Outlines how Purdue University initiated and shaped a doctoral program in rhetoric and composition within the English department. Provides an account of the department's goals, contextual influences, and emergent features in instituting such a program. (HB)

Discusses the need within higher education for a nursing curriculum that addresses all ethnic and cultural perspectives. (JOW)

It is estimated that this academic year, for the first time, the majority of first-year doctoral students in physics are foreign, with one-fifth of foreign students in physics from China alone. At Pennsylvania State University, all six physics doctoral students are foreign, and much effort is spent to help the students function in an American…

Surveyed 48 social-work doctoral-program directors about the inclusion of philosophical issues in the curriculum. The survey asked about traditional and emergent epistemologies, including heuristics, social constructivism, and other forms of postmodernism. Results suggest that while such content is included in research courses, directors face…

Explores how stability and continuity in scientific disciplines are sustained through socialization processes of doctoral training. Identifies inter-generational transmission of knowledge, skills, and assumptions as key elements in socialization. Uses this research to contest recent United Kingdom educational policies based on theories of a…

Investigates lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) doctoral students' mentoring relationships with faculty in counseling psychology. Data from interviews with 14 LGB participants were analyzed. Results show two contextual-specific LGB themes that helped shape three themes regarding LGB students' experience of mentoring relationships. Presents seven…

A Ph.D. course in ecological agriculture included a weeklong intensive workshop and individual research projects. The course demonstrated the usefulness of multiple approaches to learning research methods and perspectives and increased networking among researchers. (SK)

Describes surveys of potential health-care employers and health-care professionals to identify the need for biomedical informatics programs. Outlines a certificate program, master of science in biomedicine and nursing informatics, and a Ph.D. program. (SK)

Compares graduate programs leading to either a DPA (Doctor of Public Administration) or a Ph.D., especially as regards research productivity. Finds few differences between the programs, noting that degree title is more informative about the type of students recruited than outputs (e.g., journal publications). Overall low research productivity by…

Describes a study that investigated the publication rates of successful doctoral students in the fields of analytical chemistry, experimental psychology, and American literature. Data analysis, including linear regression analysis, revealed differences in publication rates and in solo authorship that mirrored differences between the fields as a…

Analysis of data from 55 U.S. Ph.D.-granting economics departments showed almost no support for the hypothesis that female graduates' initial job placements are improved by the presence of women faculty or dissertation advisors. Female faculty did reduce female students' time spent in graduate school. (SK)

Offers guidelines that specify the kinds of information that will assist faculties in identifying and rectifying problems in their graduate programs. Directs attention to eight areas: department goals; graduate admissions; retention and attrition of students; financial support for students; preparing students for careers within and outside the…

Presents statistics on the progression of African Americans in institutions of higher education in the United States, highlighting positive and durable change achieved by particular colleges and universities. Data are given on racial inequality and doctoral degrees attained as are positive and negative factors of how African Americans are faring…

The doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) is a terminal or final degree in the field of counseling. Provides an abbreviated look at the development of the CES doctoral degree, reviews the development of accreditation standards, reports on current status of the doctoral degree, and comments on the possible future of the CES…

Reviews the characteristics of academic women in psychology, detailing what is known about women's participation in various academic roles, describing their successes in those roles, and discussing obstacles to their success in psychology as a discipline and in the academe more broadly. Recommendations for enhancing women's success in academia are…