Doctoral Dissertation Experiences!!!

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by JPMAMBA, Jan 12, 2004.

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  1. JPMAMBA

    JPMAMBA New Member

    Hi all,
    How is everyone doing? I was just wondering if any of you have successfully completed your doctoral dissertation. And for those that have finished the dissertation stage...Congratulations!!! Also, would you please share your experiences with us? such as...

    1) How long did it take you to finish your dissertation (from the proposal to the final dissertation)??

    2) The so-called 'dissertation-help' books, articles, websites and what have you, that you've used??

    3) What was your approach?

    4) And any other positive/negative experiences you might want to share!

    Thanks a million,
    _______
    JPMAMBA
    BA, Business Economics - UCLA
    BBA, Accounting - California State University, Fullerton
    MBA, Financial Management - National University
    DBA, Accounting - Argosy University (IP)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 12, 2004
  2. JPMAMBA

    JPMAMBA New Member

    Hi people!

    Hi people,

    Come on, nobody has any two-cents to throw in?? Please help, guys!!! Thanks a million.

    ________
    JPMAMBA
    BA, Business Economics - UCLA
    BBA, Accounting - California State University, Fullerton
    MBA, Financial Management - National University
    DBA, Accounting - Argosy University (IP)
     
  3. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    While I do not want to speak for others . . .
    Many of the people who have gone through the doctoral degree process have posted messages about their experiences and many of the specific questions you've asked have been answered before. I suspect that it becomes somewhat tiresome for people to post the same personal information over and over. You may need to use the search function to extract the info you're seeking.
    Jack
     
  4. JPMAMBA

    JPMAMBA New Member

    Thanks, Jack

    Thank you, Jack. I'll look them up.
     
  5. Han

    Han New Member

    I posted the same question about 2 months ago, great results - books, info, etc. That may help you in the search.
     
  6. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    My 2 cents:

    Research well, study hard, write a lot, and stay in the good graces of your advisor and commitee members. Overall, be persistent and get the work completed.

    John
     
  7. Han

    Han New Member

    I am in the process, not complete, but I felt a bit lost until I read a few books on the entire process, and just drove in. Now, I am ahead of schedule, but I think persistence will be the key.
     
  8. JPMAMBA

    JPMAMBA New Member

    Kristie,
    What were the books that you've read? By the way, are you working on your dissertation, momentarily? How's it going?

    ________
    JPMAMBA
    BA, Business Economics - UCLA
    BBA, Accounting - California State University, Fullerton
    MBA, Financial Management - National University
    DBA, Accounting - Argosy University (IP)
     
  9. JPMAMBA

    JPMAMBA New Member

    John,
    How long did it take you to complete your dissertation?
    _______
    JPMAMBA
    BA, Business Economics - UCLA
    BBA, Accounting - California State University, Fullerton
    MBA, Financial Management - National University
    DBA, Accounting - Argosy University (IP)
     
  10. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    18 months from start to final approval.


    John
     
  11. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

    My PhD took me 6.5 years full time. From proposal to defense was 5.5 years. The actual dissertation took me 3 months full time to write and edit.
     
  12. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    Just for clarification the overall Ph.D. experience for me was 4 years. I also started doing my research for the Ph.D. within the 1st 6 months into the program. The 18 months above was primarily writing and gathering data and broken up into the dissertation proposal and then the final dissertation.

    John
     
  13. Han

    Han New Member

    Case Sutdy Research by Robert Yin, and How to write a doctral disseration - don't have it in front of me, not sure the author - these were great to start with. I am about 3 months in, and have my outline complete, through a major portion of my lit search, and have all the "start ups" done i.e. binder, schedule, milestones, approvals, etc.

    It is going great so far, but the tough stuff is going to start soon! Presenting to the school in May!
     
  14. Ike

    Ike New Member

    It took me about 32 months to complete my dissertation.

    Robert Yin's book is great for case studies. There are also several helpful websites . An example is this Research Methods Homepage

    I used the multiple-case study research methodology and achieved the goals in my research by following the steps outlined below:

    1. I defined and described the problem to be investigated
    2. I formulated the research questions and propounded a set of research hypotheses
    3 I select the case organizations
    4. I determine data gathering and data analysis techniques.
    5. I collected the data for my research
    6. I analyzed the data and drew conclusions
    7. I reported my results and made recommendation for practice and future studies.

    1. Be mindful of the fact the person who is on the captain's seat is not the person who actually navigates the ship. You are sitting on the captain's seat but your adviser dictates the direction of the ship. The ship in this case is your doctoral research.
    2. Choose goals that are achievable within a short time period.
    3. Discuss your topic with your prospective advisor before forwarding your idea paper/preliminary proposal to him or her.
    4. Be prepared to accept criticism of your writing style, grammar, etc.
    5. A successful doctoral dissertation does to hinge only on how well you can write. It depends largely on how well you can carry out a scholarly investigation and subsequently communicate the findings of such investigations in a scholarly fashion. There are many ABDs today who communicate perfectly in written English but cannot conduct a doctoral research.

    Ike Okonkwo, PhD.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 18, 2004
  15. JPMAMBA

    JPMAMBA New Member

    Thanks!

    Thanks, Dr. Okonkwo!
     
  16. Ike

    Ike New Member

    Re: Re: Doctoral Dissertation Experiences!!!




    Corrections:

    Approach:

    3 I selected the case organizations
    4. I determined data gathering and data analysis techniques.


    Experiences/Advice:

    5. A successful doctoral dissertation does not hinge on only how well you can write. It depends largely on how well you can carry out a scholarly investigation and subsequently communicate the findings of such investigations in a scholarly fashion. There are many ABDs today who can communicate perfectly in written English but are incapable of conducting a doctoral research.

    Ike Okonkwo, PhD
     
  17. obecve

    obecve New Member

    The advisor is key to the dissertation process. If you have a topic your advisor is interested in and can support, it makes it easier for them to remain interested and to support you through the difficult periods. A dissertation is such a long process it is easy to get distracted or overwhelmed or lost. If your chair is interestd they can help bring you back or keep you focused. If the topic is not well supported by the chair it will be hard to drag it through the process.

    I also think it is helpful to take a couple of other steps. Read several other dissertations on topics similar to yours. Read both quantitative and qualitative studies. Qualititative studites will typically be much longer. I think this helps you understand the final product, but it also help you understand writing style and that the goal is reachable.


    Finally, I think working with a peer group can be helpful. Each of you can check or challenge one anothers work and keep one another on track. Even the on-line groups such as phinished.com can be very helpful.
     

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