Dissertation ‘syndrome’ impedes graduates
By Michael Hosmar
Of the Emerald
Like a marathon runner who
hits the wall at mile 20,
graduate students may hit walls
when it comes time to write
their dissertations.
Almost 60 percent of the
graduate students who finish
their preliminary studies and
comprehensive exams never
finish their degrees, according
to a recent story in the Seattle
Times newspaper.
“Graduate students make
typical progress from their one
year of residence to comprehen
sive exams, but slow down
when it comes to the disserta
tion,” says Shirley Menaker,
dean of the graduate school.
She says some people call it the
“Oh, but the dissertation
syndrome.”
“It’s a well-known trend from
the last two decades,” Menaker
says. She says graduate
students in the science fields
finish faster because they are a
little more competitive than
students in other fields. Social
science and English graduate
students can take longer to
finish their degrees because
those fields get more financial
support for a longer period of
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Page 6A
time compared with the
sciences, she says.
There is no direct economic
advantage for a graduate stu
dent to stay in school, even
though fees are lower when the
students are writing their
dissertations, Menaker says.
Some students have been
pulled away from graduate
school by job offers from junior
colleges, she says, because
junior colleges will hire
graduate students without
degrees.
Some institutions are taking
measures to create more incen
tives for graduate students to
an agreed-upon period of time,
or the work contract will be
taken away from the student.
"The reason people (graduate
students) stayed enrolled so
long was because there was so
much research available," says
Benton Johnson, head of the
sociology department. In the
past, students were more inclin
ed to put off their degrees and
get involved in research, he
says.
"Now days, people are wor
rying about how to make ends
meet," Benton says.
One sociology graduate stu
dent (who prefers to remain
‘Sometimes the idea you start out with
doesn't pan out. The number of ex
periments that have to be done — even if
things go smoothly — takes a long time.9
—George Sprague
finish their degrees on time,
says Menaker.
In the past, students at the
University had to retake com
prehensive exams if more than
three years passed between the
time the student took the exams
and the time the student finish
ed his or her dissertation,
Menaker says, adding that the
policy was too often appealed
by students.
That policy was recently
changed. Now graduate
students have seven years to
finish their degrees, allowing
only one extra year between tak
ing the exams and completing
the dissertations, she says.
“(The policy) has tended to
speed things up,” Menaker
says. She says the program
helped to motivate people,
while remaining sensitive to the
needs of the individual.
Graduate students can also be
hired on a conditional basis,
Menaker says. The student must
finish his or her degree within
anonymous) has been enrolled
as a graduate student at the
University since 1971, and says
he has not finished his degree
because his research has "turn
ed into a full-time job."
He says he went through the
first part of his degree quickly,
but slowed when he got to his
dissertation because of research
opportunities.
Graduate students could
become professors in the past,
but such a market currently
doesn't exist, he says. He sees
some students going to work for
the government or into the.
business field as an alternative
to a degree.
“Having a student finish in
four years...is awfully rare,**
says George Sprague, assistant
professor of biology. Me says
five years is the average time it
takes students to finish a doc
toral degree in the biology
department. The bulk of that
time is spent doing research for
dissertations, Sprague says.
He says biology students, at
the University don't have too
much trouble finishing their
degrees on time. If problems do
arise, it’s usually in the research
portion of the biology degree,
Sprague says.
“Sometimes the idea you
start out with doesn't pan out,”
he says. “The number of ex
periments that have to be done
— even if things go smoothly —
takes a long time," he says.
He believes the “Oh. but the
dissertation" syndrome was not
caused by any single reason, but
rather a combination of factors.
Although graduate students get
tired of school, “that’s not the
general problem," Sprague
says. He adds that students may
be taking longer to finish their
dissertations since more is be
ing asked of them today than 15
or 20 years ago.
Correction
Classical pianist Adam
Kapuscinski will perform
a benefit recital for the
Oregon Natural
Resources Council, Satur
day at 7:30 p.m. at the
Hult Center — not Sun
day night as was
reported in the Emerald
Thursday. We apologize
for any confusion caused.
For concert ticket infor
mation call >the Hult box
office at 687-5000.
VmlA