During this course, you have begun to understand that a dissertation is a multi-faceted research project. You may have heard of the term ABD (all but dissertation). There are a sizeable number of doctoral students who have completed their coursework, passed their comprehensive examinations, but never have completed their dissertations.
You may wonder how this might happen. For example, were these students who did not complete their dissertations really scholarly impostors who did not possess sufficient knowledge and skills? What can you do to avoid this?
This assignment requires you to interview two people who have successfully completed doctoral programs.
Your goal in this assignment is to carefully consider and organize the body of your paper around these three key ideas:
• What most assisted your interviewees in completing their major research projects or dissertations?
• What challenges did your interviewees experience?
• What specific recommendations do your interviewees have for successful completion?
Use the following guidelines as you conduct your interview to help you achieve the above three goals:
• Select individuals to interview, if possible, who are not AU faculty or staff members, since one purpose of this assignment is to broaden your perspectives regarding conducting doctoral research.