Fulfilling the Potential of Your Doctoral Experience. Pam Denicolo

of their own that indicate some effort at researching the nature of the doctorate and the quality of research in their institution. Incidentally, they tend to support our findings from the development of Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF), of which more in Chapters 2 and 5 and Appendix II, that beyond having relevant subject credentials the most important attributes they seek in a doctoral candidate are a passion for the subject, linked to resilience and perseverance to sustain them through the complex journey to success.

      One of the early decisions that you must make yourself is whether you will study in a full-time or part-time mode. This will depend on your personal circumstances, the stage in your career and the accessibility of opportunities to study in a specific mode, as well as for how long you think you might be able to sustain your enthusiasm and maintain the support of your family and friends (more about that in Chapter 6). Consider the question in Reflection Point 1.1.

      Reflection Point 1.1

      Does a doctorate fit into your life?

      Everyone has a full-time life, with a variety of different commitments. To determine if doing a doctorate is right for you at this stage in your life, take a bit of time to reflect on where it will fit in with the rest of your daily and weekly activities for the number of years your programme will take. What are you willing to give up to make space for your doctorate? What will this mean for other aspects of your life?

      If you are considering a full-time doctorate, you must think of this as a full-time job. For a part-time doctorate, you are still likely to need to dedicate at least 20 hours a week to your research. Can you commit this amount of time? Can you dedicate the necessary blocks of high-quality thinking time to doing research? Do you have the necessary support structures in place to help you achieve? If not, can you put them in place?

      Of course, there are huge financial implications involved in either mode of study and institutions tend to check that candidates have enough funds (of their own, from a funding body or employer) to pay the fees for the whole programme and to provide adequate subsistence throughout the process. (Being based in a particularly ‘high cost’ area ourselves, we are sensitive to some of our own students’ financial struggles so suggest that you might investigate closely the cost of living in a particular location before committing to a particular university there.) Full-time research affords the luxury of focusing largely, if not exclusively, on your topic (a situation that rarely repeats if one remains in academia), and whilst immersion in the project should be enjoyed (Chapters 10 and 11) the apparently abundant timeframe can lead to the mistaken thought that you have more time to do things than may be the case; so, you will need the skills of project and time management, evaluation and monitoring to the same extent as a part-time researcher. If you favour, or perforce must, study in part-time mode, you should consider how remote from your institution you can afford to be, balancing cost and convenience with what support the institution provides in such circumstances alongside other less tangible factors such as the lack of personal face-to-face contact with peers and maintaining motivation in isolation.

      One particularly critical aspect that you must determine is the amount of time that you have available for study on a regular basis. Sadly, we have seen many researchers underestimating the time required, especially for part-time doctorates. This is not an enterprise that can be squeezed into bits of spare time, especially in the current economic climate when there is great pressure on supervisors and researchers for timely submission and completion. Returning to our swimming analogy, the more frequently you must get out of the water and the shorter the intervals spent swimming, the greater loss of momentum and orientation to the task experienced. It is important to establish a routine quickly and to allocate at least the same number of hours to a part-time doctorate as you would require for a half-time job. We say ‘at least’ because a lot of other ‘life events’ can occur over several years of adulthood that can divert your purpose. A perhaps unanticipated advantage of part-time research is that you will be managing differing tasks in a manner very close to the reality of a full-time academic position.

      One special form of part-time doctoral study that brings certain advantages is that generally known as a professional or practice-based doctorate, which is generally a post-experience qualification, though sometimes required for entry into a profession as a licence to practice. Such doctorates usually contain a significant taught element related to its eponymous discipline (education: EdD; engineering: EngD; psychology: PsychD, are examples). This is in addition to professional or generic skills training and the important research project component, located within the theory and/or practice of the professional area. Some doctorates in the arts have a performance-based component so that the final assessment includes evaluation of a performance or created artefact. Another form of doctorate frequently undertaken in part-time mode, but earning the traditional more generic titles of PhD or DPhil, is a doctorate by publication. These doctorates are less common and have rules for entry specific to the awarding institution, many only accessible to academic staff or others who have a record of publication which can form the basis of a portfolio that will demonstrate an original contribution to knowledge. These doctorate types are examined in the same way as other doctorates (Chapter 8).

      Once you are settled on which mode of study will be right for you, then you can begin to select potential institutions that may suit your purpose. Practicalities may heavily influence your choice, for instance an accessible location might be one of your own important criteria unless you have potential access to one of the globally rare distance-learning doctorates or are based in a remote campus. However, you should also evaluate the nature and amount of support provided by potential institutions. We have provided a basic checklist in Activity 1.1. You should tailor this to your own needs and circumstances, perhaps highlighting criteria that are particularly germane for you, adding any personal ones that we have not included.

      Activity 1.1 Criteria for selecting a potential institution for your doctorate

      Using a web search, any available brochures and information you may glean at interview, tick the facilities, services and other support available for each institution, then evaluate which institution/s best fit your requirements.

      Now, let us assume that you are successful and gain a place at one of your chosen institutions, to start your doctorate in a few months or so. How might you prepare for that adventure?

      Preparation

      Organising your personal circumstances

      Undertaking a doctorate is a life-changing event that will impinge on all aspects of your private and public life; it is not just an intellectual effort. This latter, erroneous, assumption is sometimes compounded by an expectation that it can be separated entirely from other aspects of life. We suggest that it is more helpful to recognise how much your doctorate will consume your being, thinking, time and energy (even in part-time mode) and prepare yourself and significant others accordingly. It is vital that you have a network of people who are prepared to provide support, succour and sanity in the years to come. When planning your actual studies (see Chapter 3 about contingency plans for the unexpected), it is important to factor into your timetable space for family events, both those that are predictable and those that may surprise or shock – bear in mind that life happens while you are absorbed in your project. You may need, also, to prepare