This statement establishes principles for graduate student mentorship that is inclusive, equitable, sustained, and networked. These principles are intended for graduate faculty and program administrators in masters and doctoral programs in rhetoric and composition and related fields to help sustain robust mentorship and related initiatives…

To meet the dynamic academic demands of twenty-first century digital learners, many institutions of higher learning are offering more online classes than ever before that are accessible to both traditional and non-traditional learners. As such, a growing demand for online courses implies that participating institutions provide faculty with…

This study explores learner experiences regarding skills acquisition of a cohort of engineering doctoral students enrolled in a New Zealand university. Employing a qualitative methodology, we interviewed 28 PhD students about the range of experiences and exchanges that comprised their pathways to skill acquisition. Students reported that research…

African-American representation in doctoral programs from 1970 through the mid-1990s was examined through recent literature. Although the number of doctorates awarded to African Americans has increased, the percentage awarded to this group is constant. Economic disparity along racial and gender lines persists and, increasingly, a professional…

This examination of the literature on doctoral programs, dissertations, and graduates in library and information science identifies trends in the establishment and development of these programs, as well as overriding themes in the literature during three time periods based on the publication of the landmark Danton report in 1959. (CLB)

Graduate students in fields in which an advanced degree is gained traditionally as preparation for college teaching develop their self-images as scholars and teachers with faculty at selective research institutions as their only role models. A better approach would be to require graduate students to observe daily operations of a different…

Reports on a study in which 19 doctoral students were interviewed regarding their own self-esteem and their attitudes toward undergraduate student and professors. Finds differences between precandidate and candidate graduate students in all three areas. Asserts that these differences are evidence that doctoral programs encourage a shift away from…

In 2004, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board released a report that called for the state's public universities to be held accountable for the effectiveness and quality of their doctoral programs. The author believes that this report has the potential to transform the practice of doctoral education in the Lone Star State, because the…

Describes a Teaching of Psychology course required for University of Alabama psychology doctoral students. Reports that graduate students take full responsibility for teaching an introductory psychology section and participate in a weekly seminar on practical and theoretical issues. Suggests that both faculty and graduate students are satisfied…

Discusses the lack of teacher training provided for teaching assistants in history departments. Argues that emphasis on research and publication is misplaced because most new Ph.D.s will be teaching rather than publishing. Urges teacher training to prepare graduate students for their chosen profession and to improve undergraduate education. (DK)

This study builds upon prior research studies of academic drift and the diversity of higher education systems to examine how universities grow and to ask whether such growth produces greater or lesser diversity within higher education systems. The study uses data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System from 1988-89 through 1995-96…

A study investigated the factors influencing the decision of 180 doctoral students in higher-education administration to apply to their current institutions. Factors found particularly important to students of color included academic reputation and faculty friendliness, in addition to those factors rated as important by students in general. (MSE)

Contends that, in recent years, over half of the Ph.D.s awarded in economics in the United States have gone to foreign students. Asserts that the time-to-completion for the economics Ph.D. degree also has increased. Explores this relationship along with why foreign students study in the United States. (CFR)

A compilation of descriptions of graduate programs in the field of higher education is presented as prepared by the ASHE Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Learning. The report is based on a survey of the 92 directors of masters and doctoral programs in higher education in the United States and Canada. For each of 65 respondents, one-page…

Institutional research at the University of California at Berkeley on graduate student attrition is discussed, focusing on when students in a given discipline are likely to leave a program and factors to which departments attribute attrition. Recommendations for increasing retention are offered, including institutional policies and strategies,…