A Marathon, not a Sprint: Part 1.

The road to a Ph.D. is long and tough, and I'm pacing myself. I didn't always think that I wanted to be a professor, the chosen profession of most Ph.Ds. The ubiquitous Mayo Clinic made becoming a doctor an enticing possibility for any kid growing up in Rochester, MN. I realized fairly early on in college that I was not cut out for medical school. I pursued a degree in political science at the University of Minnesota, not knowing of my career possibilities. I had always assumed that I would work at the state capitol or for a non-profit organization doing political activism. It was a passing conversation with one of my respected professors that changed my career trajectory. He offered to write me letters of recommendation if I decided to pursue grad school. After many conversations with him and other professors, I decided that I wanted to teach and research. I credit this professor for instilling within me the confidence to embark on the demanding work required to earn a Ph.D.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have earned a Master's degree in order to enter a Ph.D. program. In fact, it is recommended that you enter a Ph.D. program if you know that that is your ultimate goal. Along the road to a Ph.D., I will have earned a Master's degree as well. The normal time to degree (NTTD) in Political Science at UCI is 6 years. Of course, not everyone who enters the programs comes out. Some decide to take the Master's and run, and some drop out prior to completion. Each year, a new group of incoming students enters the program. Collectively, this group is referred to as a cohort. Here is my cohort:

(back row: Bryan (San Diego); Kim (NC); John (San Diego); Karl (NE); Ryan (TX). front row: Doc (Greg, NE); Heidi (Portland); Katie (Costa Mesa, CA); Robin (San Diego). It appears that I made my own row.)

Some cohorts are really small (6) and some are really big (22). We have a good size. Unlike some of the previous cohorts, mine is really close-knit. We have become friends and we spend a lot of our free time together. We even have a nickname for ourselves: The PoMos, short for Post-Modernists.

All Ph.D. programs have different degree requirements. At UCI, we have to take a total of 18 courses, 3 of which have been decided for us. During our first year, we took Foundations of Political Science in the fall, Micropolitics in the winter, and Macropolitics in the spring. The purpose of these courses is to build our foundation and knowledge of the literature but also to encourage cohort bonding. Completion of the course work will take approximately 3 years. We are expected to take 2 classes each quarter and then work as a Teaching Assistant (TA). Twelve of the 18 courses that we take must be in the Political Science department. If we so choose, we can take up to 6 classes in other departments. This is good for me since I plan to take courses in the Sociology and Women's Studies departments.

We have to write 3 qualifying papers before we can advance to candidacy. These papers are usually expansions of course papers. We need to have 2 professors (we call them 1st and 2nd readers) sign off on these papers. I am currently working on my 1st qualifier. When I have finished it and 12 courses, I will have a Master's degree. After completing all 3 qualifiers, we have to take an oral exam (orals) with a committee of 5 professors, one of whom can be outside of the department. This tests our knowledge of the literature in our field. Upon successful completion of orals, we advance to candidacy and are considered All But Dissertation (ABD). During the last year of working on a dissertation, Ph.D. candidates go on the job market. We will have to interview and give a job talk, which is essentially a presentation of our dissertation. When we have completed our dissertations and defended them in front of a committee, we have earned our Ph.Ds. Sounds easy, right?