On Time to the Doctorate A Study of the Lengthening Time to Completion for Doctorates in Science and Engineering (1990) / Chapter Skim
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7 PAST AS PROLOGUE
7 PAST AS PROLOGUE
Pages 93-106
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From page 93... ...
Total Time to the Doctorate Despite ample evidence that t~1 l) has been increasing for years, public attention to the question of how long it should take to complete the doctorate has diminished.
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From page 94... ...
In seven fields, RTD increased more than TTD between 1967 and 1986. For example, RTD rose by 49 percent in the social sciences, compared to a 22-percent increase in TTD; in economics, the comparable figures were 37 percent and 4 percent; in earth, atmospheric, and marine sciences, 28 percent and 14 percent; and in agricultural sciences, 22 percent and 8 percent.
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From page 95... ...
In 1986, the low field was still chemistry with a mean RTD of 5.8 years; the high field was psychology, with a mean of 7.5 years. The difference between the two fields is 1.7 years, compared to 6.1 years using the TTD measure, and the range between high and low fields for RTD grew by 0.2 years from 1967 to 1986, far less than the 1.9 year growth observed using 'l-lL)
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From page 96... ...
First, the low TMEs for most fields in 1986 suggest that most doctorate recipients entered graduate school soon after completing the baccalaureate. And, while TPGE rose in a majority of fields, the increase was not great enough to explain more than a small fraction of the increase in AD between 1967 and 1986.21 Three of the four fields with large increases in 1-~D also had large increases in URGE: health sciences, math, and psychology.
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From page 97... ...
This study indirectly measures changes in the institutional environment over 97
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From page 98... ...
These preferences are not easily captured in a time-series model because no consensus exists on which student attitudes should be measured and on how to measure them and, at present, the Survey of Earned Doctorates, the only yearly study of doctoral students, does not collect information on graduate student preferences over time. Many factors can cause students to change their reasons for attending or for leaving graduate school.
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From page 99... ...
Interestingly, mean 'folly either fell or stayed constant between 1986 and 1987 for TA holders in seven fields and for federal fellowship holders in eight fields; it rose in seven fields for RA holders and for those who provided their own support. The effect of financial aid on TTD is not as apparent in the causal models presented in Chapters 5 and 6.
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From page 100... ...
Recent interest in certain demographic factors probably is a response to trends in the DRF data. For example, in 1976 women constituted just 22 percent of the 18,583 science and engineering doctorate recipients.
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From page 101... ...
Increases in the unemployment rate for those with four or more years of college education reduced RTD in four fields in one model while increased unemployment affected TTD in only one field. Changes in the percentage of students seeking employment and of those with definite postgraduate plans affected TTD and RTD, but only in a few fields.
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From page 102... ...
In some fields, variables such as residency and gender also affected TTD, as did financial need. This study also suggests that market forces, particularly increases in the unemployment rate and in the salaries of doctorates and nondoctorates, affect TTD.
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From page 103... ...
A Longer Gestation Period Increases in IBID force employers to wait longer to hire new doctorates, potentially causing a shortage of trained workers in affected fields and driving up the salaries of those who already hold doctorates. Lengthening 'lurid can also contribute to a public perception of shortage and thereby increase pressures for public subsidies in fields in which trained doctorates appear to be in short supply.
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From page 104... ...
Increased Attrition' - To the extent that increases in RTD are due to factors beyond student control such as increased financial pressures, frustration created by the length of time required to complete the doctorate, of "better" opportunities-some students may choose to abandon their graduate studies altogether. The literature review uncovered no studies that looked at how changes in RTD and TTD affected student attrition, but it seems likely that, at the margin, some students consider cost when deciding to forego an additional year of graduate school.
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From page 105... ...
Some students may find changes in l-lD have made alternatives to a doctoral degree more attractive. For example, in many graduate schools, the Master's of Business Administration degree takes only two years to complete; thus, if the l-lD required to obtain a doctorate in the sciences increases, some students will opt instead to obtain an MBA.
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From page 106... ...
before assessments of the desirability of such a solution can be made. Data are simply not available to permit policymakers to choose the best way to affect lolls or to assess the consequences of the various alternative solutions proposed by other studies.
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