Time to obtain doctorate decreases at Duke, nationally

The time it takes the average student in most Duke graduate programs to earn his degree has been decreasing this decade, following a national trend.

Statistical data, comparing the median graduate times to degree between 1992 and 1995 with those between 1998 and 2001, shows decreases in matriculation time in all five disciplines--humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, biological sciences and engineering. These numbers are below the national average. Only six Duke programs significantly increased the median number of years that their candidates take to earn a doctorate.

Dean of the Graduate School Lewis Siegel said he was pleased with the changes in most programs and attributed them in large part to increased funding for graduate students.

Decreased time

Specifically, biochemistry, cultural anthropology and political science all substantially decreased the average time their students took to earn their doctorates. In the past, biochemistry and political science were the only two Duke graduate programs that exceeded national averages in time to degree.

Siegel, who used to teach biochemistry, said he had been particularly appalled by the department's seven-year median time to degree--half a year above the national average--and took a personal role in encouraging curriculum changes.

"We couldn't recruit students when it took us that long to get them through the process," Siegel said.

Political science, whose time to degree decreased from eight years to 7.3 while national averages increased from 7.9 to 8.3 years, experienced its reduction because of similar curriculum changes and increased financial support, said Rom Coles, the department's graduate studies director.

History, religion and English all increased to a median of around eight years each, although history and English are both still one year and 0.8 years behind their respective national averages. There are no national statistics for religion.

Siegel said he thought the increase in time to degree was primarily due to student perception that a more polished dissertation is necessary to receive a good job.

"Students will tell you it's the job market, but there is pretty good evidence that the job market has not changed much from six years ago--it was lousy then and it's lousy now," Siegel said.

He added that it took some students who were figured into the English and history department statistics longer because they were part of larger applicant classes and thus unable to attain as much student funding.

Ron Witt, director of graduate studies for history, said history students may have taken longer because the department shifted focus to areas in which students must take time to master several languages.

Eric Meyers, director of graduate studies for religion, said he thought the increase was healthy. "[Religion] is a very sophisticated field, and I don't want to change a heck of a lot," he said.

Siegel also said he was not too concerned with the increases.

Funding

Both Meyers and Witt said that lack of funding support was the major obstacle in shortening the time to degree, although funding has increased in the last few years.

Now the Graduate School supports students for the first six years, rather than five. It has also increased stipends, summer research program funding and money spent on those past their sixth year.

These funding increases forced the Graduate School to raise continuation fees by $150 per semester, which primarily affect students past their sixth year, when their costs are no longer covered, Siegel said, adding that he didn't think the fee increase was large enough to make a big difference.

Witt said that although he is pleased with the increased funding, he worried the continuation fees discriminated against departments like history, whose degrees take longer to complete.