The Doctor Of Philosophy Degree

Since its early American inception in the mid 19th century, the Ph.D. has been the hallmark of American higher education. It has become the capstone for a multitude of disciplines and professional education, overshadowing other degree programs. Yet it has not been above controversy. Recent discussions of its purpose vis-a-vis teaching and professional endeavors have continued a long tradition of examining graduate education.

This selective, annotated bibliography offers an entree to the Ph.D. phenomenon. Of interest to administrators, educators, and scholars, the volume covers the history, research, and evolution of the Ph.D. An introductory essay offers an historical overview and sets the degree within the context of contemporary research.

The following chapters provide annotated entries on publications covering issues surrounding the Ph.D. Organized into four sections, the entries cover the controversies, critical studies, and purpose of the Ph.D. degree for science and technology, the social sciences, and the humanities disciplines.

The entries introduce such topics as acculturation, completion rates, funding, requirements, and structure of the Ph.D. Review: ?The completion and attainment of the Ph.D. degree has become the ultimate educational achievement for a multitude of disciplines. This bibliography promises both to offer an entree into the Ph.D. phenomenon and fill a gap in the reference resources in higher education studies...This slim volume will interest administrators, educators, and scholars as a thorough examination of the representative literature on the Ph.D. degree.

Not only does it cover specific programs at specific universities, but is also conceptualizes overall degree requirements and comparative reports and analyses. It presents a nice balance between older and more recent published findings. This book is organized chronologically and provides a good starting point not only for the graduate student conducting preliminary research into Ph.D. programs, but also for the academic advisor of graduate students.?-NACADA Journal