Earning a Doctorate Degree in the 21st Century: Challenges and Joys

Earning a Doctorate Degree in the 21st Century: Challenges and Joys reflects on some of the main reasons people pursue a doctorate degree, the techniques for setting the course and what candidates should do to make sure their degree is completed in a timely manner. If you are a university administrator, currently a doctoral candidate or thinking about becoming one, then this book is for you. Good luck in your pursuit of becoming a protector of wisdom!

Review Comments:

In this text you'll benefit from the counsel of the authors who have coached numerous others before you through this process.
- Dr. Paul Hersey, Chairman, Center for Leadership Studies

This book is your ace in the hole to completing a doctoral program. If you have the thirst for knowledge, but are unsure if you have the wherewithal to complete a doctoral program, this book is for you. You will find helpful tips for succeeding, learn from the experiences of others who have struggled to achieve and succeeded in the process, and probably change your way of thinking about yourself. You will find yourself thinking about where you have been, where you are going, and the motivations, attitude, and strategy you need to complete a doctoral program.
- Dr. Tamara S. Terry, Assistant Dean and Chief Financial Officer of the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship

"Earning a Doctorate Degree" lays out the realities of why so many students fail to make it to the finish line. The authors build a solid case for why doctoral programs build unnecessary barriers leading to discouragement and high failure rates. Written in a clearly understood and anecdotal fashion, Mujtaba and Scharff argue a case of student/faculty disconnect and false expectations. At the heart of their argument for boosting doctoral completion is an intrinsic appreciation for the value of learning that has been lost in the luster of "doc-in-the-box" approaches to boosting a candidate's job credentials. The book is based on practitioner perspectives adding to its credibility and readership. Both school administrators and doctoral student prospects will benefit from these long overdue ideas for boosting retention.
- Dr. James Barry, Professor of Marketing

While the path to completing a doctoral degree contains numerous obstacles, in "Earning a Doctorate Degree" Drs. Mujtaba and Scharff provide a useful roadmap to avoid them. Each section contains personal insights of the authors and others who have successfully completed the journey. From the beginning of why one would want to undertake the goal of a doctorate to completing the dissertation, the reader is provided with key issues related to challenges and how to overcome the barriers. The book should be read when a potential student is considering a doctorate to help in the decision-making process, and once a student enrolls, it should be re-read as the student progresses through a program to keep him/her on course for completion.
- Dr. Les Carter, Entrepreneurship Chair, St. Edward's University