Barriers to doctoral dissertation completion were identified from a review of empirical studies of doctoral graduates and graduate students who had not completed a dissertation (ABD students) and reviews of components of doctoral persistence. The Dissertation Barriers Scale, comprising 45 items, was constructed and administered jointly with 2…

The current recessionary market has destabilized national hiring practices in the fields of literature and composition in the United States. Some predict a growth in academic openings in the next several years, but the trend is a shrinking of the job market. In response, graduate programs may need to return to the basics of teaching writing and…

Academic institutions document their rhetoric through the written communications that show up in faculty mailboxes. Much of what arrives serves to remind faculty of what needs to be done to participate in the events and decision-making processes of the institution. The mail encountered by graduate students also reflects hierarchical power inherent…

This autobiographical paper describes the teaching of an adjunct faculty member at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, and the doctoral and postdoctoral students he taught. The paper discusses the author's study of the area of biography and autobiography; the use of ethnography, history, and biography in qualitative research; the…

A discussion of graduate higher education suggests that shifts in demography of graduate school students and changes in traditional doctoral programs will lead to increased participation in doctoral study by the nation's best and brightest students. Declines in doctoral program participation due to demographic shifts, decreasing financial support,…

This report describes activities and accomplishments of a four-year project to develop a doctoral program at the University of Kansas Medical Center to prepare teacher educators, researchers, supervisors/managers, and clinicians in programs in either deafness or learning disabilities and in a combined deafness and learning disabilities program.…

In 1995, doctoral degrees were granted to over 26,000 individuals in the sciences and humanities; however, many other individuals began graduate work with the same aspirations. There are no national estimates to indicate how many students make the decision each year to cease graduate work, but studies at a few selected academic institutions…

This report presents an analysis and synopsis of doctoral and postdoctoral leadership grants funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, Division of Research to Practice, from 1990 through 1996. Doctoral level training grants typically propose programming for the preparation of a truly integrated professional. Postdoctoral training grants…

Four papers from a panel discussion on the topic of doctoral practicum counseling students are presented in this document. The first paper "Professional 'Mentoring' of Doctoral Practicum Students: An Emerging Supervisory Paradigm" by Stuart C. Tentoni describes the author's academic training and experience which relate to the desire to become a…

Students experience homophobia in both covert and overt forms. Covert homophobia exists through the neglect of gay, lesbian, and bisexual topics in graduate psychology programs. Overt homophobia exists through the misinformation and perpetuation of stereotypes by faculty, textbooks, and program administrators. Unfortunately little data exist…

For a counseling psychology training program to be effective, it must keep up with current trends and developments in the field. To evaluate the Counseling Psychology Training Program (CPTP) at the University of Texas at Austin, 74 doctoral level graduates of the program within the decade of 1973-1982 (51 males, 23 females) completed a…

Results are said to confirm that current prestige of graduate sociology departments is essentially a function of prior prestige, rather than of staff productivity. [Available from American Sociological Association, 1722 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036]. (Author/AM)

Reports on results of a questionnaire sent to a random sample of 300 sociologists investigating the extent to which dissertation findings are disseminated through a variety of media. When operational definition of dissertation is broadened, a more extensive transmission of dissertation results than previously reported emerges. [Available from…

Proposes that doctoral education should be subsidized to the extent that it produces externality or public benefits. Among suggested fields that should be subsidized least are those that have the largest proportion in profit making non-Research and Development. (Author/AM)

Presents data from the Association of American Universities regarding current records and trends in providing doctoral education to women and principal minority group members. Data reveal women are receiving doctorates predominately in fields which have traditionally included women. Minority group doctoral students tend to be concentrated in a…