PhD(c)?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by edowave, Jan 9, 2011.

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  1. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    You are no longer a candidate if you wash.
     
  2. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    If you finished your dissertation, and the degree was not conferred, which happens, you are not just ABD either... Moreover, PhD Candidate or PhD ABD are really not the same status; ABD could mean the student was never advanced to candidacy with an approved dissertation proposal. Either way there is no official designation for the PhD not being conferred, but the very practical matter of the individual moving beyond the intellectual rape (and financial destruction) of the degree not being conferred.

    Again, it really doesn't matter how one signifies that your PhD degree was not conferred, as long as it is not some misleading abbreviation that confuses someone into thinking it was conferred, such as PhD(c)...
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    You know, this is really getting old, but I'll give it one last shot. If you finish the dissertation but the degree is not conferred, that would tend to mean that you failed your dissertation defense and thus you are ABD.
     
  4. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Yes, that is one type of ABD, but ABD is not an official designation, so it doesn't really matter what nomenclature is used, as long as the PhD Candidate is not claiming the degree was conferred or fostering confusion by using PhD(c).
     
  5. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Claiming to be a PhD candidate means claiming that one is still working on the doctorate and there is still a chance of becoming a doctor.
     
  6. hammergirl

    hammergirl New Member

    a PhD(c) would lead me to think that the person was still pursuing the degree. I had to google ABD since I had NO idea what that meant!

    Personally I've seen the (c) beside people when they are still IN the program (Masters level and above). As for me ... I generally put on my resume the school, the degree name, the date started and the expected completion date. I think the Expected completion date is a good piece of info as it gives the reader some idea of how far along you are in the program ... a % might also suffice.

    If you're 50% completed that's quite a bit different than JUST into the program IMHO
     
  7. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Perhaps, but it also accurately depicts the student's last milestone in the program, which ABD doesn't. Past tense allows you to show action in the past... "was PhD Candidate (2005)"

    I suppose to the PhD Candidate who is still waiting for his or her PhD conferred, or monies to be refunded, they still are a PhD Candidate; after all, it is their resume, so they have the right to say it however they wish, as long as it isn't misleading to someone who isn't trying to pretend it is misleading. ;)
     
  8. distancedoc2007

    distancedoc2007 New Member

    Ahem... Shouldn't we be studying? :)
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    And with that, I think you just won this thread! :beerchug:

    -=Steve=-
     
  10. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    No way. Graduate education is all about navel-gazing and discussing arcane, mostly irrelevant issues.

    In that respect, this thread is almost like grad school practice. :)
     
  11. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Are we not always studying?
     
  12. Bashful

    Bashful New Member

    Not really. Most doctoral students in research programs are probationary until passing orals, at which point they become candidates.
     
  13. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    The (c) means "candidate."

    The candidate has advanced to the dissertation phase.

    That advancement can be signaled by completion of one's comprehensive exams. Or orals. Or acceptance of one's dissertation proposal. Or completion of the course/taught portion. Or acceptance of one's learning agreement (a la Union). Or something else. Or nothing.

    What it doesn't mean is merely an uncompleted Ph.D. Candidacy is a specific phase. Just because you're taking some doctoral courses doesn't make you a candidate.

    While I'm on a rant, I just reviewed about 100 resumes for a job I'm filling. If you don't have a degree, don't list it with projected completion date, unless that date is near. Telling me you have a master's or Ph.D. and leaving it to me to find that your completion date is years away doesn't cut it. I would suggest that you list gently--clearly indicating that it is ongoing--and that you only do this if it is going to be done in the next several months. Oh, and if you're not actively enrolled? Take it off entirely.
     
  14. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    It really is interesting how this trend has emerged. Anything perhaps to enhance one's CV.

    John Doe, PhD (2020 Expected Enrollment Date) (2026 Expected Graduation Date)
     
  15. LGFlood

    LGFlood New Member

    Ha! Thanks for the chuckle!
     
  16. RichC.

    RichC. Member

    How about this : PhD (a)


    The (a) being for applicant. Makes it easier and less wordy for resume purposes.

    :banana:
     
  17. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    Or this: PhD(w)

    The (w) being for wannabe.
     
  18. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Jane Doe, PhD (ccddgp)

    ccddgp (coursework, comps, dissertation, defense, graduation pending)
     

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