Are dissertations written by DL students inferior to those by B&M students?

Once again, lets not get the length of a paper confused with the quality of a dissertation.

If you are in a field that is largely qualitative and only uses quantitative methods lightly you're going to have a dissertation in the 100+ page category.

If you're in a field that is largely quantitative you're going to see smaller dissertations. I've seen hard science briefs from larger dissertations that have been one pagers and math dissertations that were of the 30 page variety.

If you've got a truly genius level student, expect things to be very concise regardless of the field. You don't get places by taking the longest route.

Thanks,
ITJD

 

John Nash

Interesting man. He was talking about his mental illness and he made one of the most prescient points I have ever heard on the subject: People asked why he was listening to the voices in his head, and Dr. Nash said because they were the same ones that talked to him about his Mathematics. He is "cured" now because he simply chooses not to listen anymore.

Brilliant.

 

Two dissertation duration spectrums…


1. 17 pages…got to love those mathematicians :approve:

Edmund Landau

Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Berlin (Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität); since 1949 – Humboldt-Universität (Humboldt University of Berlin).

Defended publicly and approved together with the linked thesis on 15 July, 1899

Dissertation (English translation): http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0803/0803.3787v2.pdf

2. 2143 pages …the manuscript covers xxxi, including 598 figures, 95 tables, and 11 maps.:eek1:

Williams, Bruce (1975). Archaeology and Historical Problems of the Second Intermediate Period, Ph.D. thesis, The University of Chicago.
Williams: ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORICAL PROBLEMS OF THE SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

Re: YABS: Longest PhD thesis ever?

 

Holy cow! I feel sorry for the dissertation committee that had to read that one! I wonder how long it took him to research and write that diss.

 

I'd fail him for writing a dissertation that long. Try 250-400 pages, and then publish articles with the rest. Why bother with formatting the findings into a dissertation then having to reformat them for publication?

 

Aren’t PhD theses in the humanities and social sciences typically quite long? I wonder if each committee member (re Dr. Williams’ 2143 pages) actually read [all] of it anyway. Nevertheless, someone has to be on record as authoring the longest dissertation.

 

Long, yes, but not THAT long.

 

Seemingly Dr. Bruce Williams is well respected in his area of interest and expertise (Egyptology); however, I would have no personal desire to read a single dissertation of that length … in particular Egyptology.:hypnotized:

 

I've seen theses and dissertations where the thesis/dissertation sections was quite thin but the appendices were very long (one I saw had two volumes, each about 2" thick, mostly data. Another couple had books manuscripts).

 

It's probably a good thing then that you're not on dissertation committees yet. It's not uncommon for history undergrad students aspiring to Ph.D programs at top schools to have a significant body of work in the 500+ page range prior to completing their BA. Especially true if they've been on work study as a RA.

Page bloat happens due to the need to excessively explain your positions. History is a very contentious field because it's almost impossible to prove anyone right or wrong.

 

All of this is irrelevant. We aren't talking about a 600 or 700 page dissertation. A dissertation over 2000 pages is just too long, period.

 

To you it's irrelevant; which shows a lack of understanding of the field you're discussing. To me as a person with a grounding in that field, and who was on the fast track (which is an oxymoron at an average 9 year History Ph.D program) into a top Ph.D program some 20 years ago.. the length isn't a problem, it's expected. (depending on the topic and how hard it is to deliver a compelling argument).

Granted for the work you'd be doing the pay on the other end sucks.. which is why I ran away into IT instead. Now if one of your degrees is in History, from something more than an online school.. then I apologize for the assumption that you lack understanding. Instead I'll just accept a difference of opinion and get on with things.

 

It's interesting that people keep coming back to length = quality (males? haha)...It's already been established that's not a relevant metric.

I will say that the process of online education is different than traditional in-class learning with professors available to speak to you in person one-on-one. I have an M.A. that I got at a traditional B&M school in-class with the same 8 or so professors all the way through the program. Ironically, my final semester was all thesis writing and I only had to meet with them a few times in person - everything else was done via email (suggestions, edits, rewrites, etc.). I am also about to complete my MBA from the same school but in a DL format, the Georgia WebMBA. The experiences have been totally different and while I don't feel like I learned less in the DL program, I would struggle to convene a committee of professors with whom I've met in person maybe once in my life, to have them assist in a thesis (or dissertation).

That being said, I have at least met them once. In person. I think that's why I chose the "DL from B&M is OK" option in the poll. I don't think it's as easy to develop a rapport with people online - especially if you've never met them. I think that personal connection is vital to learning and certainly to getting quality feedback on your dissertation or other research.

 

No kidding, I think I just saw a pig flying by and heard the roar of a monkey from someones posterior. ITJD, you are crazy man....you trying to make the world stop? "I'll just accept a difference of opinion and get on with things" Why don't you beg God for a meteor stike to destroy the planet?

I'm scared, very scared.

 

Let's see...what was that topic again? Oh, that's right, " Are dissertations written by DL students inferior to those by B&M students? Well, I have been on thesis and dissertation committees for a few traditional universities and one virtual. I have also read dozens of dissertations in the course of my research over the years. My experience with a very small sample of Capella dissertations is that they were not inferior to those authored by doctoral candidates from B & M schools.

Just one person's experience.

P.S. The largest dissertation that I have ever seen was about 800 pages (a comprehensive history of an Arizona College) for a Ph.D. in history. The shortest was for a Ph.D. in chemistry that was 70 pages long. I just took a look at mine: 250 pages plus 17 pages of front matter.

 

I think there's something that has been overlooked. If a dissertation is overly long (whatever that means) it's the fault of the dis student's advisor. The student does what they're told to do, they do what they're allowed to do. The supervisor is in charge. It's entirely possible that this particular advisor was a total ball buster and just made this guy document everything between sunrise and sunrise. My point is this, if the dissertation was coming in waaaay too long it was the advisor who wanted it that way.