A doctoral program in humanities can now take almost a decade to complete.
Russell Berman, 2011-2012 president of the Modern Language Association and a professor at Stanford University, wrote a letter of caution concerning the length of time it takes to get a doctorate in the humanities.
His bottom line: Doctoral programs need to be shorter, less costly and geared toward preparing students for postgraduate employment ““ otherwise, humanities doctorates could become a thing of the past.
But reformatting doctoral programs to center on careers could become a slippery slope.
Universities such as Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of Minnesota have already begun to adopt new policies that look to shorten and refocus the path to a doctorate. UCLA currently has doctoral programs comparable in length to these universities. For example, the English doctoral programs at both UCLA and Stanford University are set to be completed in five years.
However, the number of years of study is subject to change. Students in programs that have the potential to be prolonged could benefit from Berman’s suggestions for doctoral programs.
One of the primary goals of Berman’s letter is the reorientation of doctoral programs to focus on preparing students for the job market.
According to Berman, doctoral programs in the humanities have traditionally prepared students for jobs in academia, and it is only toward the end of their studies that students begin to question whether they want to enter other career fields.
Not every doctoral student will enter academia, and the weight placed on preparing students for an academic career may weaken their preparation for other fields.
Under Berman’s outline, students would be asked early on in the program what type of postgraduate employment they would like to seek.
Following this, students would be given career-centric guidance throughout their program.
Although the reasoning behind reformatting doctoral programs to reduce their cost is valid, I’m concerned that placing too much emphasis on finding a job coupled with the shortening of the programs could decrease the quality and rigorous intellectual caliber typical to a humanities doctorate.
Often, doctoral candidates are offered generous fellowships to make their degrees more affordable, but these lengthy programs translate into a hefty price tag for universities.
Shortening the programs and focusing them on helping students find jobs ensure their survival in times of economic instability.
However, when examined through the perspective of a doctoral student in the humanities, having a short program focused on employment may not be the best option.
Both students and universities may favor cheaper programs, but it is important to remember that not all students pursue a doctorate in the humanities for the financial payoff. Some students do it more for their passion for their field.
Doctoral programs should not be reformatted at the expense of the programs’ quality.
Email Guptill at cguptill@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to opinion@media.ucla.edu or tweet us @DBOpinion.