The Ph.D. process

The PhD program is completely different to the bachelors or masters degree programs. You are free to decide your coursework, your dissertation topic, your advisory committee, and you even have the freedom to crash and burn. In fact, many students get most of the way through and never finish. The term you often hear is "I have completed all but my dissertation." One of the reasons for the high number of incomplete doctoral degrees is because students don't understand the process. PhD programs test not only your ability to do academic work, but also your ability and will to learn and play the game. The author states what a PhD program is not, and then describes the five elements of a PhD program: the committee, the bachelors degree, the post-graduate work, the qualifying exams, and the dissertation.