Reply to How common is failing your dissertation defense?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Just curious. I don’t know if there are hard and fast percentages out there, but for anybody who has been in a PhD program, how many of your colleagues were successful with their dissertation defense? How many or not? If you fail it, are you permitted a second chance to present? Or is it one and done? What happens with the degree status if you don’t pass? [/quote]

My program had a high fail rate both at our university and compared to similar programs at similar universities. It is also has a high rate of people dropping out. I’m ABD because I dropped out. The same year, a friend transferred (unheard of!) and started over again at another local university. Even with having to retake comps a year later, she was happier. Three of our classmates failed within the next two years. It was a toxic environment. [/quote]

For your colleagues that failed, did they go back to continue work and present again? You can’t claim a PhD on a résumé or call yourself Dr. with ABD, right? [/quote]

NO, you cannot "claim a PhD on a resume or call yourself Dr. with an ABD".  I'm not clear why this is even a question.  You can't claim credentials that you haven't earned.  If you're in a field that includes licensing and/or a member of a professional organization with an ethics code, doing so will likely torpedo your career in very wide-reaching ways. [/quote]

The ABD is such a crock because the D is the hardest and most difficult part. I would never admit being ABD, either PhD or nothing.[/quote]

I disagree. Prior to defending my dissertation I completed 3+ years of coursework including multiple practica, passed my written comps, had multiple years of individual and group supervision, passed a foreign language exam, completed a pre-dissertation research project, and completed a year long internship with a competitive application process.  Being able to indicate my status as an ABD was an asset that appropriately allowed me to find jobs that financially allowed me to work on and complete my dissertation — a process that took a couple of years.  [/quote]

Eh, that really depends on the program, and maybe the field. In my PhD program, we had several pre-dissertation research projects, but the dissertation was the hardest part. We did not have heavy coursework, comps, or practica/internships.

I hire researchers who mostly have PhDs and I would not find ABD status to be much of an asset. I would think of someone who is ABD as similar to someone with a terminal MS, except that I would be wondering why they couldn't finish their dissertation. I'd also be wondering why they are advertising their ABD status as if I should be impressed by it.[/quote]

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