News Release

MADISON, WI, MARCH 17, 2008 -- The last year of a graduate student’s Ph.D. program can be very demanding and draining, but also a very rewarding experience for the graduate student as well as the major professor. Many graduate students are not aware of their many responsibilities during the last year of their Ph.D. program.

Mary Collins, University of Florida at Gainesville, writes from the major professor’s point-of-view in the 2008 Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education.

Collins commented, “I wrote this article out of necessity. Many of my graduate students come to me and ask what they need to do to get done. I decided to record some of my experiences to share with students.” The advice in the article was specifically written for doctoral students but much of what is presented is applicable to M.S. students as well.

According to Collins, “In today’s electronic world, graduate students may not have ‘written’ very much during their education. So when it comes time to compose a very important scientific document, many graduate students—even at the Ph.D. level—are not prepared for this venture.”

Discussions, planning, and a cooperative effort between the graduate student and major professor are needed to meet the many deadlines throughout the year.

Collins explains, “The best way to write is to read a book or journal article, read another book or article, and then read some more.”

The student needs to read similar dissertations in a proactive mood to get an idea of how the chapters, tables, and figures were organized.