Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

How do we interpret the recent dramatic increase in the time to earn a Ph.D.?

P Das Gupta1

  • 1Population Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C. 20233, USA.

Social Biology
|February 3, 1998
PubMed
Summary

The time to earn a Ph.D. increased by 2.42 years between 1962 and 1992. This increase was primarily driven by demographic shifts, with 75% attributed to more women and older individuals pursuing doctorates.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Estimation of demographic measures for India, 1881-1961, based on census age distributions.

Population studies·2011
Same author

Evaluation of synthetic antiseptics.

The Antiseptic·2010
Same author

Effect of estradiol on expression of cytoskeletal proteins during spermatogenesis in testis of sexually mature rats.

Indian journal of experimental biology·2005
Same author

Post-marketing surveillance of arteether in malaria.

The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India·2002
Same author

Standardization and decomposition of rates from cross-classified data.

Genus·1994
Same author

Estimation of population coverage in the 1990 United States census based on demographic analysis.

Journal of the American Statistical Association·1993

Area of Science:

  • Higher Education Studies
  • Sociology of Science
  • Demographics

Background:

  • The time elapsed between obtaining a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) has been observed to increase.
  • Previous analyses using Ph.D.-year cohorts may obscure the true trends in doctoral program duration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the factors contributing to the observed increase in time to Ph.D. completion.
  • To address methodological concerns regarding Ph.D.-year cohort data.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a standardization-decomposition technique.
  • Analyzed data comparing time from B.A. to Ph.D. for 1962 and 1992 recipients.
  • Controlled for changes in the age and sex demographics of Ph.D. recipients.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The average time from B.A. to Ph.D. increased from 10.13 years in 1962 to 12.55 years in 1992.
  • Demographic shifts accounted for 75% of this increase.
  • The changing age-sex structure, favoring more women and older students, was the primary driver.

Conclusions:

  • The apparent increase in time to Ph.D. is significantly influenced by demographic changes in the doctoral student population.
  • The findings highlight the importance of considering cohort effects and demographic shifts in educational research.
  • Policy and support systems for doctoral education may need to adapt to the evolving profile of Ph.D. candidates.