Comments | academics_anon: When Will It End?

hurst07 in academics_anon

When Will It End?

Jul 30, 2008 01:08

I am an American D.Phil candidate (literature) attending a university in the UK. I am on target to finish my dissertation this year. As such, I would, I suppose, be classified as ABD (though my doctoral programme, along with most in the UK if I am not mistaken, don't have coursework). I will be looking at positions in the United States and ( Read more... )

job market, dissertations-and-theses

Comments 21

eve_prime July 30 2008, 00:28:58 UTC

I have no answer to your question, but I think for (c) it makes more sense to replace "walked in a graduation ceremony" with "been awarded a degree." Many (most?) universities have several degree-awarding dates throughout the year, but walking in a graduation ceremony seems irrelevant.

hurst07 July 30 2008, 02:11:18 UTC

thank you . . .

new_kid16 July 30 2008, 00:44:24 UTC

It would mean that you have actually completed all requirements and earned the degree. That if you got a transcript from your university, it would say Ph.D. on it. So you would need to convince such hiring institutions that you will have completed the viva (defended, in US parlance) and submitted the dissertation, and ideally, that you will have had the degree conferred before beginning your position. If the degree won't be formally conferred by then, you'll probably need documentation to show that the degree will be awarded on such-a-such a date (some universities only award the degree twice a year so if, say, you finish in August, your degree won't be awarded till December). You will have to submit a transcript at some point to prove the degree has been conferred. (In the US, you can usually go through a graduation ceremony before you've completed the degree - e.g., graduation is only held in December and May and you finish in July - you could walk in May then finish, or finish then walk in December. And in fact, there's no ( ... )

astartesyriaca July 30 2008, 00:45:45 UTC

ABD means "all but defense", and defense = viva. So none of the above.

hurst07 July 30 2008, 02:11:43 UTC

thanks so much . . .

doctorex July 30 2008, 04:22:00 UTC

ABD means all but dissertation, I think, not all but defense. It generally means that the only requirement you have left is the successful completion of the dissertation, including both the writing and the defense.

astartesyriaca July 30 2008, 20:56:13 UTC

Oops! I knew that, thanks for the correction. I just had my own defense yesterday, so it was on the brain.

mtb0001 July 30 2008, 00:46:28 UTC

If I am currently ABD but accept a position that begins in the fall, then I must have completed all degree requirements and have graduated by the time the position begins. Walking in the ceremony <> graduating.

lapsedmodernist July 30 2008, 01:23:03 UTC

right, it means you have to have your degree in hand by the time you officially start working--i.e. if they were to request your final transcripts, it would say "Ph.D. awarded"--which in the US means you defend, you may have to do revisions, you file (a Kafka-esque procedure, at least at my university), and then you get the title.

There are places that will hire you even as ABD--I taught at a university last year, and only defended in December, so all first semester I was an ABD--but usually that means a different title (instructor vs., say, visiting lecturer) and probably a smaller paycheck. For one-year replacement or visiting positions you may get away with being an ABD while working there; for any TT position they want to know that you are going to finish up before you start.

hurst07 July 30 2008, 02:12:08 UTC

thank you for your help