Earning a doctoral degree takes years of dedicated study. This extended process can be challenging for some students who are surprised by the rigor of a doctoral program. Other students thrive on being given the time to dedicate to research and writing.
Doctoral study can yield many benefits. At the end of a doctoral program, you will graduate as an established researcher in your field. The knowledge you add to the body of existing work may influence others for years to come.
Before you begin your doctoral studies, know that there are many rewarding and challenging experiences ahead. The more you can prepare for what life will be like as a doctoral student, the easier it will be to transition into the role.
You will grow academically in a doctoral program. You will also grow as a person. The rigor of doctoral programs requires you to reflect on what you learn and how you learn. You will have challenging conversations and must regularly defend your thinking and research. Going through this transformative process will help you deepen and broaden your approach to your field.
If you are fortunate enough to go through your doctoral program with a cohort of other students, make sure to nurture and build your relationships with them. All of you will experience intense academic and personal growth together. These colleagues will understand what you are going through as you pursue your doctoral degree.
Your doctoral cohort can be a strong support system, offering course recommendations and other practical suggestions and even helping you practice dissertation presentations. Those in your class will become your professional peers when you graduate and can strengthen your professional network. You can also form connections with people in residencies if your program has them.
The doctoral program structure requires strong organization. Undergraduate and master’s courses typically have a prescribed structure, including a syllabus and specific due dates. You have learned how to work within those parameters to achieve academic success. Once you are in a doctoral program, especially in the dissertation phase, you will have to organize yourself to achieve success.
There are many tools that doctoral students use to stay organized. These include:
- Digital calendars
- Whiteboards
- Digital textbooks
- Filing systems
- Spreadsheets
- Online folder organization such as Google Drive or SharePoint
- Note taking apps like OneNote
- Brainstorming apps like Miro
Doctoral students are held to high academic standards. The amount of reading and writing that you will do for your doctoral program may surprise you. When you feel overwhelmed by the intensity of your doctoral program, remember that the work you are doing is valuable. The rigorous courses and academic standards are designed to shape you into an expert in your field.
Many doctoral students become teaching assistants or even lecturers in classes in their academic field. Doctoral students may be assigned to work with undergraduate or master’s level courses. Their duties usually include:
- Running student seminars or discussion groups
- Arranging guest lectures
- Holding office hours
- Grading exams
- Assisting professors and faculty
Graduate students may also become research assistants who help professors with their ongoing research projects. This work allows doctoral students to learn the processes and stages of research required for writing their own dissertations. In a research assistant role, a doctoral student may:
- Collect research
- Communicate with research subjects
- Provide initial data analysis
- Proofread articles for publications
The final work in a doctoral program is the dissertation. You will complete your own research and share the results and the implications of your findings. When you move to the dissertation phase of your doctoral degree program, you will find that you spend time doing three things:
- Data collection and analysis
- Reading
- Writing
You may also continue your teaching or research assistant duties. Once you are in the later stages of the dissertation phase, you may be able to take on an adjunct professor role. This means that, on top of completing your research and writing your dissertation, you may be teaching several classes on your own.
The dissertation is the final piece of a doctoral degree program. Once this is complete and you have submitted and defended your dissertation, you have completed life as a doctoral student.
Earning your doctoral degree is a major academic accomplishment. Many students are able to continue working while enrolled as an online doctoral student, thanks to the flexible programming at Grand Canyon University.
