On Time to the Doctorate A Study of the Lengthening Time to Completion for Doctorates in Science and Engineering (1990) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 A MODEL OF THE DETERMINANTS OF TTD
3 A MODEL OF THE DETERMINANTS OF TTD
Pages 35-44
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 35... ...
A discussion of the variables used in the model is included. The Model TTD is directly affected by five vectors of variables similar to those shown to influence demand for graduate school and persistence to the degree: family background characteristics (F)
|
From page 36... ...
"TLFA" is comprised of variables such as the cohort's average tuition and the percentage of the cohort receiving financial aid. The "O" vector contains information on the undergraduate and graduate schools their average quality, government spending on R&D, and the percentage of foreign baccalaureates enrolled attended by persons in the cohort.
|
From page 37... ...
Both phenomena reduce the costs of pursuing the doctorate, lower the costs of study time, and lower 1-1~. On the other hand, high-quality graduate schools may also impose more rigorous academic requirements on their doctoral candidates, requiring more research and study, with the ultimate effect of increasing TID.
|
From page 38... ...
Students with teaching assistantships as their primary source of support have a lower opportunity cost for study than those who must support themselves through graduate school. Teaching assistants (TAs)
|
From page 39... ...
On average, the theory suggests, the time a working person devotes to doctoral study will be less than the time spent by those with teaching or research assistantships or fellowships. A 1987 study by Abedi and Benkin found that mean TTD and mean RTD are over two years longer for students using their own earnings as a primary income source than for those whose money comes from other sources.
|
From page 40... ...
Go ~ to To ox o v, -g ;^ a, o c)
|
From page 41... ...
suggests that a single present-value measure can be used to incorporate expected returns into a model of student choice, but the analysis below assumes students consider expected earnings and the probability of unemployment separately. Effects of Changes in Relative Salaries Viewed from an opportunity-cost perspective, when starting salaries of new doctorates rise, income foregone by students while in graduate school increases.
|
From page 42... ...
When employment opportunities increase for new and recent Ph.D.s, the opportunity costs increase to those remaining in graduate school. This creates an incentive for those working toward the doctorate to substitute degreerelated work for leisure activity or outside employment, resulting in lower TTD.
|
From page 43... ...
TOP: A rise in unemployment for new doctorates increases TPGE, since it reduces apparent remans for earning a doctorate. But if the unemployment rate for nondoctorates rises relative to that for doctorates, TPGE will fall as the opportunity cost of attending graduate school is reduced.
|
From page 44... ...
Data for "top 20" rankings came from the National Research Council's 1981-82 Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs in the United States, using NSF data in the Computer-Aided Science Policy and Research System (CASPAR)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.