Are you a PhD student or considering entering a PhD program?

There is a lot of discussion out there about attrition rates (high) and time to completion (long). Much of that discussion focuses on institutions and what they should or could be doing about it.

Beyond asking questions of your prospective programs, what can you do to make sure that you finish and finish in a reasonable time?

Take responsibility.

It is your education, your career, and your life.

While you don’t have control over all of the circumstances, you can decide how you are going to respond to the opportunities and constraints that arise.

How one doctoral student is managing his doctoral studies

I met Christopher Parsons online through Twitter. It became obvious from his tweets that this student was really focused on finishing his dissertation in a timely manner and setting himself up for multiple post-PhD career options.

I asked him to write his story. I’ve added headings to highlight the key points.

Departmental requirements

What struck me first about my present department was the requirement to include a detailed statement of purpose during the application phase of things. Rather than ‘simply’ writing about my research interests, I was expected to provide a preliminary dissertation proposal. This was a shock, but ensured that I got thinking about what my dissertation might look like more than two years before the formal proposal.

The department’s drive to keep me ruminating about my future dissertation didn’t stop there. As part of my first-term coursework I wrote a mock 20-page dissertation proposal. I threw myself into this piece of coursework, going well beyond the minimum, understanding that it could help me complete my program on time by preparing for the future.

While the purpose of the assignment was (ostensibly) to introduce us to outlining large projects, the result was that I had a rough dissertation model to spend the next year and a half working on. It also put me in great shape for applying for SSHRC doctoral awards, and I credit it for my success in securing a fellowship.*

*note for non-Canadians: SSHRC is the federal granting agency for the social sciences and humanities; their doctoral fellowships program is highly competitive

Choosing an advisor

Fortunately, it’s not just me focused on being on-track and completing my degree on time.

My advisor is absolutely insistent that I finish the department’s requirements as laid out in the course calendar. He pushes me to excel, encourages me and provides assistance as I need it.

For example, I was nervous during the comprehensive exams process. Rather than let me push them back somewhat he (and those examining me) refused my requests for a deferral. They maintained that I was suitably ready and saw no reason to delay my progress through the program. They were right. Despite my anxieties I was ready for the exams, passed them, and moved right into preparing a formal dissertation proposal.

I’ve just finished finalizing my committee with my advisor — we went back and forth a bit, and spoke about the characteristics sought in each committee member. In addition to them having academic interests relevant to my project, I wanted people who

• I trusted with my work
• were honest and constructive in their criticism
• worked to a schedule.

My advisor and I are mutually confident that every person on my committee meets these requirements.

Each committee member understands that I want to complete my degree as close to the four year mark as possible. All understand when my funding expires; all understand that I’m personally motivated to finish on time; and all are supportive of my project.

Being strategic

While I’ve been lucky in many ways, I’ve also tried to be fairly strategic.

I work closely with people who’s work I respect and who effectively manage very busy schedules.

I spend a lot of time outlining current and future projects, and diagnosing previous ones. This helps me orient my segmented works into a larger project, determine future research trajectories, and learn from past successes and failures.

I’m doing what I can to read strategically around my key research interests, though leave designated periods of time each week for ‘extracurricular’ reading, research, and writing.

I collaborate internationally, but avoid overextending myself into terribly interesting fields that lack clear overlap with my dissertation’s focus. This strategy is introducing me to future colleagues while substantially deepening my awareness of my research topic and its empirical landscape.

The short version

In essence, I’m doing what I can to manage my own degree.

I’ve chosen a program that has a strong departmental-level emphasis on completing degrees on time. I’ve chosen courses that will clearly assist me in developing my intellectual interests while funnelling into my research project.

My advisor was, in part, chosen because he works to a schedule and demands that I meet program requirement deadlines (we also, obviously, have overlapping research interests). The committee I’m working with is motivated to help me finish on time, and all members are reliable in their own right.

Finally, I’m careful to avoid over-involvement.

It’s my hope that I can continue to guide my degree, work with people supportive of me, and finish the dissertation and program ‘on time’.

Christopher Parsons is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of Victoria in BC, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @caparsons