How many hours of research, study, and writing per week to earn your doctorate?

It's a good thing we have many docs here, and many who are on their way to becoming docs. Can you please tell me how many hours you devoted, or devote, to research, study, and writing per week to earn your doctorate? A ball park figure is fine. I know it's hard to keep track of this. Thanks! :surprised:

 

I was doing mine off the side of my desk and had a demanding job. This meant that I had to put the work down for several months at a time and then pick it back up and throw a lot of intense work at it. This was the most frustrating part of the whole process. More than once I'd be writing something only to realize I had already written it months before!

So the work mostly came in intense 3-week bursts (vacation time etc.) during which I worked a lot for many hours each day. I got the whole thing done in 4 years, so I was pleased in the end.

I'd like to be able to say I was one of those people that set aside an hour a day and worked on it steadily, but that's never been how I roll.

 

Dr. Rob, thank you, and thanks for allowing us to read your doctoral thesis in the other thread. Very impressive.

 

Thanks for the compliment, and you are very welcome for the thesis.

 

I invested an average of 3-5 hours every day, plus numerous complete days (eg, vacation days, days off work). All this with a full-time job and family responsibilities.

 

Thank you. This is really helpful. I too have the full-time job and family responsibilites, although my youngest of three children is 17 years old. That makes things a bit easier for me. Actually, this is probably the profile for many distance learners.

 

couple of hours a day, bursts on Saturdays and approaching deadlines.

Worked more during summers and semester breaks, esp on the dissertation (I was a community college teacher for most of my doctoral journey).

Never on Sunday - time for worship, time with my family, time to recharge.

Good luck!

Shawn

 

Sounds good. Thank you!

 

My situation was similar to Shawn's. I was working full-time with four children and an extremely supportive wife.

 

Wonderful to read your post, Shawn. Time for worship is extremely important (whether or not one is on an academic journey). I too used Sunday for worship, recharging, etc., although after everyone was in bed on Sunday night, even then I would try to get a few hours of research/writing done.

 

I took 18 months off to work full-time on my doctorate at Bakke Graduate University. 40 hours required for the degree, I have worked on it 4-10 hours per day, most days of the week. Most of the other students are part-time and taking 3-6 years. There are a handful of students I know of who have finished in 18 months. Most of the courses are online, with meeting scheduled with regional mentors and a required city immersion project on location.
I am not sure this is a statistic that is easily translatable from one person to another, and one program to another.
Some read fast, some read slow. Some are research oriented, others practitioner degrees. Some are in technical fields others more contemplative.
I am a fast reader and have written a bunch of books, so the writing is easy for me. I am in the dissertation phase now, that is a full-time job for me. Others will do it part-time and take a year (or more) to do it. I was at graduation last week in Seattle. One guy began in 2003 and just finished! Another guy started in 2011 and finished this June (18 months)

 

Excellent points! Thank you. My PhD program will be on the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. I already have some background on Thomas and own many of the standard sources in my personal library.

Although PhD applications are due in October 2013 (with decisions made in November 2013), I'm organizing myself now to help me later when I get accepted. Yes, I am confident they will accept me to their PhD program even if I have to take additional Master's courses as part of their coursework.

By the way, I've been learning how to use Zotero to catalog my library and it's awesome! Did you guys know about Zotero? Wow! The software "senses" citations in databases like JSTOR or even Amazon.com, and downloads the citiations in whatever style you want. If you're in JSTOR, it will download the PDF file and attach it to the citation. This software is pretty wild and it's free!

This morning I was telling my 17-old daughter about Zotero since we're getting her college applications together (she's a junior in high school). She called me a geek! LOL!! I guess she will not understand the deal until she gets to college.

Before taking her to school this morning, I cited 40 books in my Zotero using Amazon.com. Pretty neat huh? It took me about 25 minutes. (Please don't tell me "been there done that!")

 

Been there done that!

Seriously, all the best in your PhD program.

 

I would do one hour during the weekend spend most of Saturday as the main day of writing. Sundays I did not touch the dissertation at all. During this time I had a full time job and was an online adjunct at one other university, having cut down my online teaching once I reached the dissertation phase of my Ed.D. I also took a semester off from the university one summer, so I could regroup and just enjoy life for a change. I recharged the following Fall semester and picked up the pace.

 

It was just a matter of time before someone let me know. Thank you Dr. Ram.

 

To regroup and enjoy life. . . that's what my wife thinks may not happen when I start my PhD program, but I'm trying my best to not let my studies interfere too much with wifey time. The kids are pretty much grown and I don't have to worry about them too much. Thank you.

 

I dont have any children and my fiancee is military and was deployed during some of my Ed.D studies so it worked out somewhat. To have face time and check in with my other family and friends, I created a schedule for myself that I stuck to. In it I had times for myself and times to check in with others. You might want to create such a schedule to balance the school work load with family time.

 

Your wife is wise! In my experience, doing a doctorate will ruin a lot of what used to be vacation time, and it does make you more mentally absent from daily life even when you're not working directly on it. It definitely comes at a cost to your personal life. It has been great to finish it, and have a real life again!

 

phd time

I am scheduled to defend a dissertation this fall at a well-known brick and mortar university. Frankly it really depends. I'll be honest, I think the PhD varies greatly by individual. I read really well and write really well, and I haven't found it to be all that bad. I think if you don't like those two things it will be much tougher.

The key is to get a topic, STICK WITH IT, and center all of your work around it. People who flip flop are the ones who never finish. It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be finished. Pick a topic you care about and go. A topic you like will keep you motivated when you get tired of the process.

All that being said, I estimate (coursework aside) I will have spent probably 150-200 hours on the dissertation itself when I'm done. I don't know how that compares with others, but I picked a topic and stayed with it, and I think that has been a difference maker for me. I know people who entered the program with me who still haven't picked a topic. When I'm done I will have been in the program for just 2 years. I know that sounds crazy, but I chose to do it and be done. My summers stunk, but I bit the bullet and am just about there, and this is a very traditional program.

Choose your advisor carefully. Look for responsive, non-arrogant, practical people. Avoid odd, arrogant, self-absorbed people. Who graduates their students? Who cares about them? That's who you want. They make all the difference.