Using Administrative and Survey Data to Predict Achievement of Milestones in Doctoral Degree Attainment

• In Event: Graduate Education: Exploring the Journey

Abstract

Doctoral student attrition is of great concern for post-secondary institutions serving graduate students. This study combines administrative and survey data from a large, public doctorate-granting institution to provide important insights into factors that are associated with the achievement of milestones that students must reach on their way to earning their doctoral degree. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to model the time to successfully completing the first and second examinations, and the time to advancement to candidacy, measured continuously in months, based on a number of time-invariant covariates obtained through administrative and survey data. The findings identify a number of demographic, academic, and experiential factors associated with reaching these important milestones.

Author

• Jennifer L. Kobrin, Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine