Doctoral Journey

For almost everyone, embarking on a journey of doctoral studies is a major commitment. It usually takes 4-6 years—full time, to complete the requirements to receive a Ph.D.

In the early phase of a Ph.D. program, coursework takes a leading role, much like an undergraduate. Academic research activities, on the other hand, start as trickles in the first year, and gradually become the most important component of doctoral studies.

Check out the following information related to a doctoral journey:

• Typical Plans of Study
• Requirements and Policies
• Research Resources
• Recent Placements
• Alumni Voices

Building an Academic Career

A successful academic career hinges four C’s:

• Commitment
  Commitment means putting in effort without reservation. In academia, we are “standing on the shoulder of giants.” But first, we must climb onto that shoulder. A Ph.D. program is like a marathon. Good planning, work ethics, attention to details are all great ingredients for a successful recipe. Above all, commitment is essential.
• Collaboration
  Very rarely are successful scholars conducting research alone. We also build on other people’s ideas by going to conferences, attending talks, and bouncing ideas. Learning to collaborate with a fellow student, a mentor, or a colleague are great early steps for success.
• Creativity
  Google Scholar has a record of most of the articles ever published in English. 100 million articles. How does our idea differ from our predecessors? It takes creativity to find new niches and new domains. The journey starts from getting into the habit of creating new research ideas. Eventually, real creative ideas will come.
• Communication
  We are both scholars and educators. In both roles, it is important to be able to simplify and communicate complicated ideas, theories, and results.

To our faculty, doctoral students are like junior colleagues. At Bauer, we seek to provide students with a collaborative research environment that fosters innovation and rewards diligence and creativity. Our faculty, as some of the leading researchers in their respective fields, know that the best research is not only research that is grounded in rigorous academic training, but that also makes a creative and substantive contribution to the field.