The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study is to compare three variables associated with doctoral degree completion to determine if there is a statistical significance between completion time, financial aid status, and ethnicity for women in STEM programs in the United States. Two research questions are addressed in…

The purpose of this study was to determine how resilience factors impact doctoral degree completion after a significant delay of one year or more. The non-completion of doctoral degrees has been a concern due to its economic, social, and personal consequences. The research questions being examined were: (1) What were the various reasons shared by…

High attrition rates in doctoral programs have long plagued the field of higher education. Over the past half century, approximately half of all students who enroll in doctoral program at North American institutions fail to earn their degree (Lovitts, 2001; OECD, 2020; Schneider & Yin, 2011; Sverdlik et al., 2018). The purpose of this study…

Whether studying physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, mathematics, humanities, or education, approximately one in every two doctoral students fail to persist to degree completion (Bowen & Rudenstine, 1992; Lovitts, 2001; Tinto, 2012). A quantitative comparative study focused on two populations; students currently enrolled in the…

This study applies human-centered design principles and involves end users in creating a usable knowledge graph. The aim was to explore the potential advantages of capturing and presenting networked knowledge in a domain for information discovery and decision-making purposes. The case taken for the research is the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program…

The process of persisting successfully in completing an online Ph.D. program for adult learners was the focus of this qualitative research study. There is a significant gap in the literature about the process involved for adult learners pursuing their Ph.D. online. Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach was used to explore the…

The growing concern of doctoral student persistence has increased exponentially in higher education over the past decade. The body of research presented in this dissertation examines the complex phenomenon of persistence and possible pathways to addressing the dilemma of deteriorating academic persistence for doctoral students. It explores and…

A problem in academia exists regarding the length of time it takes doctoral students to finish their program. More doctoral students are enrolled in a doctoral program than ever before, however, graduation rates have not been increasing at the same rate as student enrollment. Of those students who do graduate from their doctoral program,…

U.S. doctoral program completion rates have remained persistently low in the humanities and biomedical sciences despite educators' efforts. A variety of factors, including stress and dissitation advisor-related issues, were associated with high attrition rates and extended time-to-degree for PhD candidates. The purpose of this correlational study…

A significant amount of research has been documented on both attrition and retention of doctoral students. The attrition of doctoral students is a loss to society and academia when the prospective scholar does not complete the rigors of the dissertation journey. The time and money invested by the graduate students and the university is of no true…

Attrition at any level of post-secondary education is costly to the institution and the students. At the doctoral level, students are often funding their education through personal finances while balancing the demands of their careers and families. The time to complete the doctoral degree is growing steadily and 40-60% of students are making the…

The purpose of this study was to determine doctoral students' reasoning for completing the required course work for their degree, but not completing their dissertation and thus the degree. There had not been formal research conducted on the students at Lindenwood that had not completed the doctoral program and the variables behind their not…

This research study explores the doctoral socialization and transnational experiences of sub-Saharan African doctoral students whose education is sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This study is designed to explore the convergence of the international student experience, doctoral student socialization, and the…

Roughly half of all doctoral students who begin a program do not continue through graduation, and many of them face significant financial losses and emotional burdens as a result. Although this completion rate has stayed fairly constant for the past few decades, it has recently gained attention on a national level. In 2011, the National Research…

Many factors--individual, departmental and institutional--have been associated with longer time to degree and progress toward degree completion. Lengthy time to degree affects the availability of resources, advising, persistence, and degree completion. This research identified institutional characteristics that impacted extended time to degree,…