Pursuing a Ph.D. isn't a walk in the park. Unless you are extremely passionate about the area you are studying, it is going to be very challenging for you to spend hours on end reading and analyzing data. However, if you are passionate about doing in-depth research, reporting your findings, and teaching students, a Ph.D. might be the perfect fit for you.
A doctoral program is a full-time commitment. There are not many opportunities to earn your Ph.D. on a part-time basis. Why is this? Due to the rigor of the courses, need to working closely with faculty, and teaching obligations, it is merely impossible to fully immerse yourself in academia unless you are there on a full-time basis. The objective of a doctoral program is to challenge you to your thinking limits. After all, it is the highest-level degree you can earn.
So, what is a typical day like for a business Ph.D. student? AACSB interviewed Mikael Bergrant, a doctoral student in finance at the University of South Florida (USA) and here is what he had to say:
What is the hardest thing about being a Ph.D. student?
I really enjoy being a Ph.D. student. However, the hardest part is to balance being a Ph.D. student with other aspects of life. Ph.D. studies require a lot of time and dedication, which often makes having a social life (outside of school) hard or impossible.
How many hours do you spend reading or collecting data per day?
Before starting a new paper, it is important to read all relevant literature and make sure that the idea is in fact unique. Depending on the idea (and the area of research) this can take several weeks. After it has been confirmed that there is a gap in the literature (and your idea is unique) the data collection process can take anywhere from a few days to several months. I am currently working on a paper for which I have collected data over more than two months. It is difficult to generalize, but on average I might spend 4 hours a day reading and 4 hours a day collecting data (not including the time spent on data analysis).
What is the toughest class you have taken? Why?
I have enjoyed almost all classes I have taken. The toughest classes are probably those in which I am only moderately interested. Not pointing out any specific class, I would say that all of them have been in areas outside of my focus (finance).
As far as your teaching obligations, how many students do you teach? And, what subjects?
I currently teach approximately 60 students in a class titled Money and Banking.
On average, how many hours a day would you say you spend devoted to your Ph.D. program between teaching, research, class attendance, etc.?
That’s a very good question. On average, I would say about 12 hours per day.
What are your plans for after graduation?
To get a job as an Assistant Professor at a major research University.
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Often times there isn't enough resources to prepare potential PHD candidates for what lies ahead. You post will make good pre info to students considering a phd study.
Posted by: online masters degree programs | September 05, 2011 at 16:40