CHALLENGES OF PURSUING A PHD DEGREE

“A dissertation is an unpredictable process,” as it can “involve uncertainty, ambiguity, and unexpected events.” Huizenga School’s 2006 Dissertation Guidelines.

Everybody needs some stimulation for continued happiness in life. One way could be intellectual stimulation which could very well be provided by the perusal of a doctorate degree. A doctorate program can certainly fulfil one’s desire for knowledge as well as assist the scholar with the understanding that a few gaps in existing literature could be filled and contribute new research to the research fraternity as to the world.

In one’s journey of academics, fulfilment of a doctorate degree is one of the highest honours. In the context of academic degrees, the term “philosophy” does not refer solely to the field of philosophy, but is used in a broader sense in accordance with its original Greek meaning, which is “love of wisdom”. It is simultaneously not easy to follow this love of wisdom. There are many challenges while accomplishing this high degree of honour. One reason failing to achieve or facing troubles is the time requirement, the rigorous and focused research process, passing the comprehensive examinations, a publication requirement, and successfully finishing the journal of the dissertation. Another biggest challenge for a dissertation study is to keep it focused and simple.

It is certainly not a predictable journey as it involves lot of hassles and troubles and a process in which a candidate tends to loose motivation midway. There are two important elements required to successfully complete the doctoral programme: one to chalk out effectively the requirements for the comprehensive exam and dissertation process so that researchers can start their work with an appropriate supervisor in the early stage of their research process.

There is a growing need for professionally and academically qualified teachers as the world of academia is growing by leaps and bounds. Students entering the competitive world select a university for a few reasons and one significant reason is to have people who could impart knowledge and also assess student’s learning in the most desirable way. To put in simple words, responsibility of teachers is to create and validate knowledge. Educators create knowledge through research and publications, and they validate knowledge through continuous assessment of student learning and achievements. Assessment works as a tool to help measure the knowledge acquired by the students of an academic programme.

There are a lot of doubts in the minds of the researchers before pursuing the doctoral programme as PhD is supposed to be a major scientific work in a scholar’s life. The researcher tends to put up a few queries to him/herself and to the supervisors as well to clear one’s doubt regarding the following:

•  Why should the particular topic be researched?
• What significance the topic would carry?
• How would I balance a PhD programme, family, and/or work?
• The fear of not having free time to enjoy life if the tedious task of a doctoral degree is pursued?
• Who would benefit from this research?
• What study has already been undertaken before in the similar domain?
• Who are the key (important) researchers in this field?
• Will my life be uprooted if I take up this doctoral programme?
• What is the contribution that these researchers have made?
• What are the conclusions of key researchers concerning the topic?
• Whether I would feel lost and overwhelmed with the idea of picking a topic. How would I determine a dissertation topic?
• How will the research follow or complement key researchers’ work?
• How will the research expand or add to the “body of knowledge”?
• What are the potential “real world” applications of this research?
• What do I do (with the literature review) if I am interested in a dissertation topic that is a new area/or uncharted territory?
• What established theory, model, methodology, and survey instrument will be used to provide a sound analytical approach?
• How feasible is working full-time and completing a doctoral program in a reasonable amount of time?
• Who is to be sampled, what is the sample size, and what is the expected return rate?
• Is there any way of completing a Ph.D. without having to do independent research?
• How would I stay motivated and not leave work midway through out all the stages of a perusal of the degree.

These fears and apprehensions could be well handled by the supervisor and people who have already gone through these stages in order to face the challenges more smoothly and successfully complete the doctoral degree.

However, the attempt is not to change the world but to contribute something significant to the world. Therefore, it is advisable to keep the focus of the dissertation narrow, time-bounded, and under one’s given limited available resources. The student should make sure that the survey implementation and data gathering are feasible to be undertaken. After all, it is not easy to add a doctor to your name.