Enrolling in a Doctoral program is an enormous commitment that can often feel overwhelming in the initial stages. If you're a long-term planner like me, this roadmap to degree completion and tips for success during your program is worth a review.
You likely already know the basics of obtaining a doctoral degree - complete the required coursework and finish a dissertation. But how exactly does that work? Read on for a detailed explanation of the critical milestones to degree completion.
Disclaimer: Not all doctoral degrees follow the exact process detailed below. I attended Saint Mary's University of Minnesota to obtain a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), a doctorate degree focused on practitioner-based dissertation research. However, many programs follow a process similar to the one below.
Coursework
Course requirements for programs are all slightly different, but will typically include similar coursework as an MBA - just elevated to the doctoral level. Most will take 2-3 years, assuming you're enrolling in a part-time program. The program at SMU ends with a Seminar course which culminates with a written prospectus and presentation (more on that below).
Comprehensive Exams
This one is often an anxiety-inducer for most new DBA students. What are comps? How in the heck do I pass this?
In my program, comprehensive exams (or comps) are made up of a written and oral portion. We had 4 questions, based on the primary topics in the program, that had to be answered over 10 days. The most popular question? How long should it be? To quote some of the faculty, "As long as needed to effectively answer the questions." ;) There is no page requirement/limit, but as long as you address each question (and sub-question) thoroughly, and with supported literature, that is the important part.
If your written exam is deemed acceptable, you'll move on to an oral exam to defend what you've written. In preparation, make sure you've read your written exam and can provide justifications for the answers you provided.
Research Proposal
Once you pass your comps, you're officially a Doctoral Candidate (congrats!) and move into the dissertation phase. If you've been following Tip #2 below, hopefully you have a good start on your research proposal, which is comprised of the first 3 chapters of your dissertation (if you're in a 5 Chapter Dissertation program). You'll select a committee chair and two additional members (sometimes more) who will review your proposal and provide feedback.
For many, this is the most difficult part of the DBA process, when it's easy to stall out. Life after coursework fills back in - there are no more courses to set deadlines and keep you accountable. The onus is on YOU to make progress on refining the introduction, delving deep into the literature review, and crafting a methodology that can answer your research question. Again, there are no page requirements, but many proposals are in the 100+ page range.
Once your proposal is in good shape, and you've incorporated the feedback from your committee, you need to orally defend your proposal to the committee before you can formally begin the research (executing your Methodology section).
IRB Approval
Most DBA projects include research on human subjects and are therefore required to go through ethical review. Depending on your research design (interviews, surveys, secondary data collection), the IRB process is a bit different. But expect this to take 2-6 weeks. You need to submit your proposed study to the institutional review board at your University for ethical review. They may have further comments and refinements to your research design. This step cannot be done until you have committee approval on your research proposal, and you cannot start data collection until you've received IRB authorization to begin.
Dissertation Defense
The big question - what is a dissertation?
While some programs have different requirements, many follow the traditional 5-Chapter dissertation format. I won't go into detail here, but each chapter includes:
Chapter 1 - Introduction (your Prospectus is similar to what is required in Chapter 1) Chapter 2 - Literature review
Chapter 3 - Methodology
Chapter 4 - Results
Chapter 5 - Discussion
Once you receive IRB approval, you can begin the data collection and analysis process. Once this is completed, you write Chapters 4 and 5 and again send them to your committee for review. After you incorporate any feedback from the committee - you're ready for Dissertation Defense! This oral presentation will be given to your committee (and is sometimes open to the public). It's pretty self-explanatory - you will defend your research, the findings and your interpretation and limitations. It's unlikely that you'll get to this stage unless your committee feels you were successful, but it's understandably a stressful experience for many.
So, that is the process. Read on for additional tips!
Top Tips for a Successful DBA Experience
Next, here are a few tips for a successful DBA experience.
Tip #1 - Choose a Reference Management System
You'll be hit with journal article overload pretty early on in your coursework. Choosing a software program that can help you manage all the articles you'll be required to read (and cite) will help make your scholarly life easier in the long run. See the blog on Reference Management Systems for help and a tutorial (coming soon).
Tip #2 - Leverage your class assignments
You may or may not have an idea for a dissertation topic. My advice - try to choose a broad topic of interest early on in your program. Knowing at least a general area of interest allows you to cater some of your assignments that require a literature review, to your area of interest. You can effectively build your literature review (Chapter 2) using assignments completed throughout your coursework.
A good dissertation is a done dissertation - start working on it early!
Tip #3 - Collaborate with faculty and classmates
Take advantage of opportunities to collaborate with faculty and classmates. This may even lead to a publishable manuscript, which is especially helpful if you intend to pursue a career in higher education.
Work on projects together
Attend academic conferences
Attend Doctoral Consortiums,
Join academic organizations
Tip #4 - Participate in Class
The final, but perhaps most important, tip is simple - show up and participate! Attend class regularly and engage in classroom discourse. This is the best way to prepare for exams and your dissertation.
Get the DBA!
Obtaining a terminal degree is daunting, but doable. With proper planning and commitment, you CAN turn your master's into a doctorate. What other tips do you have for completing a DBA?
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