Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of students' academic, financial, and demographic variables on time to the doctorate

  • Published:
Research in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The time taken to earn doctorates is of major importance to administrators and faculty. By using stepwise multiple regression techniques, this study predicted time to doctorate from the available demographic, academic, and financial variables and determined the significance of each variable on time to the doctorate. The data for this study came from the National Research Council's Doctorate Records File extract prepared for UCLA. This institution is particularly appropriate for a study of this kind, since it annually awards over 400 doctorates in over 75 different majors. Its doctoral recipients represent the range of academic fields of study. The results of this study indicated that source of support was the most important variable in predicting time to doctorate. Following source of support were postdoctoral plans, number of dependents, sex, and field of study. Together these variables explained a significant amount of variation in the criterion variable.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benkin, Ellen M. (1984). Where have all the doctoral students gone?: A study of doctoral student attrition at UCLA. Doctoral Dissertation: University of California, Los Angeles.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berelson, Bernard. (1960).Graduate Education in the United States. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolph, Robert Frank. (1983). Factors relating to success or failure in obtaining the doctorate. Doctoral dissertation: Georgia State University.

  • Rice, Linda Teague. (1981). A profile of the female doctoral student who persisted to the completion of the doctoral degree. Doctoral dissertation: Auburn University.

  • Rudd, Ernest. (1985).A New Look At Postgraduate Failure. Guildford, Surrey, England: Society For Research Into Higher Education and NFER-NELSON.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, Allen, Gottlieb, David, and Pease, John. (1964). Attrition of graduate students at the Ph.D. level in the traditional arts and sciences. East Lansing: Office of Research and Development and the Graduate School, Michigan State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, Kenneth M. (1965).Of Time and the Doctorate. Atlanta: Southern Regional Education Board.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institutional Research, Graduate Division, University of California, 90024, Los Angeles, CA

    Jamal Abedi &  Ellen Benkin (Director)

Authors
  1. Jamal Abedi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ellen Benkin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Abedi, J., Benkin, E. The effects of students' academic, financial, and demographic variables on time to the doctorate. Res High Educ 27, 3–14 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992302

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992302

Keywords

Search

Navigation