This study illuminates the rich and unique experiences of alumni who successfully completed a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.). During two open-ended interview sessions, eight participants revealed the barriers they encountered and successfully navigated to complete their doctoral programs. Some findings align with previously known barriers from extant…

A significant amount of research has been documented on both attrition and retention of doctoral students. The attrition of doctoral students is a loss to society and academia when the prospective scholar does not complete the rigors of the dissertation journey. The time and money invested by the graduate students and the university is of no true…

The purpose of this article is to examine student retention rates and graduation among a doctoral program at a Mid-Atlantic institution. This qualitative study found that faculty encouragement, self-motivation, the cohort model, and the structure of this program contributed to its success. The authors recommend a universal model of retention, as…

The purpose of this manuscript is to suggest strategies for advising doctoral students in an online doctoral program in educational leadership and higher education. The strategies are based on experiences with 33 doctoral students who completed their doctoral degrees 1992-2016. The strategies for doctoral advising offered in this manuscript are…

Faculty and peer interactions play a key role in shaping graduate student socialization. Yet, within the literature on graduate student socialization, researchers have primarily focused on understanding the nature and impact of faculty alone, and much less is known about how peer interactions also contribute to graduate student outcomes. Using a…

The purpose of this study is to better understand the differences in selected retention constructs by student nationality in US graduate programs. Surveys administered at four universities across the United States during fall 2010 resulted in responses from 685 PhD students from six international regions. Using univariate ANOVA, responses were…

This study sought to understand why some students at Eagle University (pseudo.) complete the doctoral program in instructional technology while others do not. The study explores factors and issues affecting doctoral attrition and completion of the Ph.D. in instructional technology (IT) in the College of Education at Eagle University, a major…

Given the large continued investment by the federal government in programs that promote academic success and the pursuit of advanced degrees in the sciences among members groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, there is a strong need for research which provides rigorous investigations of these programs and their impact on the target…

Despite the worldwide prestige of America's doctoral programs in the humanities, all is not well in this area of higher education and hasn't been for some time. The content of graduate programs has undergone major changes, while high rates of student attrition, long times to degree, and financial burdens prevail. In response, the Andrew W. Mellon…

Focus is on two areas: (1) the factors available to the selection committee when students apply for admission into graduate programs, and (2) those factors emerging after admission, resulting from students' meeting program-imposed requirements for graduation. Program variables are shown to be more important than admission variables. (Author/LBH)

Using a data base compiled by the Graduate School of Northwestern University, a longitudinal study of the graduate school careers of 2,211 students in 14 programs was conducted. Among the most prominent findings was the increase in the enrollment of foreign students. The patterns of attainment of graduate school milestones, such as Ph. D.…

Using grade point average and graduation-nongraduation as two separate criteria and eight predictor variables selected from doctoral applicants' folders at an Arizona university, a canonical correlation of .624 for a sample of 65 graduate students shrank to -.095 for a cross validation sample of 21 students. (CTM)

This report presents preliminary statistics on program completions in accredited institutions of higher education in the United States during academic year 1986-87. The tabular summaries presented in the report are based on data collected through the annual survey of completions which is part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.…

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude and Advanced Tests were evaluated as predictors of a dichotomous criterion of whether or not the candidate attained the doctorate within a specified length of time. More specifically, the project attempted to define subgroups for which the GRE tests have varying degrees of validity, and to provide…