As I have been updating my progress recently I have been asked what different milestones actually mean? What is a doctoral degree? It’s not just “writing a really long book” although that’s definitely part of it. It also differs from country to country. So heres a summary in Mel-speak for you.
Here’s what the journey looks like at my university (CQU) in Australia. About I’m an EdD student, this is the same for PhD students in all faculties. The only minor difference is in Business and Law they verbally present their CoC as well as submit the written version.
👉 The early days – You start with a rough idea and spend the first months figuring out what on earth you’re actually researching. At this point it’s normal to have a lot of changes. You put together a proposal to prove the project is doable and sometimes there is compulsory coursework as well at this stage to build your skills. CQU has one self paced unit that directly leads into the CoC submission below
👉 Confirmation of Candidature – or CoC – is 6-12 months in. This is the first big hurdle. You hand over a chunky plan (mine was 16k words at the end), present it to a panel either verbally or just in writing, and basically convince them your project deserves to exist. Once you pass, you’re officially “confirmed” as a doctoral candidate. 🎉
👉 Ethics (straight after confirmation of candidature) – I have included this as a milestone because for me it was absolutely bonkers. Some people only need a uni ethics approval which can take a couple of months and then be done. I needed the uni approval first, then three different state education departments….then sector approval in each of those states (public, Catholic, independent) and then individual school and principal approval. Then each participant had to give their consent! I also hit lots of rejections here (because my research isn’t about phonics or science of reading) and had to pivot a few times.
👉 The messy middle – Data collection, fieldwork, experiments, interviews, analysing data using specific programs, writing, rewriting, doubting yourself, editing, applying feedback, more editing and then doing it all again. This is the part that can take years.
👉 The final writing stretch – Drafts, more drafts, and the dreaded “pre-submission review” where you prove the thesis is nearly ready to go to your supervisors. In my case this part was really overwhelming and I fell over a few times….but I got back up. Caffeine becomes a food group at this point.
👉 Professional proofreading – at my uni, we are allowed to use some of our funding to send our final draft to a professional proofreader approved by the university. They edit (no content review) and send it back to ensure grammar, punctuation, flow etc are up to standard.
👉 Submission day – You hand in approximately 65000 – 80000 words of your blood, sweat, and tears. Feels surreal.
👉 Examination – Experts read it (2-3 examiners usually) and send back their feedback, and you make corrections. This can take a few months. Examiners can be in Australia and international. Unlike some countries, there is no live exam or “defence” for me…just extensive written reports. Results at this stage can be:
- Pass with no revisions (unusual but it happens!)
- Pass with minor revisions (make changes within a few months and senior school of graduate research academic checks them – then you’re done!)
- Pass with major revisions (significant changes that can take up to another 6-12 months before being reviewed again by your uni staff)
- Re-examine with major revisions (significant changes that are expected to take 12 months and then need to go out to two external examiners again)
- Fail (not common in Australia and especially not at my uni which has a lot of systems in place to avoid this)
My goal? Minor revisions!!
👉 Conferral and Graduation – Conferral comes first and means you have made all your changes and they have been approved by the uni. You then get a magic email addressed to “Doctor” and the title is officially yours! Graduation can come anytime in the year or two after that if you choose to attend. I’ll be travelling interstate for mine and you can bet I’ll be wearing my wanky hat for days 😂
FYI: my thesis length was approx 70000 words and 334 pages.
Melissa Smith 