For many doctoral students, the journey to completing their degree ends not with a Ph.D. but with three very different letters–ABD. Known as “All But Dissertation,” ABD status can result from students struggling to find the time, motivation and resources to complete their dissertation.

Walden University faculty members Dr. Richard Klein and Dr. David Milen recently led a residency special topic session on practical strategies that Walden’s doctoral students can use to finish their degrees. The following are some ways students can turn an ABD into a Ph.D.—or avoid ABD status altogether.

Pace Yourself
According to Klein, one of the greatest pitfalls facing doctoral students is time management. Once the daily pressures of course work and exams are behind them, many students fail to give their dissertation the same consistent attention.

“What a lot of people will do is take a vacation, and that vacation becomes an extended vacation,” Klein observes. To ensure that a weeklong vacation doesn’t turn into a yearlong break, he encourages doctoral students to put themselves on a schedule and work on their dissertation on a regular basis.

Milen suggests that students tap into their family for encouragement and motivation. “Make sure that you communicate with your family and let them know that this is something that you’re working toward,” he says. “This is a personal achievement. Yet at the same time, it’s going to benefit the family.”

Build a Network of Support
Both Walden mentors recommend that doctoral students look beyond the family to fellow classmates for support. Walden residencies are an ideal time to meet and network with colleagues; students have the opportunity to leave with the names of two or three individuals to build relationships with that will last throughout their program.

“A number of my students make the decision that they all are going to do it or none of them are going to do it,” says Klein. Walden faculty mentors like Klein and Milen, who vividly recall their own doctoral experiences, are also a great source of support and insights.

Keep It Simple
Adding complexity to a dissertation does not necessarily make it better, Klein counsels. Instead, it can introduce variables that can reduce the quality and the statistical significance of the dissertation.

Klein recounts the first time he submitted his own dissertation proposal, which would have involved a few thousand subjects and years of research. “I turned it in to the chairman of my department and he made a comment, which was probably the nicest thing he’d said. He said, ‘Rick, you’re crazy.’” Klein then revised his methodology so that his data collection was done in two weeks.

In the end, Walden staff and faculty want students to reach their personal and professional potential. “We’re involved because we want you to succeed,” says Klein. “So if we make suggestions, please don’t see it as being difficult. I want to sign something that I’m proud of, just as you want to have something that you’re proud of.”

More Information
See how doctoral students are supported at Walden University residencies. Watch “Academic Residencies for Doctoral Students.”

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