Characteristics, degree completion times and thesis quality of Australian PhD candidates

Introduction by DEST of the new Research Training Scheme (RTS) has tightened the financial guidelines for direct governmental support of research higher degree candidature, raising concerns about degree completion and timeliness. There are two issues at the forefront of concerns by government, universities, postgraduate student associations, and candidates themselves: 1. candidate attrition during candidature resulting in non-completion of the degree, and 2. a longer-than-normal period of candidature, even though the extended candidature results in successful completion of the degree. Non-completion is of greater concern for both the candidate personally and the university, whereas extended candidature leading to completion may be a problem only for the university, carrying financial penalties within the RTS. However, there clearly may also be financial and personal costs for candidates who take more time. Although candidature completion and attrition are not directly addressed in this study, completion and time taken are closely linked in the literature, and both will be addressed briefly here.