own. More information is available online at www.copyright.gov and from UW Libraries .

Corrections After you submit the PDF of your dissertation electronically, you will not be permitted to make any additional corrections. Therefore, make sure the PDF is completely accurate before you submit.

Reprints and use of copyrighted material You are responsible for appropriate use of copyrighted materials in your thesis. Some material may be available for use without restriction while other material may require written permission from the rights holder. Other material may be appropriately used without written permission under the “fair use” provisions of the copyright law. General guidance regarding use of copyrighted materials is available from ProQuest/ UMI or from the UW–Madison Libraries .

• Fair Use: Read general information regarding how to determine if your use of copyrighted materials constitutes fair use.  Additionally, your own professional or disciplinary societies may have fair use statements to help you negotiate disciplinary specialties.
• Written Permission: If written permission is required, you are responsible for obtaining such permission and maintaining records of the written permission to use the copyrighted material in your thesis. You can usually get permission by sending a letter of request to the copyright holder. Normally, your letter will be returned with an approval stamp or signature. Some copyright holders require a specific form of acknowledgment. A sample permission request letter is offered by ProQuest/UMI .  Note that obtaining written permission can be a lengthy process. Plan ahead and budget ample time to obtain all required permissions.

Producing copies of your dissertation (optional) There are many options available in terms of producing copies of your dissertation. You do NOT have to order copies through the UMI/ProQuest ETD Administrator site but that option is available. Some other ways to produce copies of your dissertation include:

• UMI/ProQuest ETD Administrator site: order copies
• Printing shop (FedEx Office, Bob’s Copy Shop, etc.)
• Local book bindery (Grimm Book Bindery, Mc Ginn Bindery, etc.)

Embargo/delayed release

As a public research university, the University of Wisconsin–Madison considers the commitment to research a central part of its mission. As such, there is an expectation that research conducted by graduate students is made available to the public. Therefore, dissertations are normally open and searchable online shortly after they are deposited with ProQuest.

However, if a publication or a patent is pending, an embargo, or delayed release, may be requested during the submission process, in which case the citation and abstract will be available in ProQuest while the full text is under an embargo.

Please decide whether or not to delay release before you submit your dissertation. All decisions are final. Once your dissertation has been delivered to ProQuest, it is too late to delay release.

The only way to delay release is to make the appropriate selection during the submission process. You will have the option to select “No” to the Publishing Options question: “I want my work to be available in ProQuest as soon as it is published.” Next you will choose a time period of 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years for embargo. If you would like to select 3 years, select “other” and then write a note to the administrator in the text box below your selection, explaining that you would like 3 years. These options do not require special permission, but you should have discussed this with your advisor in advance.

Any request for more than a 3-year embargo or an extension of the original embargo request will be reviewed by the Graduate School Associate Dean. Such a request requires a letter to be signed by the student and the advisor in advance.

In order to qualify for an embargo extension, you are required to contact the degree coordinator prior to the expiration date of your embargo. Again, it is your responsibility to contact the Graduate School before your dissertation is released. Once a dissertation embargo has been lifted, it will not be reinstated.

Steps to prepare for commencement

Once you have met your degree requirements, you may choose to attend a commencement ceremony. Commencement occurs in May and December each year and is coordinated by the Office of the Chancellor. There is no summer commencement ceremony. If you plan to graduate in August, you may attend either the May or the December ceremony. If you want your name to be printed in the commencement program, you must apply to graduate through your MyUW Student Center by the deadline each semester in addition to contacting your major program to request a degree warrant from the Graduate School. The deadline to request your warrant can be found in the Degree Deadlines, below. You may attend the commencement ceremony even if your name is not included in the commencement program. Academic attire is required to participate in the commencement ceremony. Attire can be purchase or rented from the University Book Store . Your school/college or program may also have its own commencement activities.

Doctoral degree deadlines

• August 25 Graduate School Summer 2024: Doctoral degree deadline 11:55 PM
• August 26 Graduate School Fall 2024: Fall Degree Window Period begins 12:00 AM
• September 3 Graduate School Fall 2024: Dissertator eligibility for the fall 5:00 PM
• September 3 Graduate School Fall 2024: Fall degree window period deadline for doctoral students 11:55 PM
• November 29 Graduate School Fall 2024: Request for all Master's and Doctoral Degree Warrants 4:00 PM

View all Graduate School 2023-24 degree deadlines as a printable PDF >>

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Setting The Record Straight: ABD (All But Dissertation) Degree Status

Doctorate degrees are a lifetime achievement that few individuals pursue and complete. In fact, according to leading labor market analytics firm EMSI, only 3.6% of degrees completed in 2020 were doctoral degrees.

It’s not surprising that doctorates are completed by fewer individuals. Doctorate degrees are intensive, requiring the highest levels of scholarly research and writing. For many people, the dissertation is the most challenging part of getting a doctorate degree. That’s why “ABD,” or “all but dissertation,” has entered the mainstream terminology of doctorate degrees. However, the term leaves many confused if ABD is a type of degree or not. 

We’re here to help clarify what ABD means and how it relates to earning your doctorate degree.

Is ABD A Form Of A Doctorate Degree? 

No . High-quality doctorate programs require the completion of a dissertation to earn your doctoral degree (with the exception of professional and clinical doctorates in areas like law and nursing). ABD simply means you have completed all required doctorate coursework, but have not written and defended your dissertation.

While ABD brings you one step closer to completing your doctorate, achieving ABD status doesn't mean you can take your foot off the gas. ABD doesn’t hold academic weight and you can’t be called a doctor until you finish your dissertation. 

Unfortunately, many doctorate students stop at ABD. Let’s look at the reasons why.

Why So Many Doctorate Students Stop at ABD

There are a host of reasons doctoral students may dropout or take a break at the ABD stage of their doctorate program. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons students stop at ABD so you can navigate these pitfalls:

• Self doubt: Some students struggle with imposter syndrome and wonder if they’re really qualified to get their doctoral degree. Lack of confidence can leave students feeling unmotivated, causing them to put their degree on pause or dropout all together.
• Time Management: Once you get to the dissertation stage, you no longer have the structure of a typical course with weekly deadlines. Some students struggle with managing their time and fall behind. If procrastination gets the best of them, it may feel easier to quit than get back on track.
• Finances: Getting a doctorate degree is a significant financial investment. If students don’t properly budget, or face new financial challenges, they may pause their degree at ABD.
• Personal Circumstances: Whether students have family or professional changes, some situations that lead to ABD are unavoidable. If students need to take a break, they should put a plan in place for picking up where they eft off.
• Dissertation Intimidation: Starting a dissertation can feel like a stark departure from the familiarity of taking coursework. At this stage, students are put into the driver’s seat and are responsible for their own progression, which can feel daunting.
• Difficulty Writing: The dissertation is extremely research and writing intensive. Most dissertations are over 100 pages. If students struggle with focused and scholarly writing, it can be a detriment to finishing a doctoral degree.
• Lack of Support: Some students feel isolated when they move into the dissertation phase of their doctorate degree. If you don’t choose a program with support services or create a strong peer network, the solitary nature of a dissertation can deter students from finishing.

Earning a doctorate is challenging and rewarding, but do you know what to really expect? Download this free guide for tips and insights to help you prepare for success.

If you started but haven’t completed a doctoral program you aren’t alone. According to the Council of Graduate Schools, almost 50% of students who start a Ph.D. program don’t complete their degree. However, Ph.D. programs only represent one type of doctoral degree. Completion stats vary widely between universities and doctoral degree programs. The biggest difference in successful completion of a doctoral degree is often the university and program a student chooses. If you’re ABD, you need to find a student-centered program designed to meet the needs of ABD students.

Measuring Doctoral Student Success: Average Doctoral Program vs. Student-Centered Doctoral Programs at Franklin University

Doctoral Students Who Graduate	5.13%	32.2%
ABD Students Who Complete Their Degree	10.26%	28.81%

*Source: First Cohort Data January 2017-August 2021

Are you still feeling stuck at ABD? Let’s look at ways you can set yourself up to successfully complete your doctoral degree.

6 Tips to Complete Your Doctorate—from ABD to Dr.

No matter how long you've been ABD, you can regain your motivation and finish strong. Here are 6 tips that can help you graduate from your doctorate degree program:

• Get inspired early and start thinking about the topic of your dissertation at the beginning of your doctorate program. If you’re ABD, pick a topic you’re passionate about before restarting your doctorate.
• Create a plan that maps out steps and milestones to complete your dissertation in your desired timeframe. Being proactive and setting your own deadlines will help you stay on track.
• Get into a routine so that researching and writing your dissertation just feels like a normal part of your schedule. 
• Develop a support system —both at home and in your program. Your family and friends can help you stay motivated, while faculty advisors, committee members and peers can make writing your dissertation feel more manageable.
• Practice self care , because a dissertation isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Most students take anywhere from 1 to 2 years to complete the dissertation, but it can take longer based on the amount of time you commit.
• Find a student-centered universit y that offers dedicated support, including personal faculty advisors and a student support network, that make it easier to complete your doctorate.

Don’t Stop at ABD—Find The Right Program and Complete Your Doctorate Degree

Remember, ABD is not a recognized credential and there are ways to overcome the barriers that prevent many from finishing the work. A doctorate is the academic achievement of a lifetime and is attainable if you stay organized, motivated and dedicated. 

Choosing the right doctorate program is the first way to set yourself up for success. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or picking up where you left off, you need a doctorate designed for your unique needs.

Franklin University offers transfer-friendly online doctorate degrees that help working adults achieve their goals. From start to finish, you can complete your doctorate degree in as few as 3 years, including your dissertation. Franklin doctorate programs accept up to 24 hours of transfer credit, so if you have completed coursework, but not your dissertation, Franklin can help you get over the finish line.

Explore the doctoral programs offered at Franklin to see if there is a program that will help you take your career to the next level.

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Dissertation Completion Pathway

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Complete Your Dissertation and Earn Your Degree

Break free from ABD. You’ve already put so much time, energy and effort into earning your doctoral degree, why stop now? At NU, an ABD status doesn’t prevent you from moving forward in your studies. In fact, we understand the challenges you’ve faced and have designed a program to help you break free from ABD.

Our Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) is an innovative way to get back into class, complete your dissertation and graduate with the degree you’ve been working toward.

How it Works

DCP is a structured pathway that recognizes your past academic coursework while providing the guidance you need to complete your dissertation. This approach provides ABD students the individual support and attention they deserve, including uniquely designed bridge courses and a faculty-led approach that features weekly objectives and deliverables.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredits public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.

What is Dissertation Completion Pathway?

• Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) is a pathway to completing a doctoral degree.
• DCP serves students who come to NU as “All But Dissertation” (ABD).
• DCP-8001: 12-weeks (online)
• DCP-8002: 12 weeks (online)
• DCP-8003 is typically taken along with DCP-8001 or DCP-8002.

Successful completion of these 3 DCP courses leads to entry into one of the following traditional or applied doctoral programs:

• PhD-Education
• PhD-Educational Leadership
• PhD-Psychology
• PhD-Technology Management
• PhD-Cyber Security
• PhD-Data Science
• PhD-Business Administration
• PhD-Instructional Design
• PhD-Organizational Leadership
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• Doctor of Health Administration (DHA)
• Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT)

Degree and Course Requirements

If you’re an All But Dissertation student that has completed your coursework, achieved doctoral candidacy and left your program in good academic standing, we can help you finish what you started.

DCP Eligibility Criteria

• Dissertation Completion Pathway application.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 in previous doctoral program.
• Must have completed all required doctoral program coursework and/or achieved candidacy at another institution.
• Cannot be academically dismissed from previous doctoral program.
• Previous doctoral program must academically align with a doctoral degree program and specialization offered by National University.
• 7-year maximum for transfer credit from a regionally accredited institution. An exception by the dean may be granted for credits aged between 8-15 years.

*Additional admissions requirements may apply

Learn how we can help you finish your dissertation.

Enrolling in a university is a big decision. That’s why our dedicated admissions team is here to guide you through the admissions process and help you find the right program for you and your career goals.

To that end, we’ve simplified and streamlined our application process, so you can get enrolled in your program right away. Because we accept and review applications year round, you can begin class as soon as next month, depending on your program and location of choice.

Learn more about undergraduate, graduate, military, and international student admissions, plus admissions information for transfer students. You can also learn more about our tuition rates and financial aid opportunities.

To speak with our admissions team, call  (855) 355-6288  or request information and an advisor will contact you shortly. If you’re ready to apply, simply  start your application today

National University Doctoral Student Podcast

The DCP team has created a series of videos to help you navigate NU’s Dissertation Completion Pathway, these videos feature subject matter experts that share crucial information and cover a variety of topics to provide the guidance you are looking for.

• Dissertation Completion Pathway Student Graduate Testimonial – Xavier IrAal, EDD EDL 
• Scholarship Recipient Testimonial, Doctoral Student – Michael Arrigoni, EDD Special Education 
• Dissertation Bootcamp Doctoral Student Graduate Testimonial – Mary Duggan, EDD General Education
• Dissertation Bootcamp Doctoral Student Graduate Testimonial – Jacqueline Lewis, PhD E-Learning 
• Dissertation Completion Pathway Student Graduate Testimonial – Elsa Kortright -Torres, EDD EDL 
• The main difference between theoretical/traditional research (PhD) and applied research (e.g., EdD, DPA, etc.) lies in their focus.
• While a traditional dissertation strives to produce new knowledge about an existing problem, an applied doctoral project will typically address a specific practical or professional problem within a field.
• All PhD programs are considered theoretical/traditional.
• The culminating deliverable is a 5-chapter dissertation . 
• For more information, please review the DSE Handbook in the Dissertation Center .
• Doctor of Health Administration (DHA)*Coming Soon
• Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT)*Coming Soon
• Doctor in Business Administration (DBA)
• Doctor in Public Administration (DPA)
• For more information, please review the ADE Handbook in the Applied Doctoral Center .

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) download a detailed PDF with information here or please contact the Office of Graduate Studies at [email protected] .

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Doctoral Completion & Time-to-degree

This page contains information about degree conferrals, time-to-degree, and retention for doctoral research programs at Stanford. While the most common academic doctoral degree across the university is the PhD, the JSD in Law and the DMA in Musical Arts are also included here. The MD and JD are considered to be professional degrees and are not included. In all cases below, the academic years reported are "summer start years", meaning that the academic year encompasses a period from the start of the summer term through the end of the following spring term. Please see the  definitions  below the dashboard for more details about how the various metrics presented here are calculated.

More information is available about  doctoral program enrollment and demographics , as well as  doctoral program admissions . Note that local variation in policy and practice regarding admission, matriculation, and degree conferral may affect the departmental and school-level metrics below.

Methodology & Definitions

Time-to-degree.

Time-to-degree is the length of time in years from the first day of the student's first term of enrollment in their doctoral program to the day of their degree conferral. Time-to-degree measures elapsed time only, not enrolled time. It does not stop and start if a student takes a leave of absence. If a student was enrolled in a master's degree program prior to matriculating in the doctoral program the separate time in the master's program is not included even if it was in the same department as the doctoral program. For this reason, time-to-degree may be lower in some doctoral programs where it is common to require completion of a master's degree prior to matriculation in the doctoral program. If a student switches between doctoral programs, time-to-degree is restarted from the first term of enrollment in the new program. The only exceptions to this restart of the clock are when program changes are the result of departmental name changes or other restructuring, or when the new program has the same CIP code as the original program.

Graduation Rate

As with time-to-degree, the start of the 6-year period used to calculate graduation rates is the first term in which the student is enrolled in a doctoral program, regardless of any prior or concurrent enrollment in a master's program. The 6-year rate is based on elapsed time only, not enrolled time. It is not based on the concept of a cohort year or graduation year, but on the actual matriculation term and degree conferral term. For example, if a student enrolled at the start of Spring 2010 and graduated at the end of Winter 2016, they would count towards the 6-year rate; however, if they instead graduated at the end of Spring 2016, their time to degree would be more than 6 years due to the extra term of enrollment.

Degree Conferrals

Numbers of degree conferrals are reported by summer start year. For example, all degree conferred from Summer 2016 through the following Spring 2017 would be reported under the 2016-17 year.

Entering Cohort Status

An entering cohort consists of all students entering a doctoral program during autumn, winter, or spring quarter of a single academic year, as well as those entering during the preceding summer. Students are considered to be current in their program if they are still actively pursuing that degree or are on an approved temporary leave of absence. "Current students in a different PhD program" are students who were enrolled at one point in the selected program but subsequently moved to another doctoral program at Stanford and are still engaged in doctoral study. Students who are listed as "completed" have successfully conferred their degree in the selected program or, if they have completed a different doctoral program, have changed programs and been awarded a doctoral degree by another program at Stanford. Program changes resulting from department name changes, organizational restructuring, or between programs with the same CIP code are not considered "changes" in this context. Students who are shown as "discontinued" have either left the university without a degree or switched to a non-doctoral degree program (in many cases a master's degree).

Visit the  Graduate Admissions website  for more information about pursuing graduate study at Stanford.

The data are available for download in Google Drive .

• Data Source(s): PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Institutional Research & Decision Support

Stanford University is committed to providing an online environment that is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. If you cannot access this content or use any features on this site, please contact  [email protected]  to obtain alternate formats.

You may submit feedback on this dashboard through the  feedback form .

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Search Form

Doctoral degree steps to completion, director, graduate student support & associate registrar.

Eva Bachman Office of Graduate Studies

Throughout these steps to degree completion, Eva will be answering your questions and reviewing your materials.

Related resources

• Certification of Full-Time Status
• Academic Leave Form
• Extension Request Form

Expand All Print

NOTE: Departments may have earlier deadlines. Please check with your advisor or graduate handbook.

• What to submit: Appointment of Supervisory Committee form
• When to submit: Prior to completing half of the coursework, including transfer hours, but excluding research or language tools.
• Who to submit to: Doctoral Programs Coordinator

You will be notified by email when your committee is approved.

For full policy, see Supervisory Committee in the Graduate Catalog.

• What to submit: Program of Studies form

Note: Program of Study forms will not be accepted unless an Appointment of Supervisory Committee form has been submitted.

NOTE: Requests to change an approved Program of Studies must be submitted by the student’s major advisor via email to the Doctoral Programs Coordinator . DO NOT submit a new Program of Studies.

For full policy, see Program of Studies in the Graduate Catalog.

For full policy, see Academic Residency in the Graduate Catalog.

Academic residency requirement must be satisfied before you schedule your final oral examination (defense). The Doctoral Programs Coordinator will note this on your Program of Studies.

Changes to approved Program of Studies must be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Coordinator using the Program Change Form.

For full policy, see Comprehensive Examination in the Graduate Catalog.

Note: be aware of deadlines for Application for Candidacy. See Candidacy section for more details.

Student must pass a written comprehensive examination in the major and minor fields of study. At the discretion of the supervisory committee, an oral comprehensive examination may also be required. The Supervisory Committee arranges for comprehensive examinations at least seven months prior to the final oral examination (defense).

• What to submit: Application for Admission to Candidacy form
• When to submit: After successful completion of the comprehensive examination, no later than date TBD

For full policy, including registration requirements, see Comprehensive Examination and Candidacy in the Graduate Catalog.

The comprehensive examination must be completed at least 7 months prior to graduation.

The Application for Admission to Candidacy form must be submitted when language and research tool requirements have been met and the comprehensive examination(s) have been passed.

• Complete the Application for Graduation in MyRED .
• All students must complete the Hooding Participation form.
• When to submit: The Application for Graduation and Hooding Participation form must be completed no later than: date TBD
• The online Application for Graduation will become available in MyRED the semester following Admission to Candidacy.

Failure to complete these steps will result in a diploma not being ordered for you and your graduation date will be postponed.

Form: Hooding Participation

• What to submit: Application for Final Oral Examination form, with signatures of the two readers, supervisory committee chair(s), your department’s graduate program chair.

Last day to hold Final Oral Examination: date TBD

For full policy see Final Oral Examination in the Graduate Catalog.

• What to submit: full dissertation/document rough draft, including title page and abstract.

The formatting will be reviewed and students will be notified of any needed changes. No content will be reviewed. Any formatting changes must be made prior to final dissertation deposit.

• When to submit: Submit Rough draft with Application for Final Oral Examination at least 2 weeks prior to Final Oral Examination. Last date to submit the Application for Final Oral Examination: date TBD

For full policy see Dissertation in the Graduate Catalog.

• Formatting resource: Preparing a Dissertation .
• Following approval by the major advisor, the dissertation and abstract should be presented to the Reading Committee for review at least four weeks prior to the oral examination (defense).
• What to submit: Final and complete dissertation as a PDF
• When to submit: after successful completion of your final oral examination, and no later than date TBD

Student will be notified when dissertation has been approved for upload to ProQuest (required) and UNL Digital Commons (optional).

For full policy see Dissertation and Final Oral Examination in the Graduate Catalog.

ProQuest will recognize you are a UNL student and not require payment for basic upload. If placing an embargo, ProQuest will delay distribution of your dissertation. You will need to be specific about the length of time.

If requesting copyright registration through ProQuest, complete the additional ProQuest form and pay the associated fee.

• When to submit: After final formatting approval has been given by Graduate Studies. No later than: date TBD
• Who to submit to: ProQuest
• While immediate publication in both ProQuest and the UNL Digital Commons is recommended, there is an option to temporarily restrict access to dissertations, known as embargoing .
• Dissertations will be uploaded to UNL Digital Commons as well as to ProQuest, unless an embargo is requested.
• If you choose to embargo your dissertation, it will be uploaded to ProQuest on the embargo expiry date, but not to the UNL Digital Commons unless otherwise requested.
• Upload only after approval by Graduate Studies.
• What to submit: Doctoral deposit fee - $25.00 (required)
• When to submit: No later than: date TBD
• How to submit: Paid in MyRED (To-do list) by credit or debit card.

NOTE: This payment is not part of your student account. You will receive email confirmation of this payment.

NOTE: A majority of the committee must be in attendance and sign the Report of Completion form.

NOTE: Abstracts must be submitted in the exact format as your dissertation/document, including your title, university, name, etc.

• When to submit: After your defense and no later than: date TBD
• Who to submit to: Upload Report of Completion & Abstract here

Note: Ph.D. students must complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates . The Doctoral Programs Coordinator will automatically receive a notice of completion.

Note: Committee Chairs are responsible for submitting final 999 grades. Submit outstanding incomplete/no report grades for 999 credits by following this link: Thesis/Dissertation Grade Change

The PDF forms on this page are Reader-Enabled: you can type in the form, save the PDF on your computer, then later reopen the file and change what you typed — if you use a current version of Adobe Acrobat software, such as the free Acrobat Reader . Other PDF-reading software may or may not support these features. See also: Troubleshooting Forms .

• PhD Failure Rate – A Study of 26,076 PhD Candidates
• Doing a PhD

The PhD failure rate in the UK is 19.5%, with 16.2% of students leaving their PhD programme early, and 3.3% of students failing their viva. 80.5% of all students who enrol onto a PhD programme successfully complete it and are awarded a doctorate.

Introduction

One of the biggest concerns for doctoral students is the ongoing fear of failing their PhD.

After all those years of research, the long days in the lab and the endless nights in the library, it’s no surprise to find many agonising over the possibility of it all being for nothing. While this fear will always exist, it would help you to know how likely failure is, and what you can do to increase your chances of success.

Read on to learn how PhDs can be failed, what the true failure rates are based on an analysis of 26,067 PhD candidates from 14 UK universities, and what your options are if you’re unsuccessful in obtaining your PhD.

Ways You Can Fail A PhD

There are essentially two ways in which you can fail a PhD; non-completion or failing your viva (also known as your thesis defence ).

Non-completion

Non-completion is when a student leaves their PhD programme before having sat their viva examination. Since vivas take place at the end of the PhD journey, typically between the 3rd and 4th year for most full-time programmes, most failed PhDs fall within the ‘non-completion’ category because of the long duration it covers.

There are many reasons why a student may decide to leave a programme early, though these can usually be grouped into two categories:

• Motives – The individual may no longer believe undertaking a PhD is for them. This might be because it isn’t what they had imagined, or they’ve decided on an alternative path.
• Extenuating circumstances – The student may face unforeseen problems beyond their control, such as poor health, bereavement or family difficulties, preventing them from completing their research.

In both cases, a good supervisor will always try their best to help the student continue with their studies. In the former case, this may mean considering alternative research questions or, in the latter case, encouraging you to seek academic support from the university through one of their student care policies.

Besides the student deciding to end their programme early, the university can also make this decision. On these occasions, the student’s supervisor may not believe they’ve made enough progress for the time they’ve been on the project. If the problem can’t be corrected, the supervisor may ask the university to remove the student from the programme.

Failing The Viva

Assuming you make it to the end of your programme, there are still two ways you can be unsuccessful.

The first is an unsatisfactory thesis. For whatever reason, your thesis may be deemed not good enough, lacking originality, reliable data, conclusive findings, or be of poor overall quality. In such cases, your examiners may request an extensive rework of your thesis before agreeing to perform your viva examination. Although this will rarely be the case, it is possible that you may exceed the permissible length of programme registration and if you don’t have valid grounds for an extension, you may not have enough time to be able to sit your viva.

The more common scenario, while still being uncommon itself, is that you sit and fail your viva examination. The examiners may decide that your research project is severely flawed, to the point where it can’t possibly be remedied even with major revisions. This could happen for reasons such as basing your study on an incorrect fundamental assumption; this should not happen however if there is a proper supervisory support system in place.

PhD Failure Rate – UK & EU Statistics

According to 2010-11 data published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (now replaced by UK Research and Innovation ), 72.9% of students enrolled in a PhD programme in the UK or EU complete their degree within seven years. Following this, 80.5% of PhD students complete their degree within 25 years.

This means that four out of every five students who register onto a PhD programme successfully complete their doctorate.

While a failure rate of one in five students may seem a little high, most of these are those who exit their programme early as opposed to those who fail at the viva stage.

Failing Doesn’t Happen Often

Although a PhD is an independent project, you will be appointed a supervisor to support you. Each university will have its own system for how your supervisor is to support you , but regardless of this, they will all require regular communication between the two of you. This could be in the form of annual reviews, quarterly interim reviews or regular meetings. The majority of students also have a secondary academic supervisor (and in some cases a thesis committee of supervisors); the role of these can vary from having a hands-on role in regular supervision, to being another useful person to bounce ideas off of.

These frequent check-ins are designed to help you stay on track with your project. For example, if any issues are identified, you and your supervisor can discuss how to rectify them in order to refocus your research. This reduces the likelihood of a problem going undetected for several years, only for it to be unearthed after it’s too late to address.

In addition, the thesis you submit to your examiners will likely be your third or fourth iteration, with your supervisor having critiqued each earlier version. As a result, your thesis will typically only be submitted to the examiners after your supervisor approves it; many UK universities require a formal, signed document to be submitted by the primary academic supervisor at the same time as the student submits the thesis, confirming that he or she has approved the submission.

Failed Viva – Outcomes of 26,076 Students

Despite what you may have heard, the failing PhD rate amongst students who sit their viva is low.

This, combined with ongoing guidance from your supervisor, is because vivas don’t have a strict pass/fail outcome. You can find a detailed breakdown of all viva outcomes in our viva guide, but to summarise – the most common outcome will be for you to revise your thesis in accordance with the comments from your examiners and resubmit it.

This means that as long as the review of your thesis and your viva examination uncovers no significant issues, you’re almost certain to be awarded a provisional pass on the basis you make the necessary corrections to your thesis.

To give you an indication of the viva failure rate, we’ve analysed the outcomes of 26,076 PhD candidates from 14 UK universities who sat a viva between 2006 and 2017.

The analysis shows that of the 26,076 students who sat their viva, 25,063 succeeded; this is just over 96% of the total students as shown in the chart below.

Students Who Passed

The analysis shows that of the 96% of students who passed, approximately 5% required no amendments, 79% required minor amendments and the remaining 16% required major revisions. This supports our earlier discussion on how the most common outcome of a viva is a ‘pass with minor amendments’.

Students Who Failed

Of the 4% of unsuccessful students, approximately 97% were awarded an MPhil (Master of Philosophy), and 3% weren’t awarded a degree.

Note : It should be noted that while the data provides the student’s overall outcome, i.e. whether they passed or failed, they didn’t all provide the students specific outcome, i.e. whether they had to make amendments, or with a failure, whether they were awarded an MPhil. Therefore, while the breakdowns represent the current known data, the exact breakdown may differ.

Summary of Findings

By using our data in combination with the earlier statistic provided by HEFCE, we can gain an overall picture of the PhD journey as summarised in the image below.

To summarise, based on the analysis of 26,076 PhD candidates at 14 universities between 2006 and 2017, the PhD pass rate in the UK is 80.5%. Of the 19.5% of students who fail, 3.3% is attributed to students failing their viva and the remaining 16.2% is attributed to students leaving their programme early.

The above statistics indicate that while 1 in every 5 students fail their PhD, the failure rate for the viva process itself is low. Specifically, only 4% of all students who sit their viva fail; in other words, 96% of the students pass it.

What Are Your Options After an Unsuccessful PhD?

Appeal your outcome.

If you believe you had a valid case, you can try to appeal against your outcome . The appeal process will be different for each university, so ensure you consult the guidelines published by your university before taking any action.

While making an appeal may be an option, it should only be considered if you genuinely believe you have a legitimate case. Most examiners have a lot of experience in assessing PhD candidates and follow strict guidelines when making their decisions. Therefore, your claim for appeal will need to be strong if it is to stand up in front of committee members in the adjudication process.

Downgrade to MPhil

If you are unsuccessful in being awarded a PhD, an MPhil may be awarded instead. For this to happen, your work would need to be considered worthy of an MPhil, as although it is a Master’s degree, it is still an advanced postgraduate research degree.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of stigma around MPhil degrees, with many worrying that it will be seen as a sign of a failed PhD. While not as advanced as a PhD, an MPhil is still an advanced research degree, and being awarded one shows that you’ve successfully carried out an independent research project which is an undertaking to be admired.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Additional Resources

Hopefully now knowing the overall picture your mind will feel slightly more at ease. Regardless, there are several good practices you can adopt to ensure you’re always in the best possible position. The key of these includes developing a good working relationship with your supervisor, working to a project schedule, having your thesis checked by several other academics aside from your supervisor, and thoroughly preparing for your viva examination.

We’ve developed a number of resources which should help you in the above:

• What to Expect from Your Supervisor – Find out what to look for in a Supervisor, how they will typically support you, and how often you should meet with them.
• How to Write a Research Proposal – Find an outline of how you can go about putting a project plan together.
• What is a PhD Viva? – Learn exactly what a viva is, their purpose and what you can expect on the day. We’ve also provided a full breakdown of all the possible outcomes of a viva and tips to help you prepare for your own.

Data for Statistics

• Cardiff University – 2006/07 to 2016/17
• Imperial College London – 2006/07 to 2016/17
• London School of Economics (LSE) – 2006/07 to 2015/16
• Queen Mary University of London – 2009/10 to 2015/16
• University College London (UCL) – 2006/07 to 2016/17
• University of Aberdeen – 2006/07 to 2016/17
• University of Birmingham – 2006/07 to 2015/16
• University of Bristol – 2006/07 to 2016/17
• University of Edinburgh – 2006/07 to 2016/17
• University of Nottingham – 2006/07 to 2015/16
• University of Oxford – 2007/08 to 2016/17
• University of York – 2009/10 to 2016/17
• University of Manchester – 2008/09 to 2017/18
• University of Sheffield – 2006/07 to 2016/17

Note : The data used for this analysis was obtained from the above universities under the Freedom of Information Act. As per the Act, the information was provided in such a way that no specific individual can be identified from the data.

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

What Took Them So Long? Explaining PhD Delays among Doctoral Candidates

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliations Department of Methods and Statistics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands, Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

Affiliations Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Affiliation Education and Child Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

Affiliations Netherlands Centre for Graduate and Research Schools, Utrecht, The Netherlands, Tilburg Law School, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

• Rens van de Schoot, 
• Mara A. Yerkes, 
• Jolien M. Mouw, 
• Hans Sonneveld

• Published: July 23, 2013
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839
• Reader Comments

A delay in PhD completion, while likely undesirable for PhD candidates, can also be detrimental to universities if and when PhD delay leads to attrition/termination. Termination of the PhD trajectory can lead to individual stress, a loss of valuable time and resources invested in the candidate and can also mean a loss of competitive advantage. Using data from two studies of doctoral candidates in the Netherlands, we take a closer look at PhD duration and delay in doctoral completion. Specifically, we address the question: Is it possible to predict which PhD candidates will experience delays in the completion of their doctorate degree? If so, it might be possible to take steps to shorten or even prevent delay, thereby helping to enhance university competitiveness. Moreover, we discuss practical do's and don'ts for universities and graduate schools to minimize delays.

Citation: van de Schoot R, Yerkes MA, Mouw JM, Sonneveld H (2013) What Took Them So Long? Explaining PhD Delays among Doctoral Candidates. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68839. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839

Editor: Matteo Convertino, University of Florida, United States of America

Received: February 15, 2013; Accepted: June 3, 2013; Published: July 23, 2013

Copyright: © 2013 van de Schoot et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The data collection for the first project was financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and IVLOS at Utrecht University. The data collection for the second project was financed by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). This research was made possible in part by a grant the first author received from The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research: NWO-VENI-451-11-008. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

Universities across the globe are increasingly focused on how to be competitive in global and national rankings, and are often looking for ways to improve research and teaching efforts. The role of PhD candidates is extremely important in this regard as they can potentially produce a large amount of scientific output, a factor crucial in most ranking systems. The Shanghai Ranking, one of the most recognized academic ranking systems, ranks universities in part based on the number of successful PhD completions. A delay in PhD completion, while likely undesirable for PhD candidates, can also be detrimental to universities if PhD delay leads to attrition (i.e. termination of the PhD trajectory). PhD termination can lead to individual stress, a loss of valuable time and resources because of all the training and supervision invested in the candidate [1] , and can also mean a loss of competitive advantage [2] .

While many countries maintain a notional PhD duration of three or four years [3] , in reality, PhD candidates often take much longer to complete their doctoral studies. Using data from two studies of doctoral candidates in the Netherlands, we take a closer look at PhD duration and delay in doctoral completion. Specifically, we address the question: Is it possible to predict which PhD candidates will experience delays in the completion of their doctoral degree? If this is possible, then it is also possible to take steps to shorten or even prevent delay, thereby helping to enhance university competitiveness.

PhD completion in The Netherlands

The Dutch system of doctoral education has a number of characteristics specific to the Dutch context [4] . One important characteristic in relation to PhD completion and delay is the structure of funding and time given to PhD candidates to complete the PhD. Most PhD candidates are employed by the university for a set period of time to complete a PhD. The funding for these positions within the university often stems directly or indirectly from an external source, such as a research grant. As such, PhD projects consist primarily of a pre-specified trajectory of anywhere between three and five years. One consequence of this structure is that the contract duration for the PhD is set prior to a candidate starting a doctoral trajectory. Therefore, PhD candidates have no influence on the duration of the contract. Exceptions to this can only occur in special cases of delay, for example delay due to maternity leave or extended illness, or if a PhD candidate requests a decrease in working hours, which is a legislative right in the Netherlands. Individuals who have worked for their employer for 12 months or longer have a right to request an increase or decrease in working hours. If a business wishes to refuse such a request, the burden of proof is on employers to prove that granting the request would be harmful to the business. In these cases, the contract is likely to be extended pro rata to the time taken off work or the reduction in working hours.

It should be noted that the set time limit of the Dutch system does not mean PhD candidates cannot continue to work on the PhD thesis or graduate after the contract finishes. Rather, the set time limit refers to the period of time during which a candidate receives funding and can work (almost) full-time on the PhD thesis. Beyond this period, the candidate is responsible for finishing the thesis in his/her own time, which can lead to further delay. An advantage of this system is that PhD candidates have a period of guaranteed funding, during which they have the capacity to undertake field work, carry out research, and write, with minimal teaching obligations. While PhD candidates in the Netherlands may experience delays throughout the PhD trajectory, either within or beyond this set time period, these delays will most likely not be due to an absence of funding or the necessity of other professional work to finance one's PhD trajectory (for example teaching assistantships). This may not be the case with delays experienced by PhD candidates in other countries, such as the United States, where funding for doctoral research differs. What these different delays (financial, research-oriented, and supervisory) mean for PhD candidates and their success, and how this differs across countries, remains an important issue for further research.

Another characteristic of the Dutch system is that most PhD students are paid by way of the university as regular employees with a set salary level (set by collective agreement). While this is the case for most PhD candidates, it is not true for all of them. In the Netherlands, it is possible to differentiate between three different types of PhD status, including: (a) PhD candidates employed by the university (on the basis of university funding or external funding, such as funding from the national science foundation or third (private) parties), (b) scholarship recipients, and (c) external and/or dual PhD candidates. The first form is the exception and not the rule in most doctoral education programs in industrialized countries. The co-existence of multiple types of doctoral candidates is not unique to the Netherlands, however. Germany, Finland and Turkey also have doctoral systems where various types of PhD candidates co-exist, including PhD candidates employed by universities, scholarship recipients and external candidates who combine doctoral work with professional activities in other organizations [5] . What is unique about the Dutch system, however, is the high proportion of PhD candidates who are paid to work full-time or nearly full-time (0.8 FTE) on their research and PhD thesis. As noted above, a major advantage of this system is that by providing PhD candidates with a stable funding source, PhD candidates are often successful in completing the doctoral trajectory within the pre-set time period [6] . The average completion rate in the Netherlands, in general, is around 75 per cent. The existence of such a system is also useful for understanding PhD delay, a point we address below.

While the Dutch system provides most PhD candidates with a stable funding source, these external funding sources generally do not provide for the coverage of salary costs associated with an extension of a PhD contract. Therefore, any delay in the PhD trajectory in terms of salary costs has to be paid for by an academic department or institute. Alternatively, the PhD student must finish the thesis in his/her private time without drawing a salary from the university. Financially, delays can be costly for academic departments and are highly undesirable. If universities are not willing to cover the cost of an extension of the contract and a PhD candidate must finish the thesis in his/her own time, the risk increases that the thesis will not be completed [7] . In essence, the greater the duration of PhD delay, the greater the likelihood that a thesis may never be completed. Failure to complete the thesis translates into a significant loss in research investment and lost revenue for universities. In the Dutch case, this can also mean a significant financial loss because universities are rewarded financially by the government for PhD completions (€90,000 per successfully defended thesis).

Predictors of PhD-delay

While most other studies investigating variation in PhD completion typically focus on describing causes of (high) attrition rates [8] , predicting the timing of completion [2] , [9] , and/or time-to-degree [10] , [11] given the structure of the Dutch system we are able to measure the ‘true’ rate of delay. Rather than merely attempting to predict the timing and duration of PhD completion and/or time-to-degree, the structure of the Dutch system means we know a priori how long a PhD should take (expected duration) versus the actual duration. The expected duration is equal to the pre-determined end date minus the pre-determined starting date, whereas the actual duration is equal to the actual end date minus the actual starting date. The difference between these two is what we call ‘delay’. This measurement of the true rate of delay means we can focus on which factors predict PhD delay. Explanations for variation in PhD completion rates and/or time-to-degree can be sought in a number of areas and are often difficult to disentangle, but can be generalized into three categories [6] , [8] , [9] , [11] – [16] :

• Institutional or environmental factors , including field of study, departmental research climate, and resources and facilities available to the project;
• The nature and quality of supervision , entailing both the frequency of meetings as well as the support of research colleagues;
• Characteristics of the PhD candidate : including gender, ethnicity, age, having children, marital status, satisfaction with the project, academic achievement, and expectations about the project. In addition, certain personality traits, such as patience, a willingness to work hard, motivation and self-confidence have also been shown to influence PhD completion rates, but accounting for variation in these traits is beyond the scope of the research design here.

Factors most important in determining delay vary across university settings but some key warning signs, as noted by [17] , are:

• constant changes to the research topic;
• avoiding communication with the supervisor;
• PhD candidates isolating themselves;
• avoiding submitting work for review.

The above findings have, to our knowledge, never been included in a single quantitative study, which we ascribe to do here.

Before discussing the data and methodology, we call attention to one possible factor of interest: gender. Recent educational statistics show that women are increasingly taking part in higher education, including doctoral education [18] . Whereas a previous study conducted in the Netherlands in 1995 found that one fifth of PhD candidates were female [19] , a more recent study conducted in 2008–09 shows that this percentage has more than doubled to 47 per cent [20] . The effect of gender on the duration of the PhD trajectory is, however, disputed. While some studies find gender differences [21] , others do not [15] , [22] . Some studies report a positive relationship between being married or having children and delays in PhD completion for women [8] , however others suggest the effects of being married and having children are usually larger for men, as the behavioural changes accompanying marriage and parenthood are smaller for women than for men [23] . A recent article in Nature confirms the contradictions evident in research that investigates gender differences in relation to the PhD trajectory [24] . We address this issue by predicting PhD delay separately for male and female PhD candidates.

In the current paper we use data from two separate but related studies. While these studies are drawn from different populations and use various methods, they allow for a closer examination of PhD duration and delay in the Netherlands. We discuss the generalizability and possible limitations of these studies in our conclusions. The first dataset stems from a survey of doctoral recipients who completed their PhD in 2008–2009. Using these data we a) describe the occurrence of PhD delay and b) build a statistical model to predict which PhD candidates are likely to be delayed. The second dataset consists of PhD candidates surveyed in The Netherlands at Utrecht University in the final year of their PhD. These candidates were asked whether they expected to complete their PhD on time. Candidates expecting to be delayed were asked about possible reasons for this delay, including a number of open-ended questions. Data from this study allow us an opportunity to contextualize delays in PhD completion experienced by doctoral candidates. We provide a further discussion of the data and methodology for each study and turn to the results of each of these studies below.

It should be noted that the research discussed here has not been subjected to an ethics approval process. While obtaining ethics approval is standard practice in most Anglo-American systems, this is not (yet) the case for most social science research in the Netherlands. In our case, no approval by an ethical review committee was obtained because the planned surveys with adult academics are neither physically nor emotionally burdensome nor do they violate respondents' privacy. We did obtain consent from each of the local executive boards at participating universities, however, and the research was undertaken with the utmost care. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of respondents, explaining the research process to participants and minimizing the demands placed on respondents by using well-tested survey instruments. Research was not undertaken outside the country of residence, therefore no local authorities were contacted. The research was not conducted in relation to any medical facility. The quantitative and qualitative data presented here are not publicly available. However, a copy of the fully-anonymized quantitative dataset is available from the first author upon request.

Methods Study 1: PhD Duration and Completion

Participants.

The first study relies on survey data on Dutch doctoral recipients gathered between February 2008 and June 2009 (response rate 50.7%; n = 565; 47% female; 73.8% were of Dutch origin) in the Netherlands at four universities (Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Utrecht University, and Wageningen University and Research Centre). For more details see [25] .

Of the 565 respondents surveyed, the majority (71.1%) reported that their formal PhD status was ‘employee’ at a university with five per cent listing ‘scholarship recipient’ as their main PhD status. The share of external or dual PhD candidates was 23.9 per cent. In the current paper we focus solely on those respondents who reported their start and end date, and who reported their status as being an employee (n = 308) or scholarship recipient (n = 25), of which 48 per cent were female. This decision is based on the transparency of these PhD trajectories. PhD candidates employed by the university and scholarship recipients have unambiguous start and end dates and these candidates primarily work full-time on their PhD thesis, allowing for a clear look at PhD delay. The group of PhD candidates not employed by the university is highly heterogeneous, which makes it difficult to assess delay clearly. There were no significant differences on key background variables between respondents included/excluded from our study. The total sample size used for the analyses is therefore n = 301 and a summary of descriptive statistics on this sample can be found in Table 1 . Note that we also deleted two outliers because they reported unrealistic values for the gap between actual and completed project time, namely -31 (completed the PhD 31 months sooner than expected) and 91 (completed the PhD 91 months later than expected). We conducted the final analyses with and without these two cases and although some numerical differences appeared, our conclusions remained the same.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839.t001

All PhD candidates who applied for permission to defend their thesis were invited to participate in the survey. Respondents were contacted through the Registrar's office (the pedel) , the university office in charge of organising the doctoral defence, at each of the participating universities. Note that in the Netherlands the so-called ‘all-but-dissertation’ (ABD) status does not exist, and registering for the defence is only allowed after official approval of the doctoral thesis by the defence (examination) committee. Outside of exceptional cases such as fraud, the degree will be conferred following a primarily ceremonial defence. When PhD candidates registered for their defence, they received an informational packet, which included a letter from the university Board of Governors ( College van Bestuur ) explaining the aim and objectives of this research project and asking for their participation. The Netherlands Centre for Graduate and Research Schools was then provided with a list of e-mail addresses of PhD candidates who registered for the defence at each university. Respondents were approached within 10–14 days after registering for graduation and were provided a login and password to complete the survey. Up to two reminder emails were sent if a respondent did not sign in to complete the survey. In sum, respondents received a maximum of three e-mails asking them to participate. Any identifying information has been removed from the data for purposes of confidentiality.

We asked the participants to provide information on certain background characteristics such as age, gender, citizenship (whether or not they were born in the Netherlands and/or have a Dutch passport), marital status (including cohabitation), both as a static category and whether their marital status changed during the PhD trajectory, and whether there are any children under the age of 18 living in the household. Furthermore, we asked them questions about any major changes occurring during the PhD trajectory. These changes included: [Did you change']… ‘[…] your main supervisor?’ '[…] daily supervisor?’ ‘[…] the institute or graduate school where you were completing the PhD?’, and ‘Did you change your thesis topic?’ In addition, respondents were asked about their publication record, including the number of submitted and accepted articles as well as conference visits. We then asked about perceived expectations from supervisors, including the expected number of journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, conference visits, etc. Finally, we asked respondents to reply to 15 statements about their supervisor and the academic climate in their department. Answers were scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. One example of these statements is ‘Prior to the start of the second year of my PhD trajectory, I had a clear idea which data I would need to answer my research questions’. All 15 statements can be found in Table 1 . Each of these predicting variables was added to the model in one step. In addition, we control for the relationship between age and having children by regression the variable having children on age, see also the syntax in the supplementary materials.

Statistical Analysis

As discussed above, the Dutch system is characterized by having PhD trajectories with primarily fixed durations. Consequently, a PhD project includes a pre-determined start and end date which makes it possible to compute an exact duration for the PhD, both actual and expected. In the survey, all respondents were asked to indicate the length of their contract (planned PhD duration) as well as how long it took them to complete their thesis (actual PhD duration). This information can then be used to compute the average gap between actual and planned duration, referred to as the gap .

Using the gap as our dependent variable, we can build a statistical model where we add predictors of the average gap for females and males separately. We provide the syntax of the model in the appendix (see Appendix S1 ), and the data can be requested by sending an email to the first author. We have used Bayesian statistics in the software package Mplus v7.0 [26] , [27] for all of the analyses. Mplus is a software package that can deal with many types of statistical models with continuous and categorical variables and different types of estimators, for example maximum likelihood, weighted least squares, bootstrapping and the Bayesian estimator. Bayesian statistics are becoming more common in academic research [28] . The number of papers published, for example, in the journal PLoS One with Bayes in the title or abstract has increased from only one in 2006 to 89 in 2011. The key difference between Bayesian statistics and ML-estimation concerns the nature of the unknown parameters. For example, following the frequentist framework approach to maximum likelihood estimation, a parameter of interest is assumed to be unknown, but fixed. That is, it is assumed that there is only one true population parameter in the population; for example, one true regression coefficient. In the Bayesian view of subjective probability, all unknown parameters are treated as uncertain and should therefore be described using a probability distribution. Hence, with Bayesian statistics, all parameters of the model (e.g., means, variances, regression parameters, etc.) are repeatedly estimated in an iterative process. This distribution of parameters can subsequently be used to compute the mean regression coefficient and its confidence interval. For a more detailed comparison and for an introduction to Bayesian statistics see the many textbooks on this topic, for example [29] .

In our case there are three main reasons why we have chosen to use Bayesian statistics. First, Bayesian estimation is less sensitive to the distribution of the parameters in our model because of the iterative process. This is an advantage in our case because of the highly skewed distribution of our dependent variable (see Figure 1 ). Second, in each iteration of the iterative process, missing data is automatically imputed. In our data, 75 per cent of the cases had complete data and another 20 per cent had missing data for only one or two variables. The remaining 5 per cent had missing data on multiple variables. The amount of missing data was not related to any of the variables in the model. Third, the use of Bayesian statistics results in slightly different interpretations of the results compared to maximum likelihood or a weighted least squares estimation. When Bayesian statistics are used, the confidence intervals (i.e., credibility intervals, or posterior probability intervals) are used to indicate the 95 per cent probability that the estimate will lie between the lower and upper value of the interval. When the interval does not include zero, the null hypothesis is rejected and the effect is assumed to be present.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839.g001

On a final methodological note, when analyzing statistical models, we may be interested in more than just confirming or rejecting a single hypothesis –we may want to evaluate the entire model. When using Bayesian statistics, classical model fit indices, such as the CFI, TLI, and RMSEA are not available. However, it is possible to obtain the predictive accuracy of the model (see [30] for a more detailed discussion). This evaluation of the model is also referred to as posterior predictive checking, see [31] . In Mplus, the posterior predictive p -value ( ppp-value ) is given and ppp -values around.50 indicate a good-fitting model.

Results Study 1: PhD Duration and Completion

Starting with results from our first study, the data show that female PhD recipients took an average of 59.8 months (95% CI: 57.18–61.82) to complete their PhD thesis and male PhD candidates an average of 59.67 months (95% CI: 57.46–61.91), see also Figure 2 . The average gap between actual and planned duration (i.e., the gap ) was 9.52 months for women (95% CI: 7.43–11.69) and 10.11 months for men (95% CI: 8.09–12.17), see also Figure 1 . Since the 95% CI for both variables for women and men completely overlap, no significant gender differences are found. While the duration of the gap does not differ for men and women, we do find significant differences in what causes the gap , or rather what is associated with the gap . Because our data is cross-sectional data, we cannot make assumptions about causal relationships.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839.g002

In the statistical model for female PhD candidates (n = 158), 30.0 per cent of the variance in the gap was explained and the ppp-value is.60, indicating a well-fitting model. Our results clearly show significant predictors, that is, the 95 per cent CI does not include zero, see Table 2 . For women, a change in marital status during the PhD trajectory (while controlling for the status itself) is associated with more than five months delay. In addition, having had opportunities through their supervisors to establish international contacts was associated with a three month delay. In contrast, for women, working together with other PhD candidates is associated with a four month gain in project time.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839.t002

In the statistical model for male PhD candidates (n = 173), 30.4 per cent of the variance in the gap was explained and the ppp-value is.52, also indicating a good-fitting model. In contrast to women, marital status was not associated with the gap for men, but having children is associated with almost four months delay. Moreover, for men, a change of supervisor or thesis topic was associated with a five-and-a-half month delay. Conference attendance, however, was associated with a decrease of the gap by 7 months. In addition, for men, whether the PhD candidate knew which research question to answer by the end of the first year was associated with a 3.8 month decrease in the gap.

Methods Study 2: Explaining PhD Delay

The second study relies on survey data on doctoral recipients gathered in 2010 at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, for more information see [32] . The sampling frame included all PhD candidates registered at Utrecht University. In other words, the frame consists of candidates employed by the university as well as external and dual PhD candidates (candidates who combined a PhD with another job or other activities), and scholarship-funded PhD candidates. Candidates were invited to rate various aspects of their PhD experience through an online questionnaire, including a series of open ended questions. In total, 2,870 candidates were approached and of these 2870 candidates, 1,504 (52%) completed at least one part of the survey. Similar to the previous study, most PhD candidates surveyed (79%) were employed by the university, 5% of respondents were on a PhD scholarship and external and/or dual PhD candidates (who combine a PhD with other activities) made up 12 per cent of the candidates surveyed. Nearly one third (31%) of the respondents had a non-Dutch nationality. The top three foreign nationalities included German (3%), Italian (3%) and Chinese (2%). Candidates' average age was 31. More than one–third of candidates (36%) were older than 31. Fifty-seven percent of the candidates were female and 43 percent were male.

In line with the previous study, while a survey carried out at one university in the Netherlands may not be representative of the population of PhD candidates as a whole, the data provide rich, contextual data on expectations of PhD duration and reasons for delay.

Results Study 2: Explaining PhD Delay

Using data from this second study, it was possible to determine the current stage of the PhD trajectory for 1,286 respondents: 25 per cent were in their first year, 19 per cent were in their last year, 53 per cent were somewhere in between and 3 per cent had recently graduated. When asked whether they were on track to finish their PhD thesis on time, 60.5 per cent of the PhD candidates reported they expected to finish on time, while 27.5 per cent expected difficulty in finishing on time and another 12 per cent did not know. If we select only those PhD candidates who were in the final year of their PhD, 88 out of 232 (38%) expected to experience problems in finishing on time. For the remainder of the analysis, we refer only to this group of respondents in the final year of their PhD. Not only do these candidates probably know best why they were experiencing a delay (the time to finish their PhD was quickly running out), it is also plausible that an expected delay in the first few years of the PhD trajectory may be resolved at a later stage. Due to the small sample size, we do not exclude external and/or dual PhD students from this study, whereas external and/or dual candidates are excluded from Study 1.

Respondents were asked about the reasons for the expected delay and could choose from ten answer categories, see Figure 3 . Multiple answers could be provided. Responses to this question illustrate that experiencing practical setbacks is the most common reason for a delay, followed by not adhering to the original thesis plan. In contrast to other countries like the US, Dutch PhD candidates do not wait to select a thesis topic until later in the PhD trajectory. Rather, PhD candidates start their trajectory with a clear topic and research plan laid out.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839.g003

We also asked respondents a number of open-ended questions about expected delays. The responses to these questions can be grouped into four broad themes thought to influence delay:

• Thesis-related issues , meaning additional work needed to be done ( n  = 16), such as extra papers being written or statistical analyses taking longer than expected; bad planning or a change in plans, and external circumstances ( n  = 15) such as waiting for donor material, waiting for ethics approval, or as one respondent replied, “experiments were affected due to renovations in the building”.
• Supervisor-related issues . For many respondents, clear guidance and communication were essential to their PhD trajectory ( n  = 17). Stated differently, an absence of clear guidance and communication were seen as integral in explaining their expected delay.
• Personal issues . This includes circumstances at home (n  = 15), such as care responsibilities, or more serious circumstances such as the death of a relative, a candidate suffering from severe illness; or personal difficulties in managing the project ( n  = 8).
• Combination problems . These issues involved trying to combine the PhD with other duties, such as other work (n  = 24); starting a new job before finishing the thesis; or as one respondent replied, needing “to spend time pleasing the grant provider.”

For many respondents, clear guidance and communication were essential to their PhD trajectory. Or rather, they perceived an absence of clear guidance and communication as fundamental in causing delay, as these two respondents discuss:

“I have been having a difficult time relating with my first project which I started with my supervisor, who moved to another institute and who doesn't pay attention to what I am doing anymore. [...] I fell in a void when my previous supervisor left, and no one noticed. It took me 1.5 years to find a new supervisor, start a project etc. That time is lost, and I do not get any (monetary) help on that point.” 4 th year PhD candidate in the Social Sciences, delayed by 6 months and still working on the thesis “My supervisor does not motivate or stimulate me scientifically or socially. He does not provide any practical supervision, nor does he ensure that a secondary supervisor does so, even when explicitly asked to do so and agreeing upon this. This has caused considerable and unnecessary delay in my project. When confronted, the supervisor denies any insufficiencies and does not show willingness to invest in improving the situation.” 4 th year PhD candidate in the Health Sciences delayed by approximately 1 year

The frustration caused by an absence of clear guidance and communication is summed up succinctly by the response of one PhD candidate who stated:

“HE'S LEFT ME ALONE”. (Emphasis in original) 4 th year PhD candidate in the Earth Sciences delayed by approximately 2 years

Answers to these open-ended questions provide interesting insights into PhD candidates' experiences and perceptions of delay. Together with the results from the first study, the data offer a starting point for developing practical tips for preventing delay. One creative and useful way of developing these tips is to apply the Machine Trick to these responses, suggested by famed sociologist Howard Becker [33] :

Take a second. Imagine that you have a spouse/partner. We ask you to tell us what your partner should do to keep you happy. You could talk for hours, mentioning dozens and dozens of examples of what the partner should or should not do. Now we apply the Machine Trick. What should your partner do to make you feel sad and unhappy as quickly as possible? Within five minutes you will be able to sum up the essential things, the opposite of which thus provides key insights into having and maintaining a happy relationship.

To understand key factors contributing to the successful completion of a PhD project, we should ask ourselves what key factors a “machine” would use to make a PhD project fail. Of course, as Becker tells us, in actuality we do not want a PhD project to fail. But utilizing such a machine-designing exercise offers a systematic means of considering which factors contribute to the failure (and conversely the success) of a PhD project.

Applying Becker's Machine Trick to our qualitative data, we can conclude that key steps likely to contribute to the failure of a PhD project include:

• Admit doctoral candidates who demonstrate the least amount of knowledge about their potential PhD topic.
• Base admission decisions on written material only – do not invite candidates for face-to-face interviews.
• Do not test the (English) language proficiency of PhD candidates from abroad.
• Restrict supervision to one supervisor who is overloaded with responsibilities, has multiple PhD candidates and offers no team supervision.
• Restrict supervision to a supervisor who does not care about PhD planning, who will meet with the candidate once every two or three months at the most and who will let the PhD candidate independently determine which criteria are applied in assessing the thesis and if/when progress will be monitored.
• Do not assess whether the candidate possesses the basic and necessary qualities for designing and completing a PhD project prior to enrolment.
• Have the candidate focus solely on reading and do not provide any training in rigorous, academic writing or any other research skills.
• Isolate the candidate: Communication with other experts or peers to discuss one's work should be avoided.
• And please, let the candidate teach for at least for three or four days a week.

These factors will guarantee a delay of the PhD candidate. While these tips may appear self-evident, few studies offer empirical evidence from the perspective of PhD candidates on which to base these recommendations. While further research is needed to test the generalizability of the results shown here, taking steps to develop policies aimed at addressing these concerns can minimize the chances of delay.

In this paper, we have taken a brief look at PhD delay. Results from the first study show significant gender differences in predicting PhD delay, confirming findings from [21] . What is associated with delay differs for men and women. For women, work and social contacts are associated with a reduction in delay, whereas for men, conference attendance and knowing precisely which research questions the candidate wants to answer at the end of the first year is associated with a decrease in delay. We also find that for women, a change in marital status (while controlling for marital status itself), and having had opportunities through their supervisors to establish international contacts are associated with delay. For men, having children younger than 18 in the household or experiencing a change of supervisor or thesis topic is associated with a delay in finishing the PhD. In part, then, our results appear to confirm findings from Waite [23] , that the effects of having children are larger for men than for women. In fact, we find no significant effect of having children under the age of 18 on the PhD delay experienced by women. The absence of a finding here could be a reflection of when women choose to have children. Mastekaasa [34] finds, for example, that there is no relationship between having children and completion rates of doctoral candidates in Norway, as long as children were born prior to commencement of a PhD program. Female doctoral candidates may make a conscious choice to delay childbearing until after PhD completion. However, more research is needed to determine the validity of such an argument.

The second study, looking in more detail at reasons for expected delays, demonstrates that practical setbacks can lead to unnecessary delays in the PhD trajectory. This may not be a surprising finding, given that practical setbacks, such as problems with data, are part of doing research more generally and the PhD experience in particular. However, an individual's ability to deal with these practical setbacks may be what separates a successful scientist from a less successful one. In addition, the open-ended responses provided by PhD candidates in the second study suggest that universities and graduate schools can work with PhD candidates to minimize these delays by:

• ensuring PhD planning takes place within a reasonable timeframe;
• by conducting structural reviews of PhD progress;
• working to ensure effective communication between candidates and supervisors;
• and providing structural support to PhD candidates, for example support for those individuals with caring duties.

We note a number of limitations, however. Our studies were conducted in the Netherlands, and while the Dutch system provides a clear-cut case for examining PhD delay, the PhD system in the Netherlands may not necessarily share characteristics common to doctoral systems in other countries. Internationally comparable data would be welcome in this regard. In addition, we have not been able to control for the diversity in funding sources. The source of funding for a PhD project may be directly or indirectly related to experienced delays. For example, PhD supervisors may be involved as Principle/Chief Investigators on multiple projects, which can lead to reduced time for PhD advising and supervision, which can lead to delay. Conversely, certain funding sources may require regular updates and have structures in place which help to prevent delay. Future research that can account for variation in funding is needed to investigate this further.

Despite these limitations, the results presented here offer important insights for universities and graduate schools. A major lesson we can take from this research is to evaluate the work of potential PhD students before they start their PhD trajectory. The necessity for such an evaluation is one reason that many European graduate schools are considering or have already implemented special tracks within Master degree programs that allow for the development and evaluation of potential PhD research proposals prior to any undertaking of a PhD trajectory. This often occurs in cooperation with a potential supervisor. In this manner, the qualities of the potential candidate can be evaluated before either the candidate or the graduate school invests further time and money into a (sometimes lengthy) PhD trajectory. It can also be a means of testing the working relationship between a candidate and their potential supervisor. An essential component of this approach, however, is that students participating in these special tracks still compete for a position as a PhD candidate. While a proposal developed during a special Master track might be of high quality, this quality should be tested in relation to other candidates applying for the same position.

But more importantly, our results indicate that it is possible to predict which PhD candidates will be delayed:

• Female PhD candidates who experience a change in marital status;
• Female PhD candidates who invest time in international contacts;
• Male candidates with children;
• Male candidates who experience a change in supervisor;
• Candidates who experience practical setbacks (such as problems with data collection);
• Candidates who do not adhere to the original thesis plan;
• Candidates suffering from the absence of clear communication with and guidance from their supervisor(s); and
• Candidates with extenuating personal circumstances.

Of course these findings have to be replicated over time, across countries and in different university settings, but they provide a starting point for policy recommendations. The delays in PhD projects are not inevitable; universities and graduate schools would be well placed to investigate further the reasons for delay and steps that could be taken to minimize this delay. Taking steps to avoid the “machine-generated” fail factors can improve PhD completion rates and reduce PhD delay. Such improvements are not only beneficial to individual PhD candidates, but on a more aggregate scale can lead to an improvement in university competitive advantage and global rankings.

Supporting Information

Appendix s1..

Mplus Syntax.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068839.s001

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: RS MY HS. Performed the experiments: HS MY. Analyzed the data: JM RS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: RS MY HS JM. Wrote the paper: RS MY HS JM.

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• 32. Sonneveld H, Hello E, van de Schoot R. (2011) Promovendimonitor 2011: Promovendi van de universiteit Utrecht. hun oordeel over opleiding, begeleiding en onderzoeksfaciliteiten [PhD monitor 2011: PhD from Utrecht university. their opinion on training, mentoring and research facilities]. Utrecht: Universiteit Utrecht: IVLOS. Available: http://www.phdcentre.eu/nl/publicaties/index.html . Accessed 2013 Jun 6.
• 33. Becker HS. (1998) Tricks of the trade: How to think about your research while you're doing it. University of Chicago Press.

• Quick Takes

Graduate Student Completion Rates Rising but Vary by Discipline

By  Kathryn Palmer

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Completion rates at graduate programs are on the rise, but they may not be as high as conventional wisdom suggests, according to a working paper the National Bureau of Economic Research released this month. 

More than 14 percent of Americans 25 and older hold a graduate degree, and graduate students hold nearly half of all outstanding student debt. Despite the popularity of graduate programs, however, there’s been relatively limited available data about graduate student outcomes, especially related to completion rates. 

To glean some more insight, researchers examined outcomes in Texas over time. They analyzed a decade of student-level data for 543,611 students who entered graduate programs at public and nonprofit universities in the state between 2003 and 2013. It showed that only 58 percent of graduate students who matriculated during the 2003–04 academic year had completed their programs within six years. However, 68 percent of students who entered graduate school during the 2012–13 academic year had completed their programs within the same time frame. 

But completion rates varied widely by discipline. While median graduation rates for students in law and health programs exceeded 80 percent, family/consumer sciences and education programs had median completion rates of around 55 percent.

Graduation rates also varied by institution type, with 72 percent of graduate students who entered programs at flagship public universities graduating in six years compared to 57 percent of those who entered programs at non-research-intensive institutions.

In most disciplines, there’s little difference in the amount of accumulated debt between completers and noncompleters. For example, students who earned education-related graduate degrees had an average of $19,544 in student loan debt, whereas those who started but didn't finish averaged $12,030. Similarly, engineering program graduates amassed an average of $4,230 in debt compared to $3,452 for those who didn’t complete their programs. Health and law programs were exceptions to that pattern, with completers typically owing more than double the debt of noncompleters. 

Although completing a graduate degree leads to substantially higher earnings in health and law sectors, earnings are similar—and sometimes even higher—for noncompleters of numerous graduate programs, including those in theology, liberal arts/general studies, visual and performing arts, agriculture, biological and biomedical sciences, communications technologies, and academic doctoral programs. 

“The fact that debt burdens are similar for completers and non-completers in many programs suggests that some students may face a high cost of noncompletion,” the report said. “These students have to pay back debt associated with graduate education, but may not see an earnings return to their investment to help them service this debt.”

A Big Chunk of Professors Flunked U of Florida Post-Tenure Review

After the state required post-tenure reviews, roughly one-fifth of the UF professors evaluated in the first round wer

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DOCTORAL ALL BUT DISSERTATION (ABD)

Did you get to your dissertation and then have to put your Ph.D. on hold? Union Institute & University’s ABD or “All But Dissertation” program is perfect for you. This new program provides an opportunity for students who have completed all requirements for a Ph.D. at another institution, except their doctoral dissertation. Union Institute & University welcomes all applicants who have achieved this stature in their graduate education and whose work aligns with one of our areas of concentration. Now is the perfect time to finish earning your doctorate.

Total credits

Cost per credit hour

Next Start Date

FINISHING YOUR PH.D.

A number of factors may have inhibited your program completion - quite apart from intellectual potential. There are only a few programs in the country designed to streamline completion of the Ph.D. program for those who have made it to the dissertation stage.

• 9-12 credit hour program
• Full & part-time options
• *Hybrid program
• January & July start dates
• Complete your degree in as little as 3 years

*100% online classes with a one-week residency in Cincinnati at the start of each term.

The successful ABD student will take two advanced courses in their area of concentration - the dissertation literature review and the dissertation proposal. Both are offered in sequential semesters after which students undertake the dissertation, thus enabling completion in as little as two years.

PhD concentrations

Union's Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies focuses on four different concentrations described below.

About the Concentration in Educational Studies

Union’s Educational Studies (EDST) concentration is designed to prepare individuals to address the leading education issues through an integrative, holistic, and critical lens. Union’s strength is demonstrated by close collaboration with diverse disciplines engaged in today’s complex problems. The program stands in support of emergent activist scholars by reflecting voices of the global majority (including, but not limited to Black, Brown, Indigenous, Women, Gender fluid, LGBTQIA+, and neurocognitive diversity).

About the Concentration in Ethical & Creative Leadership

Union’s Ethical & Creative Leadership (ECL) concentration is unique in addressing all forms of leadership, stressing values and their application, cultivating one’s creative power and imagination, and connecting leadership philosophies to practical leadership experiences. ECL offers leaders an intellectual grasp of the makings of effective leadership in a diverse multicultural world, equips them with practical strategies and tools for various leadership roles and prepares them to tackle social justice challenges in their institutions and communities.

About the Concentration in Humanities & Culture

Union’s concentration in Humanities & Culture (HMC) allows you to study the human condition, explore creative ways to advance social justice and acknowledge differences among individuals and social groups. HMC draws on a variety of humanities fields – social and political philosophy, history, religious studies, literature, and aesthetics – that relate to social justice and cultural differences.

About the Concentration in Public Policy & Social Change

Union’s Public Policy & Social Change (PPS) concentration prepares students to critically re-examine the principles and values that undergird the public policy process. PPS challenges students to critically interrogate governmental policies through the lens of ethical leadership, creative problem-solving, social justice, diversity, and global interdependence. Students develop multifaceted expertise through courses such as policy processes, policy analysis, conflict resolution, community development, democratic theory, human rights, and global studies.

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must provide:

• All graduate transcripts from accredited institutions, showing award of the master’s degree and subsequent training.
• Documentation of doctoral program completion except for the dissertation by the Registrar or a faculty member affiliated with the prior program.
• Two letters of recommendation, including one reference from someone who holds a Ph.D. (Starting with our January 2022 term, we will require three letters of recommendation).
• A Statement of Purpose which describes the intended dissertation topic, identifies the preferred concentration (HMS, PPS, ECL, or EDST), outlines the circumstances which led to the interruption in doctoral training, and discusses the applicant’s currency in research topics related to the planned dissertation.
• Formal course descriptions for all prior training that supports the selected concentration must also be submitted. If the prior program requires a Comprehensive Exam for doctoral students, that step must have been successfully completed prior to making an application to the Union doctoral program.

Applicants should consult the catalog for the area of concentration requirements. Students whose primary doctoral training is in the biological or physical sciences cannot be considered. Students with credits earned outside the U.S. should have their course work reviewed by AICE or NACES.

Admissions Review Process

The application is reviewed by the Admissions Committee. If materials are deemed appropriate for the next step, the applicant will be interviewed by a member of the Admissions Committee or their designee. If admission is recommended, the course history will be reviewed in light of particular concentration requirements. The admission letter will stipulate which of Union's courses must be completed. Admission may be provisional (to be reassessed after one year), or without condition. Initial review will occur within 48 hours of receipt. 

PROGRAM COMPLETION

Ordinarily, the successful “ABD” applicant will take 850 and 860 courses in their area of concentration in sequential semesters, then undertake the dissertation, thus enabling completion in four semesters. If core learning areas are deemed insufficient in the particular concentration, additional courses may be required. The applicant who has completed a recent dissertation proposal may petition the Dean to waive the 850-course requirement and begin with 860. Students must attend at least one residency, nominate a dissertation Chair who agrees to serve in that role, form a dissertation committee, pass the proposal defense, conduct the dissertation, and pass the dissertation defense. Academic progress is a condition of subsequent term registration.

Dissertation Information and Examples

The program supports a variety of formats for doctoral dissertations, including theoretical, historical, and interpretive research, social action research projects, empirical research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods, and creative dissertations. Below are some examples from each concentration

Education Justice & Equity:

• Hopson, J. (2021).  Texas A&M university system website analysis: Disability and diversity 
• Madry, T. S. (2020). Mentoring: A Leadership Tool for Black Greek Fraternities.
• Maples, G.L. (2019). Surviving the Invisible Wounds of War: As Told by the Unseen Heroes.
• Bolton, D. (2018).  Motivating African American Male Readers Through Mentorship.

Ethical & Creative Leadership:

• Crudup, Larry Terrell (2021). Walk Together Children: Black Congregational Leadership-as-Social Ethic .
• Worthen, Merritt (2020). Showing Faith through Work(s): Examining how Christian-Based Businesses are Practicing Faith in a Materialistic Society .
• Bradbury, Douglas S. (2019) . Quantum Reconciliation: A Framework for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Inescapable Mutuality . ”
• Washington, Michael A. (2019) . Prince Hall Masonic Order Leader and Leadership Development .

Humanities & Culture:

• François, Emery (2021). The Beauty and the Strife: A Memoir of Haiti and Her Legacy in the United States .
• White, Tamara (2020). Visually Representing Diabetes Management for Incarcerated Women in California: A Creative Dissertation .
• Reinstatler, Michelle L. (2019). Becoming Legend: Constructing Paranormal Experience and Cultural Performance in Ghost-Hunting Reality TV shows and Recreational Ghost Hunting .
• Johnson, Jr., James L.  (2018). Sympathy for the Devil: Thawing the Ego and Fostering Empathy through a Theory of Lacanian Reader-response.

Public Policy & Social Change:

• Lewis, Jacinda (2020).   Exploring sex offenders’ experiences through the lens of social justice .
• Nauta, Carmen (2019). Understanding the challenges to lactation initiation and duration among low-income WIC participants in the South Bronx: A phenomenological study
• Rojas, Gina Augon (2018). Navigating Contested Terrain: A Critical Case Study of Guam’s Chamorro Land Trust Residential Land Lease Program.

FINANCIAL AID

All resources available to students who begin the Ph.D. program at Union will be available to “ABD” students unless the length of enrollment at the university is a criterion for a particular scholarship.

Funding Your Future

Explore your financial aid & scholarship options. We strive to make college affordable. See what makes Union the best value.

Online ABD (All But Dissertation) Doctoral Degree Completion Program

Are you an experienced educator who is abd (all but dissertion) in an edd or phd program   in any academic discipline.

If so, you have the experience. You’ve completed the coursework in a doctoral program. But, you haven’t completed your dissertation. Now, you have a path to leave your ABD (All But Dissertation) status behind with Gwynedd Mercy University.

Our innovative Accelerated Executive Doctorate of Education degree completion program for ABDs offers qualified candidates with significant educational experience the opportunity to finish developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to earn your EdD. The program is helmed by Raymond Bandlow, PhD, who received this prestigious award for innovation in higher education  from the American Association of University Administrators.

See Program Details

Request information.

Complete the form below and an admissions counselor will contact you to answer any questions and help as you assemble all the components of your admissions file.

Program Details

Prepare for an advanced career in teaching at the college level, school administration, research, or policy analysis. Our Online Accelerated Doctorate Completion Program for ABDs will strengthen your skills in instruction and leadership in:

• U.S. and international schools
• School districts
• Colleges and universities
• Educational policy organizations
• Government and nonprofit organizations that support education

In 18 months, our rigorous course of studies will honor your previous experience with the global outlook, research skills, policy analysis capabilities, instructional expertise, and practical executive leadership abilities you need to lead and transform educational institutions to meet the needs of all learners. 

Continue developing your dissertation in one of four areas of interest:

• Leadership in PreK-12 Schools and School Districts (superintendent letter of eligibility courses may be included)
• Leadership in Higher Education
• Leadership in Special Education (special education supervisory certification courses may be included)
• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

ABDs in Education may elect any of the above areas of interest. ABDs in any discipline other than education may apply for the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education program.

All of your coursework for the ABD degree completion program, except residencies, will take place online. Those in the degree completion program are only required to take one weekend residency at our Gwynedd Valley campus, just north of Philadelphia.

From the very beginning, you’ll be matched with a faculty advisor who will meet with you in regular dissertation advisement sessions. With GMercyU, there’s no reason to wait any longer — trade up from ABD to EdD and take your place among the next generation of education leaders.

What You Will Learn - Accelerated Executive Doctorate of Education ABD Completion Program

As a GMercyU ABD doctorate graduate, you will be able to:

• Provide leadership in teaching and learning at the K-12 and college levels
• Articulate an educational organization’s mission, goals, and guiding principles that distinguish the organization from others
• Understand the foundational base of organizational theory and demonstrate the ability to bridge theory and practice
• Given scenarios of conflict, choose ethical courses of action, consistent with Gospel values
• Synthesize and analyze data to reveal relations and causality and convert raw data into actionable information
• View problems and challenges through the lens of a scientist, seeking evidence-based conclusions
• Practice and model steward leadership in transforming organizations to better serve all constituents
• Demonstrate facility in the application of technology to solve problems, analyze and synthesize data, and manage information

Personal Support for ABD Students from Day One

GMercyU faculty members understand the challenges of ABD completion programs. That’s why they’ve helped us develop a program specifically for ABD students like you. Right away, you’ll join a small cohort of classmates and be matched with a faculty advisor. You’ll take supervised dissertation courses early in the program to keep your research and writing on track. Day in and day out, you’ll have the support you need to pursue research that improves education for students and the educators who serve them.

After graduation, you’ll join our extensive national and world-wide network of alumni. The colleagues, contacts, and friends you meet will inspire you.

Admission Requirements – Doctorate of Education Degree Completion Program for ABDs

To qualify for admission to our EdD in Education Degree Completion program, you must provide:

• Proof of A.B.D. or Advanced to Doctoral Candidacy or equivalent status from a regionally accredited institution
• A portfolio of coursework, scholarship, and career evidence for the Prior Learning Assessment
• Official graduate transcripts
• A resume showing professional experience and academic scholarship
• Three letters of reference from persons in leadership roles in your chosen area of concentration attesting that you have the ability to engage in studies at the doctoral level and to conduct research
• A personal interview with a member of the graduate faculty representing the applicant’s preferred area of concentration (in person or via electronic means, if the distance is a factor) 
• Evidence that you have received a minimum score of 550 (written), 213 (computer), or 79 (internet) on the TOEFL examination if English is not your first language.

Applicants who cannot meet one or more of the above requirements are encouraged to contact the Program Director for a review of qualifications. After enrollment, you will also need to obtain a Child Abuse Clearance, Criminal Background Check, and Federal Criminal History.

Learn more about GMercyU's online and accelerated  financial aid and tuition. 

You must complete at least 27 credit hours of coursework and practicum experience at Gwynedd Mercy University while completing your EdD with us. We will carry out a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) before your program begins and develop tailored coursework and practicum experiences that respect your previous experiences.

The credit value of your practicum may vary between 3-6 credits depending upon the breadth and depth of your prior learning. In all, your program will take no more than 18 months to complete.   Required courses for all ABD completion students include:

EDU 805	The Ethics of Educational Leadership and Policy
EDU 803	Foundations of Educational Research
EDU 811, 812, 813, 814	Dissertation Advisement I, II, III and IV

In addition, you must take three courses in your concentration area:

Leadership in PreK-12 Schools and School Districts
EDU 821	The Superintendency
EDU 824	Transformational Leadership, Supervision, and School Turn-Around
EDU 828	Practicum I
EDU 829	Practicum II

If you wish to become eligible for a Superintendent Letter of Eligibility, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires 360 hours of district office practicum. You may also need to take the following prerequisites:

EDU 571	The Principalship
EDU 574	School Law and Policy Issues
EDU 576	Human Resources and Staff Development

Doctorate in Education: Leadership in Special Education

EDU 841	Designing Interventions and Assessing Outcomes
EDU 845	Supervision / Administration of Special Education
EDU 848	Practicum I
EDU 849	Practicum II

If you wish to obtain Certification as a Supervisor of Special Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires 360 hours of central office practicum experience. Doctorate in Education: Leadership in Higher Education

EDU 831	Leadership and Administration of Higher Education
EDU 835	Future-Focused Trends and Innovation in Higher Education
EDU 838	Practicum in Higher Education Leadership may substitute for some required coursework

Doctorate in Education: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

EDU 860	Foundations of Teaching and Learning
EDU 861	College Student Development Theory
EDU 862	Critical Perspectives for Underserved Student Populations
EDU 863	Learning Models and Instructional Design

To review course descriptions, please refer to the  graduate catalog.

Meet the Faculty

Carol Etlen, PhD Associate Professor and Director, Masters in Educational Administration Program Read bio

Doctorate in Education

Lead in 21st century education.

Gwynedd Mercy University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Learn more about  GMercyU's accreditation . You can also  view our current accreditation status . 

Related Degrees

Educational Leadership EdD

Post-Master's Principal Certification (K-12)

MS in Educational Administration - K-12 Principal Certification

Post-Master's Superintendent Certification

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Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme

For participation in phase-II of the scheme, please visit phd.digitalindiacorporation.in

Phase 1 of the Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme was initiated in March 2014 for a duration of 9 years, i.e. March 2023.

The login facility of the following users of the phase 1 is being made available at phase 2 portal of the scheme ( phd.digitalindiacorporation.in/phase1/login )

• The PhD candidates who are yet to complete their PhD may report their details e.g. research papers, PhD Completion, thesis submission, etc., along with the documents
• The institutions for verification of PhD completion and other details to be reported by their respective PhD candidates.

In the mean time for reporting of PhD completion, updation in research papers or for any query or assistance, etc, the user may write to [email protected] with the subject line :-

Phase 1 - Name of Institution - Topic (Topic may be replaced with - Updation in Research publications/Updation in PhD Completion Status/Thesis Submission/Others)