Timeline for research?

[SeriousSillyPutty]

As a science undergrad, it seemed the grad students in the department would spend their first semester/year as a TA, then find an RA for later years, eventually switching into dissertation mode.

Now I'll be going into a PhD in Education program. The timeline seems to be...

Year 1: Just classes (fellowship provided so no need to TA for stipend)

Summer: Uhh... read stuff?

Year 2: Classes & TA

Summer: Uhh....

Year 3: Finish classes & TA, then switch to dissertation

Summer: Dissertation?

Year 4 & Beyond: Dissertation.

This doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me. I get that in education there isn't as much need to be part of big projects like there is in physics, but how do we get our research "sea legs" if not helping with projects?

Now, I should know more once I start and am interacting with the current students, and that should clarify things more, but in the mean time, could others share what the timeline looks like at their schools?

[rising_star]

Hi SeriousSillyPutty,

The timeline in my program looks fairly similar to the one you posted, with comprehensive exams happening in the third year as well. In my department, students typically begin research as soon as they want, especially if they aren't in the lab. You can use course assignments and papers to conduct literature reviews in your area(s) of interest, for example. You can also use courses and summers to conduct a pilot study or other preliminary fieldwork that you need to do for your dissertation. And, you work on publishing, whether its book reviews, literature reviews, or original articles based either on an existing data set or more theoretical.

Hope this helps!

[ZeChocMoose]

The timeline in my program is sorta similar except that people typically RA in years 1 - 4. In the 5th year, students will either TA, RA, or compete for a fellowship to finish their dissertation. Comprehensive exams are typically taken in the third year, but sometime people will take them in the second year. In our summers, people do all sorts of things: take classes, do research, intern, get a fellowship, study for the comprehensive exam, etc.

I think my program is a bit atypical as most of the PhD students are on research teams. I have seen some programs where the majority of PhD students have graduate assistantships and work for a unit within the university.

I imagine that you can get involved in research if you ask a professor that is doing research that you are interested in.

[wildviolet]

My program generally looks like this:

Years One to Three--1/4 time RA, 1/4 time TA, 2-3 courses per semester, summers to do with as you want (some people go home, others are awarded summer research fellowships to work on their own stuff, particularly first years, some continue to do RA).

Years Four and Five--dissertation research and writing, TA and RA positions still available unless you get full fellowship funding.

I'm glad my program makes us do the RA and TA positions--virtually everybody does this. Later, we can apply for full funding so that we can just focus on our own work. I have a small fellowship, so it helps but I still need TA/RA.

Edited August 17, 2012 by wildviolet

[SeriousSillyPutty]

Thanks for the info!

[SeriousSillyPutty]

I'm still worried about timeline stuff.

Could anyone share links to the kind of published papers that can derive from class stuff? Right now my course set-up is very much like undergrad and its hard for me to conceive of writing anything that doesn't seem like a re-hashing of what's been done before. I don't think the department has research teams, just pet projects that grad students sometimes get pulled in on -- but usually the more advanced students.

I get the sense that I'll be behind if I'm only doing coursework, but right now I'm behind on coursework, so it's not like I have time for much else!

Thoughts?

[wildviolet]

SSP-You can PM me if you want. We're in the same field.

[ZeChocMoose]

I'm still worried about timeline stuff.

Could anyone share links to the kind of published papers that can derive from class stuff? Right now my course set-up is very much like undergrad and its hard for me to conceive of writing anything that doesn't seem like a re-hashing of what's been done before. I don't think the department has research teams, just pet projects that grad students sometimes get pulled in on -- but usually the more advanced students.

I get the sense that I'll be behind if I'm only doing coursework, but right now I'm behind on coursework, so it's not like I have time for much else!

Thoughts?

Have you talked to older students in your program? It could be that the classes in your first year don't lend themselves to that type of activity. It also could be that you need to seek out opportunities to get involved by asking professors to join their pet projects. Or it could be that your program is not very research intensive in general. If that is the case than you may have to work harder to get the necessary research experience and you also might want to look outside your program if you can't find anything that you would like to get involved with.