Attrition in U.S. doctoral programs is a tremendous waste of America's financial resources and human energies. Increasing demand for workers with advanced training at the graduate level, an inadequate domestic talent pool, and a small representation of women and minority graduates at all education levels are among some growing concerns over workforce issues that relate to the vitality and competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Improving completion rates for all doctoral students, and particularly for those from underrepresented groups, is vital to meeting our nation's present and future workforce needs.
The Ph.D. Completion Project is a seven-year, grant-funded project that addresses the issues surrounding Ph.D. completion and attrition. The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), with generous support from Pfizer Inc and the Ford Foundation, has provided funding in two phases to 29 major U.S. and Canadian research universities to create intervention strategies and pilot projects, and to evaluate the impact of these projects on doctoral completion rates and attrition patterns. An additional 15 partner universities are currently participating in various aspects of this project. The Ph.D. Completion Project aims to produce the most comprehensive and useful data on attrition from doctoral study and completion of Ph.D. programs yet available.
Previous studies suggest that under highly favorable conditions, no more than three-quarters of students who enter doctoral programs complete their degrees. Research has also shown that the vast majority of students who enter doctoral programs, have the academic ability to complete the degree. Six institutional and program characteristics emerge, however, as key factors influencing student outcomes that can ultimately affect the likelihood that a particular student will complete a Ph.D. program:
The projects supported by the Pfizer and Ford Foundation grants test interventions in these 6 areas and have identified additional areas in which innovative practices contribute to increased doctoral degree completion. Graduate deans from participating institutions will highlight their “best practices” in national and institution-wide discussions on the topic of Ph.D. completion.
More information about the Ph.D. Completion Project is available on the project website.