How long should a dissertation take?

In honor of Friday the 13^th I will discuss one of the most common questions I receive: how long will it take me to do a dissertation? Of course, my answer is that it is very individual, it depends on how good of a writer you are, the type of study you do, and what problems you encounter. 

But today, let's go a little deeper. Some students get it into their head that they should be done within 5 quarters- that is, after all, what the program states is the requirement. However, this number has little to do with reality; it is simply the academic requirement. Dissertations do not go according to schedule; it will take however long it takes. Yes, I have seen students get done in 5 quarters, but I have also seen others take 2-3 years.  

Why does it take so long?? There are a number of reasons. 1) Students may not write well, requiring many revisions and working with the writing center or a private editor. 2) There are many waiting times- each person that reviews your paper has 10 business days. Therefore, if you have to do revisions, that time adds up. 3) Different research methods take different time periods. The fastest is doing an archival or secondary data analysis. Probably qualitative and mixed methods take the longest. 4) Problems arise; in fact, expect them. You may not be able get the required number of participants, your computer crashes, you or family members get sick, your boss insists that you work overtime. Things happen, which delays the process. 5) Chair or committee issues, sometimes personalities clash, committee members get sick or even die. There is no way to predict such things and they too slow you down. 

What are characteristics of students who get done quickly? They tend to be excellent writers, work every day on their paper, and the dissertation gods grant them minimal outside problems. Promise yourself today – however long it takes, you will keep working on it. That will get you done. 

Next time we will continue our review - Chapter 3: Instrumentation in qualitative studies. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu