On time to the doctorate : a study of the increased time to complete doctorates in science and engineering / Howard Tuckman, Susan Coyle, Yupin Bae.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tuckman, Howard P.

Contributor:

Coyle, Susan.

Bae, Yupin.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Study and teaching (Higher)--United States.

Science.

Engineering--Study and teaching (Higher)--United States.

Engineering.

Doctor of philosophy degree.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (187 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1990.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A need exists for better models of what contributes to changes in the time that students take to complete doctorate degrees. Utilizing numerous data sources, On Time to the Doctorate presents a new model to explain changes in both total time to the doctorate and in the several components of time to the doctorate. It examines the lengthening time to the doctorate in many fields (chemistry; physics and astronomy; earth, atmospheric, and marine sciences; mathematical sciences; engineering; agricultural sciences; biological sciences; health sciences; psychology; economics; and "all other social sciences") and provides theoretical explanations for this lengthening time. This thorough and current analysis of time to the doctorate provides an up-to-date, extensive review of the literature and an exposition of data not available elsewhere.

Contents:

On Time to the Doctorate

Copyright

Preface

Contents

Executive Summary

FINDINGS

Trends in TTD

Trends in Components of TTD

Modeling TTD

CONCLUSIONS

1 What has been Happening to Time to the Doctorate?

COMPONENTS OF TIME TO THE DOCTORATE AND HOW THEY HAVE CHANGED THROUGH TIME

The Several Kinds of Time

Mean Total Time to the Doctorate

Mean Time Spent Prior to Graduate Entrance

Mean Registered Time to the Doctorate

Mean Time Spent Away from the University

Summary

THE NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TIME TREND

The Two Models

Patterns of Change

The Shape of Change

MANPOWER LOSS FROM LENGTHENING TOTAL TIME TO THE DOCTORATE

2 Models of the Factors that Affect Student Choice and Time to the Doctorate: A Literature Survey

LITERATURE ON PERSISTENCE AND ATTRITION

LITERATURE ON EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS

LITERATURE ON ENROLLMENTS

LITERATURE ON EXPECTED RETURNS

LITERATURE ON TTD

SUMMARY

3 A Model of the Determinants of TTD

THE MODEL

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF OPPORTUNITY COSTS

FINANCIAL AID AND ITS IMPACT ON COMPLETION TIMES

The Impact of Type of Aid

Effects on the Components of TTD

MARKET FORCES AND COMPLETION TIMES

Effects of Changes in Relative Salaries

Effects of Employment Opportunities

THE VARIABLES USED TO DEVELOP THE MODEL

4 The Relationship Between the Five Vectors of Variables and TTD and its Components: A Comparison of Zero-Order Correlations

THE IMPORTANCE OF DISAGGREGATION BY FIELD

CHANGES IN FAMILY BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS

CHANGES IN STUDENT ATTRIBUTES

CHANGES IN TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID

CHANGES IN INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

CHANGES IN MARKET FORCES

Salary Variables

Employment Indicator Variables

THE STOCK VARIABLE

THE ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION OF THE VECTORS

SUMMARY.

5 Changes in TTD

COMMON VARIABLES MODEL

Log Linear Equations

Weaknesses of the Common Variables Model

UNIQUE VARIABLES MODEL

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Limitations of the Analysis

What Can Be Learned from the Findings?

6 Changes in Registered Time to the Doctorate, Time Prior to Graduate Entrance, and Time Enrolled in the University

REGISTERED TIME TO THE DOCTORATE

RTD in the Common Variables Model Using Linear and Log Linear Equations

RTD in the Unique Variables Model

Evaluation of the Results

TIME SPENT PRIOR TO GRADUATE SCHOOL ENTRANCE (TPGE)

TIME NOT ENROLLED IN THE UNIVERSITY (TNEU)

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

7 Past as Prologue

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO TIME TO THE DOCTORATE?

Total Time to the Doctorate

Registered Time to the Doctorate

Variation Around the Mean

COULD CHANGES IN TPGE AND TNEU HAVE BEEN LARGE ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN THE CHANGE IN TTD?

POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS

Epistemic Explanations

Institutional Explanations

Student Preference-Based Explanations

Financial Need-Based Explanations

Demographic and Ability-Based Explanations

Market-Based Explanations

Is There A Single Explanation for Increase in TTD?

IMPLICATIONS OF A CONTINUING RISE IN TTD

A More Resource-Intensive Doctoral Program

A Longer Gestation Period

Increased Attrition

Lower Returns for Graduate Study

Changes in the Attractiveness of Alternative Doctorate Careers

TTD AS A POLICY INSTRUMENT

Selected Bibliography

Appendixes

Appendix B List of Acronyms.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9786610214228

9781280214226

1280214228

9780309595902

0309595908

9780585143422

0585143420

OCLC:

70772906